Notable Dishes
Hakka food also includes takes on other traditional Chinese dishes, just as other Chinese ethnic groups do. Some of the more notable dishes in Hakka cuisine are listed as follows:
| English | Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | Hakka | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dongjiang salt-baked chicken | 東江鹽焗雞 | 东江盐焗鸡 | dōngjiāng yánjú jī | 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. | |
| Duck stuffed with sticky rice | 糯米鴨 | 糯米鸡 | nuòmǐ jī | The bones are removed from a whole duck with the shape of the bird maintained, and the cavities filled with seasoned sticky rice. | |
| Beef meatball soup | 牛肉丸湯 | 牛肉丸汤 | níuròuwán tāng | A simple, clear broth with lettuce and beef meatballs. | |
| Fried pork with fermented tofu | This is a popular Chinese New Year offering 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 and wood's ear fungus. It is a Hakka equivalent to canned soup. | ||||
| Ngiong tew foo | 釀豆腐 | 酿豆腐 | niàng dòufǔ | One of the more popular dishes with deep Hakka origins, it consists of tofu cubes 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, including eggplants, shiitake mushrooms, and bitter melon 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 food stalls are made by stuffing the tofu with solely fish paste. Usage of oddments to replace the tofu are more noticeable in this version, ranging from fried fish maw slices and okra to chilli peppers. | |
| Kiu nyuk | 扣肉 | 扣肉 | kòuròu | There are two versions of kiu nyuk, the most common consists of sliced pork 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 sauce and sugar. 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 powder and yellow rice wine. A variation of the recipe on Wikibooks Cookbook is available here. | |
| Pounded tea or Ground tea | 擂茶 | 擂茶 | lèichá | An assortment of tea leaves (usually green tea), peanuts, mint leaves, sesame seeds, mung beans and 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, tofu, and pickled radish. | |
| Abacus beads | 算盤子 | 算盘子 | suànpánzǐ | Made of dough formed of tapioca and yam, cut into abacus-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. |
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