“This Hong Kong location article is a stub”. Does that spark your curiosity about Pai Min Kok Village? This is a place seemingly ordinary yet holding stories waiting to be uncovered.
Pai Min Kok Village sits in Tsuen Wan District. It is a typical Hong Kong village a testament to the region’s rich history. Villages like Pai Min Kok are called “wai tseun” in Cantonese.
But what makes Pai Min Kok Village special? Let’s delve into a unique aspect of Hong Kong’s village culture poon choi. This dish is a symbol of unity and resourcefulness. Legend says that Emperor Bing of the Song Dynasty sought refuge in the New Territories. Villagers wanted to honor him. They gathered the best food they could. Due to limited containers they used wooden basins to serve the emperor.
Chef Leung Man-To disputes part of this tale. He says using wooden basins for the emperor would be disrespectful. These basins were often used for washing feet. Leung suggests another story is more credible.
This tale involves Wen Tianxiang a Song Dynasty poet. Yuan soldiers chased him until his boat reached Gushu. Fishermen fed him and his troops. They used radish dried eel pig skin squid pork and bean curd. These six ingredients remain central to poon choi today.
The fishermen likely used wooden basins because they float. This would be fitting for serving someone on a boat. Regardless of the true origin poon choi signifies a tradition over 700 years old.
Poon choi translates to “basin cuisine”. It is served during special occasions like weddings and Chinese New Year. The dish is made to feed eight people per table. It’s known as the “Eight Immortals table”.
The dish features layers of separately cooked ingredients. Root vegetables sit at the bottom absorbing the flavors. Prized items like abalone roasted duck prawns and oysters are on top. Walled village poon choi connects strongly with Yuen Long in the New Territories.
Yuen Long has six walled villages. It is home to Tai Wing Wah a restaurant open since 1950. Chef Leung Man-To now leads Tai Wing Wah. They serve their own poon choi version called “gau daai gwai”. This means the nine-dish banquet.
“Gau daai gwai” came after poon choi. Villagers added white amur bream for fattiness. Wealthy families later included abalone oysters and roasted duck to make the dish more premium. Poon choi also varies in presentation.
Some Hakka villages call it “2 chams and 4 poots”. “Cham” and “poot” are container names. The “2 chams” hold the six original ingredients. The “4 poots” are bowls for other dishes. The Tang clan separated delicacies to create “gau daai gwai” a homonym for longevity.
There are no fixed rules for the nine dishes. However common ingredients include pork chicken oyster and fish maw. Tai Wing Wah’s version has eight dishes and steamed fish. The dishes are: roasted duck five-flavour chicken taro braised pork and stir-fried vermicelli.
It also includes sweet and sour pork braised mushroom and deep-fried dace balls. Chef Leung says “gau daai gwai” uses all Chinese cooking techniques. They stir-fry vermicelli braise mushrooms and deep-fry sweet and sour pork. They also steam flathead mullet fish.
Pai Min Kok Village represents Hong Kong’s blend of history and culinary traditions. It reminds us how simple dishes can carry rich stories. These stories connect communities across generations. Although a stub in some ways Pai Min Kok is rich in culture.