Chef Pang Kok Keong is known for his refined classic French dishes and intricate confectionery, but the bossman of Antoinette cafe and patisserie is heading back to his Hakka roots in his latest venture, Pang’s Hakka Delicacies. Launched today (Feb 15), the online shop specialises in traditional Hakka dishes.
The menu starts off with one item - suan pan zi or abacus seeds (Hakka yam balls), which is a must-have dish in many Hakka households during Chinese New Year. The dish, which symbolises wealth and prosperity, is made from hand-shaped beads of Thai yam that are sauteed with minced pork, dried shrimps, cuttlefish, mushrooms, leeks, garlic, black fungus, mushrooms and Chinese celery. A garnish of shallots, spring onions and coriander complete the moreish dish.
Prices start from $8 for a 250g portion and they are only available for takeaway. Collection is at the back alley of Antoinette, which is on Penhas Road. (Look out for a 客（‘Ke’）sign that is hand-painted by chef Pang). 客家 (Ke jia ) is Hakka in Chinese.
What makes his rendition of suan pan zi stand out? Chef Pang says: “The ‘abacus seeds’ are slightly chewy and soft and not too mushy, as I put a lot more yam into the dough and just enough tapioca starch to hold them up.”
After more than 20 years of cooking French cuisine, the 42-year-old is pursuing a more heartfelt path. “It is time that I do something related to my heritage,” he reflects. “Being Hakka, there is so much to gain as I can learn about my culture through this.”
Pang’s Hakka Delicacies is a culmination of four years of researching and testing out recipes gleaned from recipe websites, books and his childhood memories. His hunger for heritage was sparked when he encountered a mugwort kueh (ai cao ban) that has turnips, minced pork and mushrooms packed in mugwort-flavoured dumpling skin. He says: “It has a unique taste - sweet, salty, umami and bitter that only a Hakka can relate to.” He has since tried his hand at making about 12 Hakka dishes including poached ginger chicken, salt-baked chicken, steamed pork belly with preserved mustard greens and niang tou fu.
One of the challenges of making Hakka kueh is being dexterous in crafting its skin that is made with a complex blend of starch and flour. He says: “In French baking, it mainly involves cake and bread flour, but to make a good Hakka kueh, one needs to fully grasp and understand the balance of flour and starch to achieve the right texture.”
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Capturing the nostalgic taste of his childhood is a key motivation of embarking on this heritage food business. One of his fondest food memories revolves around suan ban, a Hakka kueh packed with dried shrimps, leeks, tau kwa (deep-fried soya bean puffs) and garlic, wrapped in a rice flour skin.
Growing up, he looked forward to this rare treat, as his mother, who was a hawker, would only make them during Chinese New Year when she had off days. He reminisces: “I would stuff a few kueh in my mouth at one go. My mom made the kueh more peppery and it has a rustic taste that cannot be replicated outside.”
While chef Pang remains tight-lipped on which other Hakka food will be on the menu, he lets in that there will be some specials of Hakka dishes with modern twists along the way.
He says: I want to re-discover and bring back the taste of Hakka food that has been forgotten.”
