The Vibrant Hong Kong Table

April 1, 2024

Mouthwatering recipes meet city and family history in this wonderful vegan cookbook that details the rich history of Hong Kong from sleepy harbor to culinary powerhouse. Divided into four chapters, the recipes are as delicious as they are diverse: "egg" tarts that use coconut milk, sweet potato, and tofu for the custard; "Swiss" style mushroom wings (with a note for using burdock root or lemongrass as a stand-in bone; Lunar New Year dumplings; Hong Kong sweet buns; curry "fishballs"; and, of course, HK Milk Tea. Additionally, Wong does an incredible job of laying out the unique place that dim sum, Hong Kong "diners" (cha chaan teng), and tea shops hold within Hong Kong culture, while also talking through the traditional ingredients, spices, and sauces that are found in the cuisine. Included as well are staple cooking utensils, food preparations, and techniques. Sample meals, stock lists, resources, and a bibliography round out this excellent guide. VERDICT Wonderfully designed and illustrated, this is a delightful culinary tour, offering creative vegan twists on traditional Hong Kong foods that readers will be excited to devour.--Whitney Bates-Gomez

Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 19, 2024
Wong (The Plantiful Plate), who’s descended from three generations of Hongkongers, offers scrumptious plant-based recipes contextualized with both her family’s stories and a broader historical backdrop. Never preachy and always informative, she has a nimble touch on serious subjects like racism and the impact of meat consumption on the environment. Sweet dishes include Western toast, a pandan-leaf jam sandwich soaked in milk and pan-fried, and peanut candy that dates to 475 BCE. Plant-based substitutions are clever: vegan XO sauce is made with nori and kombu, while jackfruit stands in for brisket in a hearty noodle soup. This is food for sharing: a chapter on breakfast foods and dim sum features taro croquettes and striking steamed black sesame rolls, while dinner ideas include rice cooked in a clay pot so that a crispy layer forms at the bottom. The street food for which Hong Kong is renowned features throughout: fishballs are here made with potatoes, and eggplant and sweet potato are stuffed into pastry packets for curry puffs. Useful tips abound: a recipe for simple stir-fried greens, for example, incorporates meticulous instructions for cleaning the vegetables, and sidebars cover topics such as Hong Kong restaurant etiquette. Wong’s personable and knowledgeable voice makes this thoughtful effort shine.