Hakka cuisine

Hakka cuisine
Abacus beads ( toán bàn tử ), a well-known Hakka dish
Chinese	Khách gia thái
Hakka	Hakka pronunciation:[hak˨ka˩tsʰoi˥]
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Kèjiā cài Hakka Romanization Hakka pronunciation:[hak˨ka˩tsʰoi˥] Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Haak3gaa1coi3
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese	Khách nhân thái
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Kèrén cài Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Haak3jan4coi3 Southern Min HokkienPOJ Kheh-lâng-chhài

Hakka cuisineis the cooking style of theHakka people,and it may also be found in parts of Taiwan and in countries with significantoverseas Hakkacommunities.There are numerous restaurants inMainland China,Taiwan,Hong Kong,Indonesia,Malaysia,Singapore,andThailandserving Hakka cuisine. Hakka cuisine was listed in 2014 on the first Hong Kong Inventory ofIntangible Cultural Heritage.

Background

The Hakka people have a marked cuisine and style of Chinese cooking which is little known outside the Hakka home. It concentrates on the texture of food – the hallmark of Hakka cuisine. Whereas preserved meats feature in Hakka delicacy, stewed, braised, roast meats – 'texturized' contributions to the Hakka palate – have a central place in their repertoire. Preserved vegetables (Mai thái) are commonly used for steamed and braised dishes such as steamed minced pork with preserved vegetables and braised pork with salted vegetables. In fact, the raw materials for Hakka food are no different from raw materials for any other type of regional Chinese cuisine where what is cooked depends on what is available in the market. Hakka cuisine may be described as outwardly simple but tasty. The skill in Hakka cuisine lies in the ability to cook meat thoroughly without hardening it, and to naturally bring out the proteinous flavor (umamitaste) of meat.

The Hakka who settled in the harbor and port areas of Hong Kong placed great emphasis on seafood cuisine. Hakka cuisine in Hong Kong is less dominated by expensive meats; instead, emphasis is placed on an abundance of vegetables. Pragmatic and simple, Hakka cuisine is garnished lightly with sparse or little flavoring. Modern Hakka cooking in Hong Kong favorsoffal,an example being deep-fried intestines (Tạc đại tràng;zhá dà cháng). Others include tofu with preservatives, along with their signature dish, salt baked chicken (Diêm cục kê;yán jú jī). Another specialty is thepoon choi(Bồn thái;pén cài).While it may be difficult to prove these were the actual diets of the old Hakka community, it is at present a commonly accepted view. The above dishes and their variations are in fact found and consumed throughout China, includingGuangdong Province,and are not particularly unique or confined to the Hakka population.

Besides meat as source of protein, there is a unique vegan dish calledlei cha(Lôi trà;léi chá). It comprises combinations of vegetables and beans. Although not specifically unique for all Hakka people but are definitely famous among the Hakka-Hopo families. This vegetable-based rice tea dish is gaining momentum in some multicultural countries like Malaysia. Cooking of this dish requires the help from other family members to complete all eight combinations. It helps foster the relationship between family members in return.

Steamed bun (Trà quả) is a popular snack for Hakka people. It is mainly made from glutinous rice and is available in sweet or salty options. Sweet version consists of sweetened black-eyed pea pastes or peanuts. Salty version consists of preserved radish.

Notable dishes

Hakka food also includes other traditional Taiwanese dishes, just as other Taiwanese ethnic groups do. Some of the more notable dishes in Hakka cuisine are listed as follow:

