Saturday, March 24, 2012

Dim Sum Brunch Special

Inflation in Hong Kong is becoming severe recently.  Food prices rocket and we have been suffering.  However weekend dim sum brunch is one of my strategies to enjoy good food at VERY LOW prices. Most restaurants in Hong Kong are offering special prices for bills being settled before 12.30pm. 

Here's a summary of my dim sum brunch yesterday.  The dishes were at half price or even lower comparing to peak hours.

Shrimp Dumplings HK$16.8 (US$2.15) 蝦餃皇

Breakfast Combo 早茶孖寶
Congee + dim sum of our choice HK$24.8 (US$3.18)
Breakfast Combo皮蛋瘦肉粥 / 义燒腸粉
millienium egg / pork congee and roast pork rice roll
Typical Hong Kong Cantonese breakfast

Deep Fried Dace Fish Balls 生炸鯪魚球
Only HK$9.8 (US$1.25) (Super Value!!)

Pan Fried Turnip Cake - HK$9.8 (US$1.25) 煎蘿蔔糕

Fried Rice with Chicken and Vegetables 生炒雞絲飯
Only HK$48 (US$6.15)
We just couldn't resist to order a dish of fried rice to wrap up our dim sum brunch.  It is really of Super Value!!  Nowadays even fast food shop will sell fried rice at HK$40-50. $48 at a dim sum restaurant is unbelievably cheap.  (It will cost around HK$80 at peak hours) However we didn't have to compromise on portion and quality.  It was a regular size, cook to order and very delicious dish of fried rice.

So our anti-inflation Saturday dim sum brunch sumed up at HK$39 (US$5) for each of the four of us, inclusive of tea and 10% service charge. 

Alhtough I notice a bit of price rise recently, such as the dace fish ball used to be $8.8 and dim sum combo used to be $23.8 and the fried rice used to be $38, but our dim sum brunch was still at a very attractive price.

At readers' requests, here is the restaurant I went:

Mega Red
6/F Hopewell Centre
183 Queen’s Road East, Hong Kong
Tel: 852 - 2528 1680

Hong Kong Food Blog - Anti-Inflation Dim Sum Brunch

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Bok Choy Soup

Gold and Silver Bok Choy Soup with Mushrooms

Home made bok choy soup is delicious and yet very easy to do.  You only need some time for preparation.  But why call it gold and silver?  Look at the ingredients here and you'll know.  The dry version of the bok choy is gold, the fresh version is silver.  This is the the Chinese way of naming our dishes beautifully.  Together with the mushroom, the soup is extremely delicious, low calories, high fiber and zero cholesterol.  You don't even need to add any meat to it, so it is good for vegetarians and weight watchers.  Of course you can add pork or spare ribs to your own taste.

I like things simple.  So he is my simple recipe of bok choy soup.
Bok Choy Soup Ingredients
  1. Some dry bok choy  (free from my sister-in-law)
  2. 1 Catty of fresh bok choy, buy those with extremely thick meat (HK$9)
  3. Several mushrooms, use big ones with extremely thick meat (from my kitchen stock, c.HK$20)
  4. One piece of ginger
Bok Choy Soup Cooking Directions
  1. Soak the dry bok choy for a few hours (don't throw away the soak water)
  2. Soak the mushrooms for a few hours in hot water.  If cold water, soak overnight. (don't throw away the soak water)
  3. Boil 6 bowls of gold bok choy water and one bowl of mushroom water and one bowl of plain water.  These will add extra fragrance to the soup.  Make sure to use the top layers of water, as towards the bottom, there may by some impurities.
  4. Bring water to boil, add all ingredients, and bring water to boil again.
  5. Turn heat down and let the soup simmer for an hour.
  6. Turn to high heat again for 1 minute, add salt and dish up.

My Bok Choy Soup is completely crystal clear and not oily. If you wish, you may add a few drops of EVO to your own taste. 

Why Bok Choy Soup
If you know why I set up this food blog and have read my fasting blog, you would know that I'm a health conscious individual.  But I don't have to surrender delicious food becasue of my eating habit (eat less in principal).  Bok Choy Soup for example, it's simple, easy, delicious, healthy and inexpensive.  I enjoy cooking at home as it is fun and healthy.  If you care to cook some healthy yet delicious food for your family, take a look at my friend Nicholas Zhou's cook book for more healthy cooking ideas.

Some Quick Nutrition Facts About Bok Choy
  • Very low in calories. Only 13 calories per 100 gram
  • Rich in vitamins A, C and K, minerals and anti-oxidants
  • Rich in dietary fiber
  • Zero cholesterol
Hong Kong Food Blog - Home Made Bok Choy Soup