Top Foods We Ate In Hong Kong...

 

From the unapologetic speed and chaos of cha chaan tengs to the quiet magic of street-side bites, every dish carried its own kind of nostalgia. Comforting bowls of congee, silky rice noodles, crispy oil-slicked skin roasted goose, "seen teem" seafood sweet crabs, warm and crispy egg waffles and desserts that balance sweetness with just the right touch of restraint- just a short list round up of our best 🇭🇰😋🥢

What stayed with me most wasn’t just the flavours that are inexplicably HK, but the feeling. The rhythm of the city, the efficiency, the simplicity done exceptionally well. It’s the kind of food that doesn’t try too hard, yet lingers long after the last bite. 

So sit back and feast your eyes on our Triple Dragon Squad Operation Top HK foods compilation 🐲🐲🐲:

Top Mention Worthy- nothing says Hong Kong quite like a breakfast inspired by famous must-go cha chaan teng- Australia Dairy Company on Jordan in Yau Ma Tei. 

Daily peak morning queues are real!

It’s the kind of place where efficiency is everything, service is… minimal, and yet somehow, the food speaks louder than anything else. Silky scrambled eggs folded gently served over soft crustless white bread 🍳🍞, a humble bowl of macaroni soup topped with delicate slivers of ham 🥣, golden French toast with crisp edges and a centre melty square of butter 🍞 and that iconic milk tea, smooth, creamy, with just the right tannic finish ☕. So simple, but so magical 💫

Cramped booth seating for 3- faces a wall which screams just eat and go!

This past week, one school morning, I brought a little piece of that breakfast nostalgia for my boys… and watching them dig into those soft eggs and warm bowls of macaroni reminded me why these dishes endure. They’re simple, comforting, and quietly perfect. And that’s what makes it timeless.

 

And still, one of their favourite HK meal experience isn't listed here. It's not Chinese but it stayed. Recreated it homestyle last night with double thumbs up!! Stay tuned for next post 💥

Bang For Your Buck in Bustling Bangkok

 

Cheap Eats Alert! We can't talk about Bangkok, without 📢 proclaiming our love for Terminal 21, high-end mall at Asok BTS station, namely their super affordable and delicious food court on the 5th floor Pier 21. 

After sweltering in the heat and humidity (one of the hottest days reached 41C 🥵) commuting from one region to another, we decided to stay put in Bangkok and escape daily into the AC relief malls. First off, the shopping centre is impressive- the concept is like arriving in an airport, each floor is themed with a destination- Tokyo second floor, Istanbul next, San Francisco on the 5th, and the artistic displays and store fronts express this. 

Pier 21 known for its street-food-style dishes sold at incredibly low prices 😍. Many meals cost as little as 30-50 baht (Cdn$1-3) — a fraction of what you’d pay at nearby restaurants. No inflated tourist prices! Unlike food courts in other high-end malls, Terminal 21 is Bangkok’s best-value dining spot. And the quality is excellent, the variety is incredible! 

Pier 21 lunch and dinner over a few days (top left clockwise): 

1. Khao soi curry noodles with dim sum buns and siu mai

2. Choice of three and rice- bamboo shoots, stir fried pork, veg vermicelli and egg add-on

3. Seafood noodles and gravy, papaya salad with fried chicken 

4. Fish maw soup with pork blood and quail egg

5. Rice with meat and veg mix

6. Crispy oyster omelet

7. Pad Thai with shrimps

8. Wontons and crab noodle soup

9. Shaved Ice dessert with 5 mix- my fave 😍 

The vision behind Pier 21's affordability was that of Anant Asavabhokin, the businessman for Land & Houses, one of Thailand’s leading real estate companies. Anant wanted Terminal 21 to be a place where everyone- students, office workers and low-budget travellers can enjoy a good meal at a fair price. The mall charges food vendors low rents, allowing them to keep prices low while maintaining quality. This approach aligns with the founder’s belief that a shopping mall should be more than just a place for high-end spending — it should also serve the community by offering accessible dining options. 💓 it ... Aye aye to that 🤗! 

