Community Stories &
Dried Seafood Recipes
Wisdom from the Cantonese coastal community.
Embracing the Chinese medical philosophy of body-nourishing through everyday diet, double-stewed soup making with various combinations of dried seafood and herbs reflects the seasonal climate changes, i.e. solar terms,
in relation to wellness through the Lunar year. Experiment with any recipe of Tai O fishing village ingredients below!
Stir-fry King Recipe! Cantonese Mixed Stir-Fry with Shiitake Mushroom, Cucumber & Shrimp Paste
A Dai-pai-dong style stir-fry dish! Quick and hot! Just grab whatever you have in your kitchen!
Turning dull Cantonese double-stewed soup residue shiitake mushrooms into exciting Cantonese Dai-pai-dong (大排檔) style ‘Stir-fry King’! Enjoy quick and hot stir-fry for a casual dinner or late-night supper after a day of work – just grab cucumber and shrimp paste, or any ingredients, from your pantry! Best match with Low Mein (fried noodles) or rice.
In Cantonese home cooking, double-stewed soup over solar terms is an important part of dinner besides entrées like stir-fry or steamed dishes, while soup residues have taken up over 40% of food waste in Hong Kong according to research findings (EJINSIGHT, 2018, July 26). Is there a creative and easy way to turn soup residues alive as a flavourful dish on the dining table? Try this recipe!
Damp-clearing Season!
Cantonese Double-Stewed Soup Recipe for Spring
To many Hong Kongers, Cantonese double-stewed soup with Dried Seafood is a vital cultural symbol of ‘family’s love’.
Not only do I make double-stewed soup constantly for health purposes according to solar terms' climate change, Dried Seafood add colours and flavours to my everyday soup which soothes my stressful life! The steps of soup making are simple, but the cooking time does reflect the cook’s patience and the ingredient combination tells his/her thoughtful pick according to seasonal changes and body needs of your family members according to Chinese medical theories. The combination of ingredients varies and are carefully planned according to weather and environmental change around different solar terms through the year.
This Mushroom & Coconut Double-stewed Soup is a great option for Spring. Dried scallops help strengthen your spleen while coix seeds offer a clearing function to remove excessive 'damp' in your body accumulated across the Springtime solar terms! You can add other dried seafood from Tai O fishing village, dried sea conch for instance, to boost the damp-clearing effect! Try this recipe and share the Cantonese 'everyday diet-as-treatment' wisdom with your family and friends!