Sometimes I cook something “straight from the heart”. By that I mean I follow no recipes, or inspirations from cookery programmes. I take a look at my fridge, and somehow when I make a dish it just “makes sense”. When I taste them, the first bite brings back memories.
My maternal grandparents looked after me after school for some years. Like many, dual income families in the 80s Hong Kong were common. Men and women worked hard to make a living, and the local economy thrived on that productivity. My Gong Gong (grandpa) and Po Po (granny) picked me up from school and made me proper lunches. No one at that time ate sandwiches. We would have some simple dishes, sometimes a bit of leftovers from the dinner the night before and steamed rice. Occasionally we would eat out but generally lunch at home was the norm.
Gong Gong wasn’t much of a cook really. He was the breadwinner of the family, apparently he was quite a shrewd businessman! But when he cooked, we knew the dishes would be different, in its seasoning and style. Two dishes always make me recall his cooking and one of that is the braised tofu in an oyster sauce. The ingredients are reasonable and you make it in a standard wok without any fanfare. The most important technique is to press out the excess water from the tofu before pan frying them to create that all important golden crust. Also it is imperative to get the right kind of tofu, medium firm or firm texture are perfect. Silken tofu would definitely break up into smithereens because of its delicate texture.
Po Po was the cook in the family, like many women in her generation. Together with her husband, they raised seven children, on one single income. You can imagine their food bill! Still Po Po did plenty of magic in her tiny kitchen, one that I can still recall in my mind’s eye. Her style of cooking was homely, “feminine” reflecting her sweet and quiet nature; simple and healthy. I think for her, feeding her family well within her budget was an absolute priority, also it was at dinner time that most of the family would gather. These days when I am hungry and need to cook a quick dinner, I often make a kind of omelette with fine green beans. Eggs and finely diced green beans and I spice them up with some Shaoxing wine and a clove of garlic (which Po Po didn’t), it was nostalgia in every bite.
These dishes go very well with rice, and I still love eating them. These are un-trendy and non-Instagramable worthy dishes that are still cooked by many Chinese families, even those who have moved away from Hong Kong. I dare say generations to come will continue to make them.
Both my grandparents have passed away now and I think they might smile broadly at the thought of this blog, at their granddaughter recalling some snippets of her childhood and now pursuing a new career!
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