Back a week, and missing the cafe culture, affordable eats and the electric Asia vibes! Thailand, we will see you again Khap Kun Ka 🇹🇭💕🙏 But...

Next sharing about vibrant and exciting Hong Kong as our initial two day stopover and 1 overnight return to wrap up our travels, and boy do I have lots to show and tell!

Easy Chinese Steamed Snow White Rice Cake...

I'm dreaming of a whiiite... rice cake 🍚❄🎵🎶 Soft, bouncy and springy... oh my!! A snow white cake for a snow white kind of day 🌨

Traditional Chinese rice cake (aka white sugar sponge cake, Chinese honeycomb cake) is not made like your typical baked cake. It is steamed. White rice flour and white sugar is cooked over the stove with water, cooled then set aside to ferment with the addition of yeast until the batter surface is bubbly. The activated yeast creates a spongy consistency with a honeycomb look after steaming. It is very simple to make at home with four ingredients.

The flavour is mellow sweet with a bit of pleasant tang due to the fermented batter. The blend of rice flour and yeast is similar to nostalgic sweet Chinese rice wine and a taste I love. But the real beauty here is all in the bounce #beautybounce #squeezeworthy #whitedelicious #snowwhitebeauty

They say it is best served warm, but I love it cool- it has this refreshing flavour that makes your taste buds crave for more... bite after bite 😋

Chinese Steamed Rice Cake
Makes 1 size of 9" pie plate

200 g rice flour (not glutinous)
110 g sugar
350 ml water
3 g yeast
30 ml warm water

Prepare The Batter by adding rice flour, sugar, and water in a bowl. Whisk until smooth (the batter should be smooth and thin without any lumps).

Place the bowl in a pan with water and heat over medium-low heat for five minutes. Whisk continuously without letting the flour thicken on the bottom. The viscosity should be medium smooth. After heating, remove it from the pan and let it cool.

Combine the yeast with warm water in a bowl and mix well. When the batter is cool, add the yeast mixture and mix well. Then, cover the bowl with wrap. Let it ferment at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours until tiny bubbles are formed.

Pour the batter into your heat-proof safe plate for steaming. Steam for 14 minutes on high heat (DO NOT OVERCOOK or it will turn out dry and hard). After steaming, remove from heat and allow it to cool well.

Cut the rice cake into your desired size and shape. Enjoy! 🤤🥰

Chinese Steamed Rice Cake (Full Recipe)

Makes 1 size of 9" pie plate

200 g rice flour (not glutinous)
110 g sugar
350 ml water
3 g yeast
30 ml warm water

Prepare The Batter by adding rice flour, sugar, and water in a bowl. Whisk until smooth (the batter should be smooth and thin without any lumps).

Place the bowl in a pan with water and heat over medium-low heat for five minutes. Whisk continuously without letting the flour thicken on the bottom. The viscosity should be medium smooth. 

After heating, remove it from the pan and let it cool. Combine the yeast with warm water in a bowl and mix well. When the batter is cool, add the yeast mixture and mix well. Then, cover the bowl with wrap. Let it ferment at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours until tiny bubbles are formed. 

Pour the batter into your heat-proof safe plate for steaming. Steam for 14 minutes on high heat (DO NOT OVERCOOK or it will turn out dry and hard). After steaming, remove from heat and allow it to cool well. 

Cut the rice cake into your desired size and shape. 

AmaZing Afghani Cuisine Anyone...?

 

I've been having a love affair with Afghani food 💗🇦🇫... 

You know when you get a whiff or taste of something completely intoxicating and the only way to feed the obsession (literally) is to seek it and gorge on it... I love working with the women at Newcomer Kitchen, cooking all kinds of traditional and cultural dishes to sell to the public. Their dishes always so wonderfully flavourful and appetite whetting 🤤. At the same time, these kitchen experiences are lessons, not so much cooking as they already know how but teaching about costing, budgeting and buying the right amount of groceries so they can generate a profit after operating expenses. We plan a few pieces more and a little extra for a taste test. But that's what I mean... it's just a tasting 🙄. 

