Food

Chinese and Thai cultures are linked for more than just their love of food. They have also been trading cooking styles and ingredients for generations. Traders from both regions often traveled between the two countries, bringing spices and cooking techniques to the other. You can taste it in Thai cooking today. We meet a Thai food expert in Bangkok to find out where these links come from and the Chinese culinary traditions hidden in plain sight in Thailand.

Averaging €300 for 100 grams (about $1,350 per pound) – but with the largest specimens selling for substantially more – highly sought-after white truffles from Italy’s northern Piedmont region are commonly called “white gold.” The Chinese love affair with these musky-tasting truffles has given rise to a niche industry of cooks, businessmen and millionaires from Shanghai to Singapore. They have become the main buyers of the expensive delicacy and the major protagonists in the annual truffle drama – the yearly auction in the Piedmont town of Alba. “Each year in Alba we stage the white truffle global auction, and for the past 15 years it has been held simultaneously through streaming in Hong Ko

Chop suey, chow mein, egg foo yong, deep-fried lemon chicken, spring rolls, stir-fried beef and broccoli. These are all dishes typically found on the menu of a Chinese-Canadian restaurant. They may not be authentically Chinese, but they are culturally distinct. Vancouver-born journalist Ann Hui, 36, took an interest in the culinary curiosities after learning that many immigrant restaurants in Canada’s Chinatowns were closing down or being repurposed as non-Chinese restaurants or bars. When Hui, a reporter for Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, dug deeper, she discovered there were many such restaurants across the country. In some cases, they were the only restaurant in town. That inspir

Chef Jowett Yu’s pairing of grilled New Zealand fatty lamb ribs and an especially brewed beer has been years in the making. Years ago in China, the Hong Kong restaurateur had eaten lamb ribs at Guanguanji, a restaurant in Shanghai. The lamb had been slathered in cumin, fennel and chilli powder, and he had wanted to wash it all down with an ice-cold beer – which the restaurant did not serve. Now, however, Yu has finally been able to marry the two together. Dad Bod, a beer brewed in Hong Kong by Young Master Brewery, is sold exclusively at Ho Lee Fook, Yu’s modern Chinese restaurant in Soho – an upscale entertainment district in Hong Kong. Dad Bod is a pale ale made with guava that “cuts throu

India and masala chai are inextricably linked in the popular imagination. Across the country, the sweet and spicy aroma of chai (which means tea) wafts out of homes, offices and railway stations.  Its rich, creamy consistency invokes comparisons to coffee, and even in Starbucks it is as much a part of daily life as its bean-based competitor. And if we read the tea leaves closely, we will see that the history of masala chai is intertwined with China and its own troubled history with the British Empire.  The mythology of tea dates back to the story of Bodhidharma, an Indian monk who traveled to China in the late-5th or early-6th century. The monk, credited with founding Zen Buddhism and Shaol

Visiting foodies in search of gratification are spoiled for choice in Asia.  From dim sum in Hong Kong and pho in Vietnam to sashimi in Japan or tom yum goong in Thailand, there is no shortage of taste-bud tingling experiences to write postcards home about.  But what about vegan and vegetarian visitors? Can a region best known for its meat-based offerings cater to those living on a purely plant-based diet? Increasingly, yes. 9% of the Asia-Pacific population identified as vegan in 2016, which means abstaining from consuming food, wearing clothes and using products that come from animals, according to online statistics portal Statista.  The region has the largest share of plant-based consumer

What’s inspiring some of Hong Kong’s cake designers? The ongoing anti-government protests. One cake with a political message even found its way to Cake International in the UK over the weekend, where it was disqualified from the confectionery competition because the entry’s content and message behind it “has been viewed as offensive and led to complaints from attendees,” according to an Instagram post quoting the organizer. Here are some of the bakeries that have taken dessert decorating to another level – and what inspired their creations. Amai Workshop Known for its signature marble fondant cake, Amai Workshop’s bespoke cake designs have been wowing customers since 2015. Its protest themed

The sweet, chewy boba balls are not only in your bubble tea, they could also be on top of your pizza.  Domino’s and Pizza Hut are offering pizzas topped with boba in Taiwan, the birthplace of the original bubble tea, also known as pearl milk tea.  The boba pizza is already being sold at Domino’s on the island. It costs NT$199 ($6.50) to have a “brown sugar boba pizza” delivered. It’s topped with black boba, white mochi balls, honey and cheese. Customers can pay extra for extra cheese.  Pizza Hut will start selling its own version on November 1. The pizza, topped with black boba, cheese, a milky sauce and another sauce made with Ceylon tea, will cost NT$329 ($10.8). It’s vegetarian, by the w

Like most armies around the world, the Chinese military has its own brand of ready-to-eat meals, designed to be eaten out in the field.  It’s a challenge to cater to the different tastes in the world’s biggest armed force. Chinese soldiers have in the past complained about the plain flavors of their rations.  Despite that, rations made for the People’s Liberation Army have become popular among the country’s military enthusiasts. PLA meal packs can be easily found on online shopping sites.  We taste-tested two sets of ready-to-eat meals designed for Chinese soldiers. Watch the video to find out more. 

A bubble tea exhibit has opened in Singapore, where boba lovers can dive into a pit of 10,000 plastic boba.  There's also a scent wall where visitors can sniff and try out several different types of tea.