Hakka cuisine

Hakka cuisine is the cooking style of the Hakka people, who are primarily found in southeastern China , but also may be found in many other parts of China, as well as in the Chinese diaspora. Hongkong, Malaysia and Singapore have numerous restaurants serving Hakka cuisine

Famous dishes

Famous Hakka dishes include:
* Salt baked chicken - originally baked inside a heap of hot salt, but today many restaurants simply cook in brine, or cover it with a salty mixture before steaming it or baking it in an oven.
* Duck stuffed with rice - a whole duck is de-boned while maintaining the shape of the bird, the cavities being filled with seasoned sticky rice.
* Beef ball soup - very simple clear broth with lettuce and beef balls.
* Fried pork with fermented tofu: this is a popular Chinese New Year offering which involves two stages of cooking. As previously mentioned, fresh food was at a premium in Hakka areas, so the marinated pork was deep fried to remove the moisture in order to preserve it. When a meal of pork was desired, the fried pork was then stewed with water and wood's ear fungus. It is a Hakka equivalent to canned soup.

* : one of the more popular foods that originated from deep Hakka roots, it consists of tofu cubes heaped with minced meat and herbs, then fried till golden brown, or sometimes braised. Variations include usage of various oddments including eggplants, shiitake mushrooms, and bitter melon stuffed with the same meat paste. Traditionally, Yong tao 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 foodstalls are made by stuffing the tofu with solely . Usage of oddments to replace the tofu are more noticeable in this version, ranging from fried fish maw slices and okra to chili peppers.
* Kiu nyuk : 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. A variation of the recipe on is available .


* Lei cha or Pounded Tea : A consortment of tea leaves , peanuts, leaves, sesame seeds, mung beans and other herbs, which are pounded or ground into a fine powder which is mixed as a drink, or as a dietary brew to be taken with rice and other vegetarian side dishes such as , tofu, and pickled radish.

* Poon Choi : A variety of ingredients served in a basin.

* Suan Pan Zi or ?bacus Beads: Made of dough formed of tapioca and yam, cut into abacus-bead shapes, which when cooked, are soft on the outside and a 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 .

Hakka food also includes takes on other traditional Chinese dishes, just as other Chinese ethnic groups do.

Regional Variations

In places such as India, and other places of Indian diaspora overseas, Hakka Cuisine is errenously known as something that bears little to no resemblence to actual traditional Hakka dishes. This variation of "Hakka Cuisine" is in reality, mostly Indian Chinese cuisine, falsely known as Hakka since many Chinese restaurant owners in India were of Hakka origin. Typical dishes inclue Chilli Chicken/Beef and Manchurian Chow Mein , and these restaurants also serve traditional Indian dishes such as Pakora. Being immensely popular in these regions, this style of cuisine is often falsely credited of being respresentative of Hakka Cuisine in general and authentic syle of Hakka Cuisine is rarely known in these areas.