Exploring the many flavours and varied tastes in the streets of vibrant Hong Kong and Kowloon
BY VICKY RATNANI
Always in search of new produce, flavour and tastes, I legged myself early morning to Kowloon to see Yau Ma Tai Fruit Market (originally known as government vegetable market). And guess what? I found paradise.
Most of the vegetables come from mainland China every day to the market. If you go between 4am and 7am, you will see truckloads of produce being picked up by all top hotels and restaurants – Chinese are just like us, Hindustanis. We love to eat!
It’s such a great pleasure to see how dedicatedly people shop for fresh ingredients every day, reminding me of my grandpa at the City Light market in Dadar, with me by his side, as people queued up outside the butcher’s shop and patiently waited for their turn to get their cut of protein.
In Yau Ma Tai Fruit Market, everyone was feeling, smelling and very closely examining all the vegetables before selection. That is life! Remember that you are what you eat.
I rediscovered just that while spending two glorious days at the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival by the waterfront by Pier 7 against the backdrop of the Hong Kong skyline and the Hong Kong Eye, sipping some really good wines from Napa Valley, Australia, Bordeaux.
Various restaurants had taken part showcasing signature dishes, amidst music, fun and frolic. But besides all the action at the festival, I discovered a lot more on the sidelines.
Japanese fairytale: Long, slender, psychedelic purple, it is great for grilling, stewing and braising. The Chinese love their eggplants just the way we do.
Persimmons: People mistake them for large tomatoes. Delicious on their own when fully ripe or even cooked to make a lovely chutney or preserve, one can also find them around Diwali time in Crawford Market in Mumbai or the INA Market in New Delhi.
Longan fruit: A small, round and sweet fruit, very similar to lychee, is not to be missed. Very similar to how you would eat a lychee, the brown crisp skin is peeled to reveal this white translucent, watery pulp.
Slurp it up and spit out the seed. I was told, the seeds are actually used to extract oil. Chinese medicine shops sell longan seed powder and essential oils for breast cancer treatments and skin ailments.
Ginseng root: Nature’s Viagra, it is often shopped by the locals to create secret homemade concoctions for making them like the X-Men (lol!)
Chinese red dates or jujube: It is available all year round. My favourite is steamed corn soup with dates, in a rich broth often with pumpkin chicken.
Burdock root: This was something new to me and something very healthy too. Often made into a tea, this tea is a magical cure for diabetes, wrinkles and bladder inflammation.
These roots are long, brown and slightly hairy. Being from the thistle family, they taste like boiled artichoke. Burdock root is peeled and sliced – it’s great for stir fries and salads.
Tofu: I was never a fan of tofu until I went to Hong Kong. Just like how each family has their own “paneerwalla,” the locals are particular about where they buy their tofu. I was amazed to see so many kinds of tofu - firm, very firm, hard and fresh, soft and super soft.
Tofu, made from soy milk, is gaining major popularity for its health benefits to the vegan world. You can even buy tofu skins which are available in sheets and often used as spring roll or wanton wrappers.
Khimchi: Originally Korean, it is widely produced and eaten in China too. In fact, China is one of the largest exporters of kimchi after South Korea to the world.
There is a joke that even in Korea, the Koreans eat Chinese-made khimchi.
Khimchi is Chinese cabbage along with chillies and salt which is naturally fermented. I just loved eating some in the market along with the soft tofu.
Garlic chives: Flat, bright green and grass like, they are grown for their flowers and stems and often referred to as Chinese chives. Greens are always galore in the Chinese diet whether steamed, fried or boiled. Garlic chives and sprouts, steamed or stir fried, with sesame oil and Chinese wine hits the spot.
While at it, I must add that the Chinese are complete mavericks in the art of preservation. Duck legs, dried fish, dried orange peel… any creature edible found in the ocean is dried and relished by all.
Another very common practise among the people in Hong Kong is freshly grinding spices, nuts and beans.
Ground beans and nuts are used extensively in Chinese desserts. Nut milks are very popular too. The aroma of these freshly ground nuts and spices was rather orgasmic.
The list of ingredients that I found in Yau Ma Tai
FruitMarket can go on but I am almost salivating writing about this just like I was in a foodgasm at the market.
