This is a special one off supper completely out of our typical cuisines of ‘American Cowboy BBQ’ and ‘California/Mexican’ Suppers. But I was asked (urged actually) by some friends to offer this menu as they can’t find tasty Dim Sum or  tasty Kong Kong Asian food here in the Algarve. Soooooo, my dearest fellow-foodies…., here it is.! I think the menu is pretty exciting. I’ve tasted all these entrees both in Hong Kong and other places. They’re a collection of my Dim Sum and Hong Kong favourite yummy things to eat. The challenge (for me) will be in the logistics of the delivery; as in most Asian cooking the food is eaten fresh immediately right after cooking, unlike some other national cuisines where one might prepare a sauce the day before or marinate something over a couple of days…but not here and we don’t have a buncha cooks or a buncha stoves…just one of each.  Fun ahead!  This kind of food is fresh, lite and flavourful.

Just a ‘heads-up’ it’s only two- weeks two this supper and we’ve already 10 spaces reserved, so it might be good to book early.

MENU

STARTER

• Wonton Soup

DIM SUM

• Shumai (tasty open-faced dumplings filled with ground pork, shrimps, Chinese black mushroom, green onion & seasonings)
• Potstickers (pan fried then steamed, crisp-crunchy bottom Dumplings filled with meat n vegetables)

MAIN

• Sweet n Sour Chicken with steamed white rice
• Seared Bok Choy
• Peking Duck with Spring Onions, Hoisin or Plum sauce and pancakes

DESSERT

• Mango & Coconut Milk pudding

WONTONS originated and have been enjoyed in northern China since ancient times.  Known as hundun, which means “chaos” in Mandarin, they refer to the Chinese mythological character, Hundun, who represents central chaos in Chinese cosmogony. However, in Cantonese the meaning translates to “cloud swallow”, reflective of the soft, silky pillows of pasta floating in the broth and gliding seamlessly down your throat. But whether clouds or chaos, once thing is certain:  Wontons are heaven and when we add them to our made-from-scratch aromatic, chicken broth soup, they’re simply irresistible!

POTSTICKER’S are DIM SUM pan fried then steamed, crisp-crunchy bottom Dumplings filled with a flavorful mixture of Pork n Cabbage. The filling is wrapped in a light half-moon dough with pinched edges and have flat beautifully browned bottoms, with a delicately steamed filling…lovely things to eat.

SHUMAI: are tasty open-faced dumplings filled with ground pork, shrimps, Chinese black mushroom, green onion & seasonings. This is a classic Dim Sum! The outer covering is made of a thin sheet of lye water dough. The filling is put in the center of the wrapping and the border of the wrapping is loosely gathered/pinched above, forming a “neck” and a flower shaped top, then steamed served with a soy/sweet/sour dipping sauce

SWEET N SOUR PORK: the version we know best comes from Guangzhou and is a staple of nearly every bright and noisy Hong Kong diner – though its fame has spread worldwide for the very simple reason that it hits all the right notes, wherever you are. Savory and crunchy, sweet and tangy: it’s addictive stuff. Treat (eat) with caution.

PEKING DUCK is perhaps one of the most famous Chinese dishes and served all over Kowloon. Its history goes back to the Yuan dynasty around 1330. The duck is roasted in a special complicated multi-step manner to crisp the skin while keeping the meat moist and tender, the preparation takes between two & three days.  After the duck is roasted the meat and crispy skins are wrapped in ultra-thin Mandarin-style pancakes filled with scallions, crisp cucumber, and a smear of sweet and pungent Hoisin or plum sauce, it’s like a Chinese burrito whose flavor is belied by its diminutive nature.