English	Image	Traditional Chinese	Simplified Chinese	Pinyin	Hakka	Description
Abacus seeds		Toán bàn tử	Toán bàn tử	suànpánzǐ	[sɔn˥˧pʰan˩tsai˧˩]	Made of dough formed fromtapiocaandyam,cut intoabacusbead shapes, which when cooked, are soft on the outside and chewy on the inside. The dish may be cooked with minced chicken or pork, dried shrimps, mushrooms and various other vegetables. The dish is stir-fried, seasoned with light soy sauce, salt, sugar and sometimes rice wine or vinegar.
Beef meatball soup		Ngưu nhục hoàn thang	Ngưu nhục hoàn thang	níuròuwán tāng		A simple, clear broth with lettuce and beef meatballs.
Dongjiang salt-baked chicken		Đông giang diêm cục kê	Đông giang diêm cục kê	dōngjiāng yánjú jī	[tuŋ˦kɔŋ˦jam˩kuk˥kai˦]	This dish was originally baked in a heap of hot salt, but many modern restaurants simply cook in brine, or cover it with a salty mixture before steaming it or baking it in an oven. The "Dongjiang" refers to theDong River,which runs through easternGuangdong Province.It is in the Hakka heartlands.
Duck stuffed with glutinous rice		Nhu mễ áp	Nhu mễ áp	nuòmǐ yā	[nɔ˥˧mi˧˩ap˩]	The bones are removed from a whole duck with the shape of the bird maintained, and the cavities filled with seasonedsticky rice.
Fried pork with fermented tofu						This is a popularLunar New Yearoffering which involves two stages of preparation. Marinated pork is deep fried to remove moisture so as to preserve it. The pork is then stewed with water andwood's ear fungus.It is a Hakka equivalent tocanned soup.
Kiu nyuk		Khấu nhục	Khấu nhục	kòu ròu	[kʰju˥˧ɲjuk˩]	There are two versions of kiu nyuk, the most common consists of sliced pork withpreserved mustard greens:thick slices of pork belly, with a layer of preserved mustard greens between each slice, are cooked and served in a dark sauce made up ofsoy sauceandsugar.The other version is cooked with yam or taro. Usually pork belly is used, for its layers of fat and meat. The yam and pork are shallow fried until browned before being steamed withfive-spice powderand yellowrice wine.A variation of the recipe onWikibooks Cookbookis availablehere.
Lei cha		Lôi trà	Lôi trà	lèi chá	[lui˩tsʰa˩]	An assortment of tea leaves (usuallygreen tea),peanuts,mintleaves,sesame seeds,mung beansand other herbs) are pounded or ground into a fine powder and then mixed as a drink, or as a dietary brew to be taken with rice and other vegetarian side dishes such as greens,tofuand pickledradish.
Yong Tau Foo		Nhưỡng đậu hủ	Nhưỡng đậu hủ	niàng dòufǔ	[ɲjɔŋ˥tʰɛu˥fu˥˧]	One of the more popular dishes with deep Hakka origins, it consists oftofucubes heaped with minced meat (usually pork), salted fish and herbs, and then fried until it produces a golden brown colour, or it can be braised. Variations include usage of various oddments, includingeggplants,shiitakemushrooms, andbitter melonstuffed with the same meat paste. Traditionally, ngiong tew foo is served in a clear yellow bean stew along with the bitter melon and shiitake variants. Modern variations that are more commonly seen sold in food stalls are made by stuffing the tofu with solelyfish paste.Usage of oddments to replace the tofu are more noticeable in this version, ranging from friedfish mawslices andokratochili peppers.
Steamed sticky rice pastry		Tư ba	Tư ba	qĭ bá

Hakka cuisine in South Asia

In India, Pakistan and other regions with significantSouth Asianpopulations, there is something locally known "Hakka cuisine." This variation of Chinese-style cuisine is, in reality, mostlyIndian Chinese cuisineandPakistani Chinese cuisine.It is called "Hakka cuisine" because, in India and areas of Pakistan, many owners of restaurants who serve this cuisine are of Hakka origin. Typical dishes include 'chilli chicken' and 'Dongbei (northeastern)chow mein/hakka noodles' (an Indian version of real Northeastern Chinese cuisine), and these restaurants also serve traditional South Asian dishes such aspakora.Being very popular in these areas, this style of cuisine is often mistakenly credited as being representative of Hakka cuisine in general, whereas the authentic style of Hakka cuisine is rarely known in these regions.

Outside of South Asia, the premier place to enjoy Indian-Pakistani-Chinese cuisine is inToronto,Canada,due to the large number of Chinese from South Asia who have emigrated to the region and have chosen to open restaurants and most of it beinghalal.In Toronto, "Hakka Chinese food" almost universally refers to Indian-Chinese cuisine, not Hakka cuisine in general.

Hakka cuisine in Thailand

In Thailand,Bangkok's ChinatownisYaowaratand including neighboring areas such asSampheng,Charoen Chai,Charoen Krung,Suan Mali,Phlapphla ChaiorWong Wian Yi Sip Song Karakadakhom(July 22 Circle). In the past, many Hakka restaurants are located in the Suan Mali near Bangkok Metropolitan Administration General Hospital. But now they had moved into many places, such asTalad Phlu,which is also one of the Chinatown as well.

See also

• Indo-Chinese cuisine
• Taiwanese cuisine

External links

• The Hakka Cookbook (author website)