Vignettes of the World
The Eagle’s Nest Nature Trail is an easy walk around Eagle’s Nest Hill (also known locally as Tsim Shan). The Eagle’s Nest Hill is also where the Eagle’s Nest Tunnel is. The 1.5-hour loop is a pleasant stroll, without rigorous uphill climbing but rapid steps …
Since the 19th century, Danang has replaced Hoi An as the preeminent trading port in central Vietnam. It remains as such today. In terms of the American War in Vietnam, Danang was the first location in South Vietnam that received the U.S. Marines. Apparently, this …
In the evening, we came back to Hoi An and found it bustling with festivities. The night market has opened. Music filled the air, food stalls lined the streets, and the colorful lanterns decorated the sky with the full moon above us.
We had a meal in a restaurant, but that would be just the first on the night-long tasting menu.
“This is so much better than Pho,” my companion said. He chewed big bites from his bowl of Mi Quang. Mi Quang means “Quang-styled noodles.” Quang as in the Quang Nam Province, where Hoi An is. Instead of the beef or chicken that commonly feature in the Pho, the Mi Qang comes with pork slices. There are shrimps as the supporting actor, then thrown in the mix are shrimp crackers, lime, green sprouts, perhaps half a boiled egg, and a generous handful of herbs over thick yellow noodles. Sitting in the bottom is an unnamable sauce that gives the noodles moist and taste.
Mi Quang is not soup-based and therefore a diner would naturally mix the whole bowl of goodies by reaching this sauce at the bottom before digging in. The Mi Quang triggers rich sensory pleasures: the succulence of the meat, the crispiness of the shrimp crackers, the aroma of the herbs, the chewiness of the noodles and the flavors of its sauce, all present in each single bite.
I agree with my companion’s assessment. Pho is certainly a very nice dish, but Mi Quang is waiting to be discovered by the world outside of Vietnam.
Heading right into the night market, we had skewered meat and foot-long Vietnamese spring rolls. We saw pancakes with minced meat and generous herbs. All very tempting but we had no more room in our tummies.
We then greeted a scene of community celebration along the riverside. People engaged in all kinds of group games and contests. The joy was pervasive. As we cheered those people taking away their prizes from the contests, I felt a full involvement in the festivity. No language was necessary for us to appreciate this occasion.
Finally, we paid to do a boat ride. We rode for about 45 minutes on the boat, passing under both of the footbridges that connected the small An Hoi Islet off the shore. There were many boats making their rounds that evening. We lit candles and made our wishes by placing them on the river. It was touristy, for sure, but nonetheless a very pleasant time spent. Forever remembered on my mind was the lit candles and their fickle all over the river. I wished for myself a very happy future. I was not having the best time of my life then because our old family dog had passed away.
The day was more than perfect for me. We rode our bicycles through all the festivities, into the quiet and calm of our hostel. We would be returning to Da Nang the next day. Our last evening in Hoi An was fun, memorable and celebratory.
We joined a biking tour on this sunny day. The Nu Eatery Lunch was at the Nu Eatery. The restaurant was known for its fusion touch on traditional Vietnamese cuisine. We had to try our luck as we did not make a reservation, and …
The hike of the day was the Ho Pui Reservoir in Kam Tin. The Trail to Lui Kung Tin At the Ho Pui Village we passed through the store and the village to enter the route up the hill. The hike up the hill was …
“This cleaver of yours,” Chef Tong Li began the cooking instruction with displeasure, “is not even good enough for cutting bean curd!”
James Li, Chef Tong Li’s son, said that his father was very demanding when it comes down to cooking. Chef Tong Li had yelled at him so much that one time he ran out of the kitchen, broke down and cried.
Photo: Big Brother Biu (James Li) Cuts the Duck.
I knew that Chef Tong Li’s comment to me was very mild as compared to his expectations on his son. I felt honored as he was willing to teach me some basic techniques in cooking. The session proceeded to Chef Tong Li’s demonstration on how to sharpen a cleaver.
“Place the cleave over the whetstone at 45 degrees,” Chef Tong Li placed the cleaver at an angle, “first sharpen this side by sliding ten times,” he then let me take over. “Good, then do the same on the other side for ten times too.” I took this task with care. “You must whet the exact number of times on both sides, otherwise the edge becomes uneven.”
This demonstration is a good glimpse into Chef Tong Li’s approach to cooking. He is keenly aware of the technical aspect of making food. He has often told me that he cooks with a scientific precision.
For every dish that Chef Tong Li makes, he works on a balance of six key principles. The first is the quality of the ingredients. Secondly, the ingredients must also match in the right proportions. The ingredients must be prepared in the right way before cooking. During the cooking, one must be very precise in the temperature and timing. Finally, the right use of salt enhances the natural flavors in the food.
