Article by Terrence Annamunthodo
We gathered to celebrate Terra Madre, the anniversary of Slow Food, in true local Hong Kong style. Tung Po Kitchen is one of the well-known dai pai dong restaurants. Dai pai dongs are a kind of open air food stall known for street food. Dai pai dongs offer dishes with robust flavours on the other end of the spectrum of the standard Cantonese fare.
The restaurant was crowded and lively as dai pai dongs usually are. It was the atmosphere that Hong Kongers enjoy with family and friends. The flowing beer was accompanying the lively atmosphere. It was being poured into small chinese style cups which were often being emptied with the toast of “gan bei” (dry bottom). This was convivial dining writ large.
Our celebration started with a fish bone soup which had all the fullness of flavour one might expect in a soup based on bones. There followed a flow of dishes full of bold flavours and textures.
The Deep Fried Crab with Garlic and spices was a perfectly cooked crab that was topped with a crispy garlic black pepper layer of crumbs. Each bite into its succulent flesh came with a crispy garlic spicy crumb mixture.
Most dai pai dongs have one or more signature dishes. Tung Po’s is its “Wind Sand” Chicken. It is a baked chicken which has crispy skin covering tender flavourful flesh. The dish takes its name from the use of cumin, an uncommon spice in Cantonese cooking. The flecks of cumin on the shiny crispy skin of the chicken looks like it has been dusted with sand.
Some highlights included, Homemade Vanilla Tofu with seasonal vegetables. The tofu was silken in texture with flecks of a green vegetable in it. Each cube was topped with a layer of seasoned vegetable that was a flavour bomb. It was a delight.
Another memorable dish was the Cheese noodles with Mushrooms which is a Hong Kong take on carbonara. The noodles were softer than al dente and the cheese based sauce clung to the noodles. It had mushrooms throughout. Often Hong Kong cooks have incorporated foreign dishes into their repertoire. This dish was a good example of that.
A common kind of dai pai dong dish is one in which all of the ingredients are cooked in a claypot. The covered claypot heats slowly and evenly allowing ingredients to be cooked in steam over a long period. The flavours of the ingredients blend together broadly and deeply. This was the case with the Fungus, Vermicelli and Assorted Vegetables in Claypot. The vermicelli became infused with the flavours of the vegetables and mushrooms and held the perfect mouth feel.
Combined with lively discussion this was a Terra Madre celebration perfectly reflecting Hong Kong’s local food heritage.