So what do you do when that aroma and deliciousness sears into your brain and taste buds after that nibble... you get it out of your system by seeking it out or Making. It. The beauty of having the ladies recipes right at my finger tips... Lucky, lucky me 🍀 

This brings me to making Afghani bolani... Homemade flatbreads stuffed with potatoes, green onion, cilantro, and green chilies then shallow fried to crispy, golden brown gorgeousness!  I've had these in Afghani restaurants but never tried making it. I had the pleasure of seeing it prepared by my student Sonita in the last term. See her recipe:

My family loved theeese!!! 

Selling yummy bolani on a rainy day at Leslieville Farmer's Market in May.

Vegetable Bolani (بولانی)
A famous fried or oven-baked folded dough wrap filled with mixed vegetables/meat and spices.

Makes about 10 bolani

Prep Time: 30 minutes 

Cook Time: 5 minutes each

1 kg all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2 cups water 

1 tsp. Oil

Filling:

1 kg potato, large grated raw or cooked, mashed

1 large onion, chopped

1 large bunch cilantro, leaves only, chopped

1 tsp. ground red chili pepper

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. black pepper powder

For the batter: In a medium size bowl, add the flour, salt, water and oil. Mix well and knead until the dough comes together. Let it sit for 10 minutes.

Mix vegetables together in a bowl. Add ground chili, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Divide dough into balls about palm-size. Roll out about 8” wide and ½” thick. Spread the vegetables on half of the flattened dough. Fold the bolani in half and crimp the seam to seal. Repeat. 

In a medium fry pan, add 1 tsp. Oil and pan-fry two bolani at a time. On low-medium heat, cook both sides until crispy and golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Bolani is traditionally served with hot sauce or yogurt and mint dip on the side. I served mine with a cilantro chutney made by finely chopping cilantro, garlic and mixing with vinegar and a bit of water, salt and pepper for a tangy garlicky zip!

This week, two Afghani ladies from my daytime program at Newcomer Kitchen whipped up warm spinach and red beans dip, juicy steamed beef dumplings (mantu) dressed with split peas, garlic yogurt and cilantro and Afghani chicken cofta as part of a mixed cultural menu for a catering gig- an engineering firm held at CSI Annex. A group that champions social networking by supporting grassroot organizations and program innovations like us. We all have a role in co-creating community 🤗!

Afghani warm spinach and red beans dip

Afghani Mantu Beef

My student with her delicious baked juicy chicken cofta.

Oh and Afghani traditional pulao- warm spiced rice with fried carrots, raisins, pistachios and almonds is crazy yum (as part of our Prepared Meals takeout menu the module before)! 

It began with grocery shopping at Iqbal's (a giant reputable South Asian and Middle Eastern grocers ❤) in Thorncliffe Park, I picked up the family kabab combo w/rice and naan from Madina Naan & Kabab- a gem of an Afghani lunch take-out nestled in a butcher shop (written up by foodie extraordinaire Suresh Doss). Omg, their fresh naaan.... 💗

Takeout Menu from Madina Naan & Kabab

And lastly, labour-intensive wholesome sweet paste (samanak) made from germinated young wheatgrass which you grow for a week then cook for 15 hours with flour, which is prepared for new year- a healthy gift from my student! Like I said... lucky, lucky me 🤗!

Afghani Samanak

Sharing one more post... What a successful event we had with our Newcomer Kitchen evening program students' catering finger foods at a Meet and Greet event for the city's immigration settlement and community outreach workers alongside our graduates!

Some of our past alumni students have gone on to own a food business. Notably, Lola (beside me right in group photo) @flawlesscuisine.ca (www.shopfreshprep.ca) cooks up Authentic African Flavours in sauces and dishes, Just like mama makes it. Other ladies, prepare their cultural foods for food events and have ideas in the pipelines. Another venture in our horizon is to expand to further support their dreams into fruition! 🌷

Newcomer Kitchen is a Not-For-Profit social enterprise established in 2016. Our mission is to provide social and economic opportunity for newcomer women interested in starting their own food businesses. Women are offered authentic work experiences and are the recipients of the revenues earned from the events.

And with that my ladies graduates including the evening group. Congrats ladies on all the great work 💐!!!

A new term begins again next week! My group has 6 Indian women and I know it will be a blast 💥!