The razor clam would illustrate what Chef Tong Li meant by precision. Back in the late 1980s, the razor clam was still unknown to the restaurants of Hong Kong. Chef Tong Li was the first to find foot-long razor clams in Scotland and introduced them to Hong Kong’s diners. After many experiments, he came up with the rule for steaming razor clam: at exactly 1 minutes and 45 seconds.
What Chef Tong Li has never made clear to me was his art of cooking. I have shadowed him in his teaching a few times over the years. The art of his cooking is something that is revealed, and then experienced, rather than taught.
Perhaps of all the dishes he has shown me, the five-spice duck was what gave me a glimpse of the art of Chef Tong Li’s cooking. There are some seven to eight steps in preparing the duck before it goes to the steamer. Each of these steps is technical. Chef Tong Li demonstrated these steps in detail, and he would explain why these steps were critical.
Photo: this is the Eight-Treasure Duck, which requires much more skills to prepare than the Five-spice Duck.
For example, in the stuffing there are all kinds of spices. The art is to know what these spices do, and prepare the duck accordingly. There are onions, shallots, and ginger in the stuffing. Chef Tong Li recommended that the ginger and the shallots be “walk on the oil” (wok-fried) before going into the stuffing, because that would enhance the aroma. Ducks have a natural gamey taste, and the aroma of a combination of spices will serve to dampen the gamey taste of ducks.
I have made the five-spice duck for over ten times by now. After so many attempts, I have slowly learned the art of making it. To give the duck the right color, and thus the right presentation, a critical step is to rub dark soy all over it. To coat the duck, I would have to fry it in quite a bit of oil, thus adding color. I learned that after rubbing the dark soy and before it goes into the wok, it should be aired and dried a bit. That would allow the dark soy to coat the duck better.
One aspect of art that I never handled well was the art in cutting the duck into pieces. This goes to the presentation of the dish. It takes a precise understanding of where the joints are for landing the cleaver. Chef Tong Li would cut the duck, and arrange the pieces in the shape of a duck in spread wings.
And finally, one thing that students of cooking would never be able to learn, neither from practice nor from experience, is the passion for making food. The love for cooking must come naturally within each chef, and I have seen it loud and clear in Chef Tong Li. In every turn of his career he was always motivated by the passion for serving great cuisine. It was his pride as much as it was his passion. He fully understood the play between techniques, skills, experimentation and creativity. Chef Tong Li has fully retired from the kitchen of his restaurant. But even now he would still experiment in his home. He has come up with “great food for the elderly,” which was tasty, but also nutritious and easy on the stomach.
Chef Tong Li’s son James has also experienced the flow of joy in cooking. After having learned the ropes of his father’s cooking, he experimented on his own. In the interview on the radio show The Gold Plated Plaque, he said when he began making his own dishes, and succeeded, “the creativity was explosive.”
The Prawn Toast is James Li’s own innovation
Chef Tong Li has passed the baton to his son in overseeing Big Brother Biu’s Seafood Restaurant. His spirit of perseverance, persistence, ingenuity and faith shall remain as the epitome of Hong Kong’s Lion Rock Spirit.
Photo: This is Vinegar and Ginger with Deer Tendon, an Award-Winning Dish at Big Brother Biu’s Seafood Restaurant.
Sources:
Interview with Chef Tong Li of Brother Biu’s Restaurant.
Interview with Chun Biu Li and Cindy Li of Brother Biu’s Restaurant, The Gold-Plated Plaque, Metro Radio, 176th Session (in Chinese).
Tong Li, the Undefeated Playbook of a Chef (in Chinese) (2014).
I asked Chef Tong Li whether he thought that God was always with him, even before he came to know and accept Jesus Christ. The answer was a resounding yes. The first cuisine with which Chef Tong Li would make his name was the snake …
Pat Sin Leng, because of its ridge of eight rolling summits, is named after the Eight Immortals in Chinese folklore. The villagers called it “wang shan” instead. Therefore the village of Wang Shan Keuk means “the foothill of Pat Sin Leng.” The Itinerary I arrived …
We are seeing warmer days in Hong Kong. I seize every opportunity there is to hike. This day I visited the Japanese fortifications in Luk Keng.
“A bush fire lit up there last week, so I thought it is perfect for exploration,” a young man that I met on the way up the hill told me. “The fire burned down the weed and it would be easier to find the trail to the harder-to-find pillboxes.” He said.
This part of Luk Keng, known to the locals as Hill 121 and quite unlike other scenic trails, is less popular with hikers. Perhaps fewer people in Hong Kong fancy war relics. The trail is also very short, thus in terms of exercise it does not quite serve the purpose. I was pleasantly surprised to meet a like-minded soul, who would be guiding my exploration for the next hour.
