Hakka cuisine
Encyclopedia
Hakka cuisine is the cooking style of the Hakka people
, who are primarily found in southeastern China (Guangdong
and Fujian
), but also may be found in many other parts of China, as well as in the Chinese diaspora
. Hong Kong, Indonesia
, Malaysia and Singapore have numerous restaurants serving Hakka cuisine
Hakka food also includes takes on other traditional Chinese dishes, just as other Chinese ethnic groups do.
, and other places of Indian diaspora overseas, locally known Hakka Cuisine is an Indian adaptation of original Hakka dishes. This variation of "Hakka Cuisine" is in reality, mostly Indian Chinese cuisine
, popularly known as Hakka since many Chinese restaurant owners in India were of Hakka origin. Typical dishes include Chilli Chicken and Manchurian Chow Mein (which is an Indianized version of real Manchurian cuisine), and these restaurants also serve traditional Indian dishes such as pakora
. Being immensely popular in these regions, this style of cuisine is often mistakenly credited of being representative of Hakka Cuisine in general and authentic style of Hakka Cuisine is rarely known in these areas.
Hakka people
The Hakka , sometimes Hakka Han, are Han Chinese who speak the Hakka language and have links to the provincial areas of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan and Fujian in China....
, who are primarily found in southeastern China (Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
and Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
), but also may be found in many other parts of China, as well as in the Chinese diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
. Hong Kong, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Malaysia and Singapore have numerous restaurants serving Hakka cuisine
Famous dishes
Famous Hakka dishes include:- Dung Gong Yam Guk Gai - Salt baked chicken (東江鹽焗雞) tuŋ˦ kɔŋ˦ jam˩ kuk˥ kai˦ - originally baked inside a heap of hot salt, but today many restaurants simply cook in brine, or cover it with a salty mixture before steaming it or baking it in an oven.
- Noh Mi Ap - Duck stuffed with rice (糯米鴨) nɔ˥˧ mi˧˩ ap˩ - a whole duck is de-boned while maintaining the shape of the bird, the cavities being filled with seasoned sticky rice.
- Beef meatball soup - very simple clear broth with lettuce and beef meat balls.
- Fried pork with fermented tofu: this is a popular Chinese New YearChinese New YearChinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
offering which involves two stages of cooking. As previously mentioned, fresh food was at a premium in Hakka areas, so the marinated pork was deep fried to remove the moisture in order to preserve it. When a meal of pork was desired, the fried pork was then stewed with water and wood's ear fungus. It is a Hakka equivalent to canned soup. - Ngiong Tew Foo (釀豆腐, ɲjɔŋ˥ tʰɛu˥ fu˥˧ stuffed tofuTofuis a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...
cube or Dung Gong Ngiong Tew Fu Bao - 東江釀豆腐煲): one of the more popular foods that originated from deep Hakka roots, it consists of tofu cubes heaped with minced meat (usually pork) and herbs, then fried till golden brown, or sometimes braised. Variations include usage of various oddments including eggplants, shiitakeShiitakeThe Shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai...
mushrooms, and bitter melonBitter melonMomordica charantia, called bitter melon or bitter gourd in English, is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit, which is among the most bitter of all fruits...
stuffed 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 foodstalls are made by stuffing the tofu with solely fish pasteSurimiSurimi is a Japanese loan word referring to a fish-based food product that has been pulverized to a thick paste and has the property of a dense and rubbery food item when cooked...
. Usage of oddments to replace the tofu are more noticeable in this version, ranging from fried fish maw slices and okraOkraOkra is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of South Asian, Ethiopian and West African origins...
to chili pepperChili pepperChili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
s. - Kiu nyuk (扣肉 kʰju˥˧ ɲjuk˩, There are two versions of Kiu Nyuk, the most common consists of sliced porkPorkPork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
with preserved 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 of soy sauceSoy sauceSoy sauce is a condiment produced by fermenting soybeans with Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds, along with water and salt...
and sugarSugarSugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
. The other version is cooked with yam or taro. Usually pork belly are used, for its layers of fat and meat. The yam and pork are shallow fried until browned before being steamed with five spice and yellow rice wine. A variation of the recipe on Wikibooks Cookbook is available here. - Lei chaLei chaLei cha is a Hakka tea-based beverage or gruel consisting of a mix of tea leaves and herbs that are ground or pounded together with various roasted nuts, seeds, and grains. The tea is drunk for breakfast or on cold winters as a tasty and healthy restorative...
or Pounded Tea (擂茶) lui˩ tsʰa˩ : An assortment of tea leaves (usually green teaGreen teaGreen tea is made solely from the leaves of Camellia sinensis that have undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures throughout Asia. It has recently become more widespread in the West, where black tea is traditionally...
), peanutPeanutThe peanut, or groundnut , is a species in the legume or "bean" family , so it is not a nut. The peanut was probably first cultivated in the valleys of Peru. It is an annual herbaceous plant growing tall...
s, mintMenthaMentha is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae . The species are not clearly distinct and estimates of the number of species varies from 13 to 18. Hybridization between some of the species occurs naturally...
leaves, sesame seeds, mung beanMung beanThe mung bean is the seed of Vigna radiata. It is native to the Indian subcontinent.-Description:They are small, ovoid in shape, and green in color...
s and other herbs, which are pounded or ground into a fine powder which is mixed as a drink, or as a dietary brew to be taken with rice and other vegetarian side dishes such as greens, tofuTofuis a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...
, and pickled radishRadishThe radish is an edible root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe, in pre-Roman times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world. Radishes have numerous varieties, varying in size, color and duration of required cultivation time...
. - Sohn Pan Tzai (算盘子) sɔn˥˧ pʰan˩ tsai˧˩ or Àbacus Beads: Made of dough formed of tapioca and yam, cut into abacusAbacusThe abacus, also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool used primarily in parts of Asia for performing arithmetic processes. Today, abaci are often constructed as a bamboo frame with beads sliding on wires, but originally they were beans or stones moved in grooves in sand or on tablets of...
-bead 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 (depending on taste).
Hakka food also includes takes on other traditional Chinese dishes, just as other Chinese ethnic groups do.
Chinese Food in India
In places such as IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and other places of Indian diaspora overseas, locally known Hakka Cuisine is an Indian adaptation of original Hakka dishes. This variation of "Hakka Cuisine" is in reality, mostly Indian Chinese cuisine
Indian Chinese cuisine
Indian Chinese cuisine is the adaptation of Chinese seasoning and cooking techniques to Indian tastes. It is said to have been developed by the small Chinese community that has lived in Kolkata for over a century...
, popularly known as Hakka since many Chinese restaurant owners in India were of Hakka origin. Typical dishes include Chilli Chicken and Manchurian Chow Mein (which is an Indianized version of real Manchurian cuisine), and these restaurants also serve traditional Indian dishes such as pakora
Pakora
Pakora is a fried snack found across South Asia. Pakoras are created by taking one or two ingredients such as onion, eggplant, potato, spinach, plantain, cauliflower, tomato, chilli, or occasionally bread or chicken and dipping them in a batter of gram flour and then deep-frying them...
. Being immensely popular in these regions, this style of cuisine is often mistakenly credited of being representative of Hakka Cuisine in general and authentic style of Hakka Cuisine is rarely known in these areas.
See also
- Chinese cuisineChinese cuisineChinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
- CookingCookingCooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
- CuisineCuisineCuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...
- List of Chinese dishes