Hong Kong Trip - A lovely day in Wanchai

Happy holidays, everybody! I am spending my vacation in Hong Kong now. I love this service apartment very much because it faces Victoria harbour and the sea view is amazing.  The location is good,  it is only 8-minute walk to the Wanchai MTR station.  There are over 20 restaurants and cafes nearby.  Also it is clean and has a kitchenette. I enjoy buying local ingredients and cooking even in a trip. 

In a very good morning, the first thing to do is to have local breakfast in a congee store on Hennessy Road.  It is called “Chung Kee” which provides a variety of traditional Cantonese congee, rice-sheet rolls and deep fried Chinese crisps.  I order a bowl of minced beef congee and a plate of Zhaliang.  The prices are good and they are tasty. 

My journey starts in Wanchai.  I take tram to Tai Yuen Street.  The best way to explore Hong Kong Island is to take tram which is called Ding Ding by the locals.  It is the oldest and cheapest transport system and has been run about 112 years.  When I take Ding Ding, I feel peaceful and have time to take the views in since it travels at a relatively low speed.  It is a must-see attraction in Hong Kong.

                         

If you have kids or are ‘kidults’, you love Tai Yuen Street.  You will find a treasure trove of toys, kids’ collectibles and festive decorations. There are some toys shops selling a wide variety of toys along the street, you can find the latest to the classics.  There are some hawkers around the streets, they sell some daily stuffs, like underwear, towels, flowers, clothes, cooking ingredients at low prices.  Then I spend a half day there and wander through the street to Queen’s Road East. 

There is a tiny temple which is called Hung Shing Temple on Queen’s Road East.  It was estimated to be built between 1847-1852.  Traditionally, people believed that Hung Shing is the deity who could provide protection at sea, it was worshipped by fishermen, farmers and traders in the old days.  When I go there, I find a few worshippers there.  If you are very interested in ancient Chinese folk religion, you must go to see it.

‘Happy Cake Shop’ is located just opposite to Hung Shing Temple. It is a classic Hong Kong cake shop which sells pineapple buns, egg tarts and less-often-seen cream buns and palmiers.  I always ate them when I was small.  I missed them a lot.  The shop has been established in the 1970s. Its layout, with the kitchen and ovens at the back, and shop at the front, remains unchanged to this day.  Everything is baked daily on site. The price is cheap and the bakery items are very fresh.  I bought two pineapple buns for lunch.  They are mouth-watering and so tasty!!

Then I keep on walking towards Wanchai Market. It is very crowded since people are buying food and vegetables to celebrate Winter Solstice Festival.  Traditionally, Chinese people would buy a lot of good food and prepare a lavish dinner for the whole family.  This is an important reunion family activity. In addition, ‘Dong Yuen’ is generally included on the menu because its name sound like ‘reunion’ in Cantonese.

I feel very exhausted after walking around for the whole day. ‘Chuen Kee’ is my last stop.  I have never been there for nearly 20 years. I order a bowl of fish ball noodle in this local small restaurant on Steward Road.  Both fish balls and fish cakes are chewy. The flavour of soup base is relatively light.  Nothing has been changed.  It is still very yummy!!   

Stir-fry Chicken in DIY Black Bean Sauce

When you are reading this post, I go on a vacation in Hong Kong.  I will stay there in the coming two weeks and keep posting photos and updates about my visit.  

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serve: 2

Ingredients:

-      150g chicken fillets (sliced)   

-      60g green pepper (chopped)

-      60g red pepper (chopped)

-      100g onion (chopped)

-      ½ tbsp black bean (minced)

-      2 garlic clove (minced)

-      4g ginger (finely sliced)

-      1 tsp rice wine/white wine

-      ½ tsp soy sauce

-      ¼ tsp brown sugar

-      1 tbsp olive oil  

-      5 tbsp water

-      1 spring onion (finely chopped)

Seasoning:   

-      1 tsp light soy sauce

-      1 tsp rice wine/white wine

-      ¼ tsp corn flour

-      ¼ tsp sesame oil

-      ½ tsp sugar

Thickening sauce:

-      1 tsp corn flour

-      1½ tsp water

Method:

1.	Season the chicken with soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, corn flour and sesame oil for 10 minutes.
2.	Heat ½ tbsp oil in a non-stick pan over low-medium heat.  Add the chicken pieces and pan-fry both sides for 1-2 minutes till a bit golden brown.  Remove from heat and set aside.
3.	In the meantime, heat ½ tbsp oil in a non-stick wok over medium heat.  Add ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute.  Toss in garlic and soya bean and then stir-fry for another 1 minute.
4.	Add the onion, green pepper, red pepper, chicken and wine; then keep stir-frying for 1 minute.  Pour in water, season with soy sauce and sugar and cover for 2-3 minutes.
5.	In a small mixing bowl, mix the corn flour and water well in order to prepare the thickening sauce.  Stir in the thickening sauce and stir-fry for a further 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
6.	Garnish with spring onion and ready to serve with rice.

