Chapter 2: Hakka Food

Both my parents are of Hakka origin – having grown up in neighboring villages in the New Territories of Hong Kong. The Laws are one of the 4 indigenous surnames in the Man Uk Pin village near Sha Tau Kok. Our lineage book recording male ancestry goes back 20 generations which is approximately 400 years. This means the Laws were in Hong Kong before the British arrived and created the colony. 

Mum is from the Wan Family in Tam Shui Hang village which is just outside Sha Tau Kok. The Wans have also been in Hong Kong for a long time.

Hakka women were known to be particularly hard-working and expected to help with all the agricultural duties. They were never subject to foot-binding as they had to work the land - in the rice paddies, driving oxen and so on. My mum would be the first to tell you that her early childhood chore was leading the oxen to the field during the day. 

Hakka cuisine is very savory - strong in flavor but not spicy. Common ingredients are pickled vegetables such as “mui choi”, pickled radishes and preserved salty fish. The Hakka were migrants throughout history which led to the prevalent trend for pickling food through salt for preservation purposes.

Stuffed Tofu and Peppers

This is a classic Hakka dish whereby blocks of tofu, peppers or aubergines are stuffed with a mince pork & shrimp filling. If avoiding seafood, you can add finely-diced water chestnut, carrot or wood-ear fungus to the pork mince to provide crunch. 

Stuffed fresh tofu, ready for pan-frying

Braised stuffed tofu in oyster sauce

Braised Taro and Pork Belly

This is a well-known Hakka dish in which my Grandfather Wan has a particularly good recipe! The recipe has passed down to my mother and my uncles. Every Lunar New Year, the family still continues to make several dishes to give as gifts to villagers and friends. It's a time-consuming dish to make so making a large batch is an all-day affair for several hands! 

All hands on deck!

The epic steamer

30 dishes ready for steaming