Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Hong Kong French Toast Project - Failed

Weeks ago I was hungry and there was nothing much to eat in the house.

Inspired by Kim Gary's french toast which we had a day ago, we attempted to make our own instead of driving out all to pay RM4.50 for a piece of fried egg toast covered in honey and butter.

ugly food


The result was horrible. A total failure. No, a total disaster beyond repair.

hong kong french toast lookalike


After locating several recipes online for a typical Hong Kong french toast, we were convinced that it was piece of cake to make our very own, one that's identical to Kim Gary's, if not then at least a large resemblence, homemade french toast - Hong Kong style.

According to the recipe, the breads were meant to be dipped in a mixture of beaten eggs, milk, sugar and teaspoon of vanilla essence after having it generously spread upon a thick layer of peanut butter.

Somehow the very quick "dip" was so swift to soak up the egg mixture that by the time it was moved to the frying pan, it was soggy and gooey.

The result was unbearably........ ugly.


peanut butter goo


digusting food


failed hk french toast


peanut butter and pudding like toast


disgusting french toast


I really don't know how to describe the whole thing, was it soggy cakey? or wet goo? or oily slimey? Needless to know, the whole thing was chucked into the bin before we managed to proceed the second mouthful.

left over HK french toast


Well, at least the photos were good.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Hong Kong Delicacies

Hong Kong is bursting with food. All the goodness in the world.

smelly tofu
Smelly Tofu


My trip to Hong Kong was a taste bud tantalizing journey. Here I would like to introduce some of the best food one can find in Hong Kong. I have formed a list, and a lot of photos. So brace yourself.

Dan Dan Noodles

Hong Kong is quite popular for their dan dan noodles, which you can find almost anywhere. In most cafe restaurant or "Cha Chan Teng" or perhaps small street side restaurants around.

spicy dan dan noodle


Two of the most staple styles are the spicy Sze Chuan style

dan dan noodle


and the mince pork dan dan noodle.

mince pork dan dan noodle


We also had pork chop as a side serving.

fried pork chop


It was thick slices and really tender and juicy.


Fried Rice

When it comes to eating in Hong Kong, you can find everything that's famous in Mainland China here.

The "Yang Zhou Fried Rice" for example. (Yang Zhou - a place)

yang zhou fried rice


And also the "Xian Yu" Fried Rice (Xian Yu - salted fish), with pork chop.

pork chop with yang zhou fried rice


Mango Puddings

For desserts, as blogged in my previous entry, you can find the Hui Lau Shan's mango desserts almost everywhere in Hong Kong.

hong kong mango pudding


Try ordering the original flavour, and maybe another one with the bird nest and ice creams.

mango pudding


They're so amazing it'll be ridiculous not to try it.


Wife's Cookies/Cakes

wing wah wife cookies


Wing Wah, no other brand better. Just try it. You will know.

Head to a branch before 2pm to savour a fresh out of the oven piece and you will see heaven shining lights upon you. Like it did me.


Pen Cai (Bowl Vege)

pen cai 2


For something that's straight out of a Chinese version village storybook, try the "Pen Cai", literally means a pale or bowl of mix dishes/vege.

There're no appetisers, main course, nor desserts. It's just all one kick ass dish, one table, one group of hungry people.

eating pen cai


pen cai close up

You'll find everything inside one dish, from chicken, to duck, sometimes fish, pork, vegetables,

seaweed
my plate


or in this case, lots of lotus roots.

pen cai


The cheapest ingredients were always the last to be finished. That's how Chinese eats.

eating lotus root
"Ou Duan Si Lian" (Chinese indiom - of how strings still attached when lotus root is halfed, often indicating about relationship)


Dim Sum

The best food to have in Hong Kong. Or Hong Kong's best food to have - Dim Sum.

hong kong dim sum


Some prefer to call it "Yum Cha" (drink tea).

Dim Sum can be eaten in the morning, or have in the afternoon during tea break in other culture like Shanghai or Guang Zhou.

But here in Hong Kong, you can have it any time of the day.

Most Chinese will usually opt for the signature Dim Sum dish, such as:

Siew Mai

siu mai


Minced meat/prawn mix half wrapped revealing top part, usually sprinkled with caviar.

siu mai close up


Har Kao

har kao


Steamed wrapped prawn dumplings which "skins" are usually thin like glass paper hence creating melt in your mouth sensation.


Chee Cheong Fan

chee cheong fan


Usually wrapped inside are prawns or minced pork, served with sweet soya sauce and spring onions, eaten best when dipped in chili oil.


Congee

congee


Usually served as starters before dim sum arrives.

I never like ordering or eating congee with my dim sum because then I'll get too full to eat the rest.

congee and scallops


But most uncles and aunties around me have the habit of ordering congee every single time they eat dim sum.


Fried Spring Rolls

spring rolls


They're kids' all time favourite. One can fill almost anything inside these rolls and still be a delightable bite off the table.

fried spring roll


I usually prefer mine with minced pork. Though you can also find other stuffing like prawns, carrots, turnips, lettuce, etc.


Shui Jiao (Steamed Dumplings)

vege dumplings


Like spring roll, you can have almost any sort of filling in a dumpling. Most restaurants will have more than two types of dumplings at any one time.


Siew Long Pao (steamed pork dumplings)

siew long pao


Became internationall well known in the Dim Sum world since the introduction and commercialization of the dish in Shanghai.

They can be found in all better known dim sum restaurant throughout the country.


Radish Cakes

radish cakes


A de javu dish. Known to be a peasant dish, fried radish cakes are now served on the table alongside the rich and wealthy's dish such as Siew Mai and Har Kao.


Char Siew Pao

char siew paos


Another classic dim sum - steamed bun with sweet minced pork. My favourite dim sum of all time.


Fried Pao

fried pao


Concept of fried dim sum was introduced when restaurant have left overs of prepared dim sum but didn't want to throw away on the day itself, so they fried it the next day to serve as an additional dish on the menu to customers.

I had fried siew mai before, it's nice when served with mayo. But I really don't really the tongue tingling part of fried pao, apart from the oiliness.


But there you do. A list of Hong Kong food.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Hong Kong Mango Pudding @ Hui Lau Shan

One of must try dessert in the world is the Mango Pudding of Hui Lau Shan in Hong Kong.

hong kong mango pudding


Rich in mango flavour, full of oomph! and oh so good.

The restaurant serves a variety of mango pudding from ice blended to ice cream topped to bird nest mango pudding.

mango pudding


This dish is topped with bird nest, mango fruit and mango and coconut? ice creams.

mango pudding with bird nest and ice cream


mango pudding and ice cream


An absolute sinner.

We also ordered the three portion mango treats that came with glutinous rice ball in mango sauce, mango mochi covered with coconut shreds, & mango ice cream on top of a bed of bird nest.

three types of mango pudding


I didn't quite like the mochi or the glutinous rice ball. It would have been better off ordering a whole portion of the classic mango pudding with bird nest.

three types of hong kong mango puddings


Here are some of the items off the menu list, together with the pricings for your references. They're all in HK dollar (HKD 2 =~ RM1)

hui lau shan menu 2


hui lau shan menu 4


hui lau shan menu 3


hui lau shan menu


hui lau shan menu 5


Made you pick yet?

Time to book a flight to Hong Kong. :D

mango puddings




rating: 3.5/5


Hui Lau Shan
All over Hong Kong