Borough market - a foodie heaven in Central London

Yesterday my husband and I went to Borough Market which is a wholesale and retail food market in Southwalk, Central London.  It is an old market which was opened in 1851.  It is just located next to London Bridge.   

We arrived at the market around 1:15 p.m. It was crowded with lots of people and tourists because it was Saturday afternoon.  The market consists of more than 100 food stalls and stands.  There is a wide variety of fresh food, like fish, meats, vegetables, cheeses, ciders, chocolates, macaroons, breads, cakes and patisseries.   They are good quality, good prices, great selection and amazing tastes.  

We absolutely love this foodie heaven; there are too many tempting treats.  I especially like the hot food stalls which sell burgers, sandwiches, crepes, coffees and drinks. We wandered around the stalls and had sample tasting loads of foods from chocolates to sausages before finally settling for lunch at a food stall called Le Marché du Quartier.  We had duck sandwich and beer.  The sandwich is so delicious and stuffed with shredded duck meat.  We also bought some cheese and a big bag of very fresh avocados. We had a great time there.

I would recommend having a walk around and let your senses be overwhelmed by the smells and sounds of this lovely market.  It is a must for tourists and locals.

Pork Rib Chop in Tomato and Pineapple Sauce (Hong Kong style)

It is very common to find this dish in Cha Chaan Teng (tea restaurant) in Hong Kong.  Sometimes it is baked with a piece of cheese on top when it is served in some fast food restaurants like Café de Coral (Hong Kong). 

My mom loved cooking this dish for me when I was young, I love her juicy and tender pork chops.  It is not difficult to make this dish but the key to cook a truly wonderful pork chop is to buy the correct cut of meat.  I prefer buying the thin cuts of pork rib chop and trim the fat off.  Then I use the back of a Chinese Cleaver instead of a meat mallet to make the pork chops become tender.  I like using fruit juice as one of the seasonings, especially pineapple juice.  The best way to cook it juicy is to cook it over low heat.  Let us have a dish of juicy and tender pork rib chops and serve with a bowl of jasmine rice.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serve: 2

Ingredients:

-      500g pork rib chop

-      300g tomato (sliced)

-      180g onion (finely sliced)

-      60g pineapple pieces (canned pineapple)

-      2 garlic clove (finely chopped)

-      1 shallot (finely chopped)

-      ½ spring onion (finely chopped)

-      1½ tsp olive oil     

-      20g sugar

-      100ml water

-      ¼ tsp table salt

Seasoning:

-      3 tbsp pineapple juice

-      1½ tbsp light soy sauce

-      ½ tsp brown sugar

-      1 tsp corn flour

-      1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

-      1 tsp ginger

-      a pinch of sesame oil

Ketchup Sauce:

-      1 tbsp ketchup

-      1 tbsp brown sugar       

-      1 tsp light soy sauce

Thickening Sauce:

-      1 tsp corn flour

-      1 tsp water

Method:

1.	Pound the chops lightly with the smooth side of a meat mallet or the back of Chinese Cleaver. This parts the muscle fibers slightly, tenderizing the pork.  Season the pork chops with pineapple juice, soy sauce, ginger, corn flour, sugar, Shaoxing wine and sesame oil for 15 minutes and set aside.
2.	In a small mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients of the ketchup sauce well.
3.	Heat a non-stick pan with 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat.  Pan-fry one side of each pork chop for 1-2 minutes and cover for 3 minutes over a low to medium heat.  Then uncover and pan-fry each side for 1-2 minutes until a bit golden brown.
4.	In the meantime, heat a non-stick wok with ½ tsp olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and shallot in the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute.  Then add the onion and stir-fry for 2 minutes.  Place the tomato into the wok and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes. Gradually pour in the water, stir in the ketchup sauce, and bring to boil.
5.	Tip the pork chop and pineapple pieces into the wok and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. In another small mixing bowl, mix well the corn flour and water.  Stir in the sauce until it becomes thickened.
6.	Garnish with spring onion and ready to serve with rice or spaghetti.