The Japanese Imperial Army launched its first offensive on Hong Kong on December 8, 1941. Three infantries of the 38th Division crossed the Shenzhen River and arrived in New Territories. The 229th Unit went by the route of Sha Tau Kok and Ta Kwu Ling to Tai Po. The Japanese soldiers then crossed Tolo Harbour and moved through Ma On Shan and Shap Sze Heung to arrive in Sai Kung and Kowloon East.[i]
Japan’s initial success in invading Hong Kong met the resistance of the people. The People’s Anti-Japanese Principal Guerilla Force of Guangdong, also known as the Dongjiang Guerilla Force, had an established presence in the Tai Po, Sai Kung and Sha Tau Kok areas.[ii] That has enabled a safe route for the refugees, protected intellectuals and even British POWs that fled Hong Kong into safety in China via the eastern route.
The Japanese military was well-aware of the Dongjiang Guerilla Force and its resistance efforts in the area. The Pillboxes of Luk Keng belonged to the group of fortifications in Luk Keng, Wu Shek Kok and Tam Shui Hang of the Japanese military. Built during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, this fortification consisted of 12 pillboxes, observation posts and a surrounding trench that provided a throughway, connecting most of the pillboxes. The Japanese military’s intention was to fend off the Dongjiang Guerilla Force with these defensive structures, and to guard against entry into Hong Kong by the allied forces from the northeast. However, as it turned out, the structures have never seen a day of battle.
The Luk Keng Pillboxes and Observation Posts are a Grade 2 Historic Building. What fascinated me the most, however, was that the Japanese military forced the villagers of the Sha Tau Kok area to build these structures. To note, particularly, the Wong Uk and Chan Uk of Luk Keng Villages. Some of those who were forced to build them are alive today. It is very much a living history, although the structures themselves remain in ruins.
I must take a special note here to introduce this pillbox, lying to the west side of the defensive complex. According to the kind young man that guided me, it would be the most difficult to find. Well, he took me through a path that was obviously not frequented. I could hardly see the tracks. And at some point it required a climb. As in, I was on all fours, grabbing onto any leverage point I managed to find. “This is dangerous,” I thought as I fell two steps back with each step forward. But thankfully he led me and helped me. Certainly, without his guidance, I would have never been able to see this on my own.
Up on the main stretch of the fortification, most of the growth on top was brown from burning. On this sunny day, there was no shade on the top of the pillboxes. The surrounding trench was about 1 to 1.5 metres deep, and that presented a known danger. Overgrown weeds would have blocked a clear view of the trench. Accidents have happened here before where someone fell into the trench. Therefore, hikers beware!
Photo: Lai Ming Path, this sign denotes the trench that surrounds the pillboxes, and the sign was added later.
I did manage to go inside one of these pillboxes. They were perhaps slightly shorter than the other pillboxes I have seen of the British forces. Thanks to the diligence of volunteers who cleaned and weeded them, these in-ground pillboxes were reasonably clean and safe. I enjoyed a bit of cool inside.
Finally, short though this trail might be, it was no less scenic. As I climbed up the long set of stairs to reach the hilltop, at each elevation I saw better and better panoramic views. Facing south, I saw the Starling Inlet with the high rises of Shenzhen afar. On the west lays the beautiful fish ponds and the village of Luk Keng. Once at the top, I could see far north onto the Nam Chung area, again with fish ponds throughout, and mountains hovering over them. From afar they could have been mistaken for being rice paddies.
To get to the Luk Keng Pillboxes, arrive at Luk Keng either by private car or by the Green Top Mini Bus Line 56K. Get off at the final stop in Luk Keng. There is a very noticeable, semi-outdoor restaurant there, and the steps up Hill 121 are right next to the restaurant.
There is another staircase going up next to the public toilet a bit farther, but that route leads to a village graveyard and at some point overgrown trees would block the way.
Follow the stairs next to the restaurant. You will be walking up along a deep ditch. The stairs take about twenty to thirty minutes.
Once at the top of the stairs, enjoy the view of Luk Keng and the Starling Inlet. Make a right and keep on going until you see a well-trodden path up. The way on the left will lead one to the hard-to-find pillbox that I mentioned above, but I do not advise anyone without experience to go that way. It is better to be safe here.
Again, the chief warning is the deep trench surrounding the pillboxes. A missed step can cause grave injuries. Although I went alone, I was surely very glad that I met another hiker who guided me. Therefore, as with always, do not go alone.
[i] Cheung Siu-woo, The Turmoil of War: Tai Po Under Japanese Occupation During the Second World War, Traditions and Heritage in Tai Po (2008) at 204.
[ii] Id. at 205.
The people of Hoi An celebrate the full moon every month. Perhaps that was how they kept the tourists engaged. But on this traditional once-a-year Mid-Autumn Festival, the celebratory activities were much more elaborate. We intended to have a walk in Hoi An that evening …