Taishan Chinese Cuisine

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Ho visited Taishan 10 years ago and was pleased to find that many of the dishes she makes here are similar to what can be found in Taishan. Like braised chicken with dried mandarin peel, which features a lightly nuanced but zesty sauce.

“This is normally our Chinese New Year dish, but now we cook it whenever we feel like it,” says Ho.

Dried mandarin peel is an element that Ho says is popular in Taishanese cuisine, but she always thought it came from normal oranges. Instead, on her trip to Taishan, she discovered that the skins of an inedible orange were used for this dish.

Then there is the rich and sumptuous dish of stewed lamb with sugar cane. Ho says people in Taishan often eat this warming meal at the start of winter. Although fresh sugar cane is a Taishan specialty, it’s harder to find it here, which is why Ho uses dried sugar cane instead.

“Our ancestors used to eat this meal during winter to warm their bodies. But because lamb is very heaty and the herbs are very heaty, they used a bit of sugar cane to tame it and also to add sweetness, so you don’t have to add sugar,” says Ho.

Glutinous rice balls and Chinese sausage soup features Taishan’s famed dried oysters. The dish is light and flavourful, and best served piping hot as it is another winter favourite. “Many years ago in Taishan, they used to serve this with spare parts like intestines and stomach. When times were better, they added more premium ingredients – my mum puts in prawns,” says Ho.
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