Taste Hong Kong » Dessert

Water Chestnut Cake for Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day

TasteHongKong — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:34:46 +0000

Chinese New Year is a season for savoring cakes here in Hong Kong, turnip cakes, taro cakes, sticky rice cakes, all kinds of Chinese cakes you can name. Because the words ‘cake (糕)’ and ‘high’ in Chinese (Cantonese) both pronounces as ‘gou’, so the connotations of prestige and rising derived from ‘high’ are also imposed on ‘cake’, which is thus regarded as a symbolic food for bringing goodwill.

In a few days, the Chinese New Year and the Valentine’s Day are going to conflate on February 14, 2010. This is a cake recipe, at the same time this cake is also a dessert. I just find it to be a nice co-incidence to prepare this water chestnut cake (ma tai gou 馬蹄糕 in Cantonese) for the two festivals, which rarely come together on the same day. Anyway, this cake is easy and quick to make; with all the ingredients handy, the preparations can be done in about an hour (steaming time included) or even less than an hour if you are a seasoned cook. Besides, it can be prepared in advance and stored in fridge for up to a week.

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Read the rest of Water Chestnut Cake for Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day (458 words)

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Guest Post: Steamed Papaya with Chinese South Almond Milk

TasteHongKong — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:00:35 +0000

My first guest post , thanks to Geoffrey at geoffstwitchen.com for his invitation and kind words in mentioning tastehongkong.com. Having known Geoffrey, I have also been interested by his dining reviews, be it on Asian or Western cuisine, on a humble store or fine-dinning outlet, in which he always passionately serves his readers with much details. So please do not limit your reading to this recipe but surf around at geoffstwitchen.com where you shall see different discoveries from a versatile food lover, Geoffrey.

Steamed Papaya with Chinese South Almond Milk
Desserts are so popular here in Hong Kong that specialty stores serving them seem to show up at every corner near eateries. No matter how popular they are, I notice that this ‘Steamed Whole Papaya with South Almond Milk’ is missing from most, if not all, of their menus. However, making this papaya at home is fun and simple especially if you are familiar with the use of a food processor. If not, you may simply substitute an equal amount of your favorite milk for the south almond milk. Whichever, I believe they both can be served as a hearty dessert at home. Besides, steamed papaya is a nourishing treat, read more .
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Read the rest of Guest Post: Steamed Papaya with Chinese South Almond Milk (32 words)

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Brown Rice Soup – Milky yet Milk Free

TasteHongKong — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:11:36 +0000

I prepare this soup by borrowing the skills of making drinks from soy beans, sesames, almonds, etc. Likewise, the ingredients used are also simple including only brown rice, water and some seasonings. So I would have no objection if you call this a drink than a soup. Anyway, a cup of it has warmed me through and that extra warmth seems to have lasted for hours which is especially significant during this chilling temperature.
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Read the rest of Brown Rice Soup – Milky yet Milk Free (582 words)

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