SIOK

Pineapple bun is a popular snack in Hong Kong.  It does not have any pineapple fillings but contained a piece of butter inside the bun.  It is known in as bo lo baau, in which "bo lo" means "pineapple", and "baau" refers to a bun.

Soft fluffy pineapple bun with sugar topping

Custard filling - great for tea-time

Happy Happy BIRTHDAY

Baked my own birthday cake, Banana Caramel Cake, a baking class taken from Shermay Cooking School.  The top layer was supposed to be boiled sugar and butter but the laziness in me just sprinkled dark Moscova brown sugar over the baking tin and top with bananas.  Although its appearance is not so gorgeous but was deliciously tasty.  Instead of mixing in sour cream, accidentally bought thick cream and it could be the reason that the cake texture was crumbly.

 The sides looked like it was burnt but actually was melted brown sugar

The bananas were caramelized tasty

Texture was crumbly but soft

Banana cupcakes by Jocelyn Shu

Ice-cream cake to celebrate with during dinner

NIGHT VISION

Let's take a night stroll to one of the popularized areas in Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsu, to enjoy the lights and festive mood.  The place is a concentration of high end shopping malls, restaurants and office buildings.  During this festive season you will face crowds and high traffic.

TRADITIONAL SNACKS

Century egg pastry is one of the traditional pastries we definitely have to eat and bring back as gifts.  We buy from the traditional shops and not from the airport, as they are freshly baked and sold out in a day's time.  This is one of the old shops in Shueng Wan which my cousin brought me to as the other one in Pok Fu Lam was closed for the day.

This shop has a history of 120 years and is popular for their wife's and century biscuits, although a bit pricey.   Besides catering for traditional snacks and wedding cakes it is also a tim-sum house on the 2nd level of the shop.

Legend household name

Old deco - simple and sleek

Old shop and loyal employee

Freshly baked biscuits

Popular century egg pastry

PORRIDGE - "CHIOK"

Cantonese is well-known for cooking their porridge into smooth paste.  The rice is soaked before cooking or add in some grind rice to shorten the cooking time.  Patience is called for when cooking Cantonese porridge, as the cooking is done over small fire and keep stirring to avoid being burnt or stick to the bottom of pot.

The family favorite is century egg porridge or "pheitan chok".  Dried scallops and oysters are soaked and the stock used for cooking the porridge.  Minced pork or pork balls and salted eggs are also added for best flavor.

Brown rice is mixed with normal rice for healthy eating

G o o DNESS

Whenever I am in Hong Kong I like to stroll down the street of Des Voeux Road West, where there many shops selling Chinese preserved and dried seafoods are centralised.  The scene of activities evokes nostalgic memories of good old days of Chinatown where my mum shopped once a year for lunar new year.

Busyness is never a full stop in this area

Fresh aromatic ham attracts customers like flies.  A small piece enhances soup full of goodness and richness

My regular supplier of self-manufactured winter specialties, sausages, ham and waxed ducks - 123 Des Voeux Road West

Family favourite - Liver sausages.  Simply steam or for claypot rice

ELDERFLOWER PANNA COTTA

400g cream
200ml fresh milk
150g castor sugar
3 leaf gelatin

Soak gelatin in water for 5 min.  Heat cream and fresh milk in double boiler.   Add in sugar and gelatin till melted.  Fill in dessert cups and refrigerate till set.

Boil 100 ml elderflower syrup with 1 leaf gelatin till melted.  Put aside to cool for 10 mins. Decorate panna cotta with orange segments.  Pour 1 tspn of syrup to each dessert cup.  Refrigerate till set and serve.

SCRUMPTIOUS

Hong Kong is not only a shopping haven but also a food paradise.  Besides delicious and high quality it is cheaper as compare to Singapore.  We dined at one of the restaurants in Tsim Sha Tsui and with a total of 13 dishes plus dessert cost approx HK$1600, which is equivalent to less than S$400 with no GST charge.  The service and standard are impeccable.

Started off with cold appetizer - cold cured 3-layer pork

Cold dish of pig trotters bathed in Chinese wine - crunchy and gelatinous

Drunken pigeon

Glass shrimps

Beancurd skin puff with fillings of mushrooms, turnips and bamboo shoots

Stir fry fresh green peas with beacon bits

Sesame pancake stuffed with vegetables and fresh oysters

Shanghai rice cake fried with crabs in spicy sauce.   The rice cakes were chewy with good bite and very fresh crab meat

Stewed 3-layered pork with intestines in thick gooey sauce.   Just the look of the dish makes you salivate.  The pork were tenderly soft and melt-in-your-mouth

Claypot rice in green mustard, chinese sausages and waxed pork.   Tasty and not oily

Fried veal with leek and szechuan chilly - spicy hot

Meat and skin were served together

Style of eating the duck

Seafood noodles fried in Japanese sauce

Dessert to end the meal

Egg white filling

Red bean filling