Black moss is synonymous with Lunar New Year feasts because its name in Cantonese sounds lucky – fat choy being a homonym for “get rich”. However, cultivation of the moss has taken an unfortunate toll on some arid regions of mainland China. Pos

A centuries-old Lunar New Year treat in Hong Kong

Feb 2nd, 2024 20m 27s

Golden oysters are a plump delicacy symbolising prosperity and they adorn many tables at Lunar New Year in Hong Kong. Post reporter Lisa Cam travels to the city’s Lau Fau Shan area to discover how this delicacy is made and why it has been a sta

The evolution of sweet and sour pork

Jan 22nd, 2024 21m 43s

Sweet and sour pork is served around the world to diners who consider it among the most iconic and beloved of Cantonese dishes. Hosts Charmaine Mok and Sam Evans sit down with Post reporter Lisa Cam to discuss its evolution including how it mad

How KFC became a Christmas tradition in Japan

Dec 21st, 2023 31m 16s

American fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC has found its way onto the Christmas dining tables of millions of Japanese families. Hosts Charmaine Mok and Sam Evans explore how this surprising holiday tradition started. They speak with

Fresh ‘Korea wave’ brewing with instant coffee mixes

Nov 14th, 2023 10m 14s

South Korean exports of coffee mixes and instant coffee sticks have risen as the world’s K-drama fans react to seeing the products featured on TV series such as Moving, Vincenzo and My Mister. This Post story, reported by Kwak Yeon-soo and narr

The dim sum dishes facing ‘extinction’ in Hong Kong

Oct 28th, 2023 33m 48s

Classic dishes including siu mai and har gow can be found in nearly every dim sum restaurant around the world. But where can you find quail egg siu mai, soup dumplings and preserved sausage buns? Journey with hosts Charmaine Mok and Sam Evans t

Sara Lee pound cake, a staple for the Asian diaspora, crumbles after 50 years

Oct 20th, 2023 11m 3s

Frozen Sara Lee pound cakes could soon become harder for fans to find after the Australia-based manufacturer went into voluntary administration on October 17, 2023. Post deputy culture editor Charmaine Mok muses about how the ready-to-eat desse

Century egg: misunderstood snack a Chinese favourite for 500 years

Sep 16th, 2023 37m 51s

Century eggs are often portrayed in the West with a tinge of disgust, but Charmaine Mok and Sam Evans are on a mission to demystify the traditional Chinese snack. Post reporter Lisa Cam also joins the Eat Drink Asia hosts on a journey to discov

Understanding 'wok hei', the breath of the wok

Jun 30th, 2023 32m 40s

Wok hei is what differentiates an ordinary stir-fried dish from a perfect one. Hosts Charmaine Mok and Sam Evans speak with Post reporter Lisa Cam to discuss the art and science behind wok hei, and why it has become so beloved among Cantonese f

The story of dumplings: how a traditional Chinese medicine cure went global

Feb 4th, 2022 35m 8s

An SCMP archive special: the story of dumplings is the story of the globalisation of Chinese cuisine - take the journey from Beijing to Shanghai, Hong Kong and down the ancient Silk Road to discover who invented them - and how a traditional Chi

The great Hainanese chicken rice debate: Singapore vs Malaysia

Feb 10th, 2021 23m 30s

Is this poached chicken dish served with various condiments originally from Singapore or Malaysia? It's a question that stirs up quite a debate between these two countries where eating and criticising the other side’s cuisine are national pasti

Japanese tempura, its Portugese origins and how it became high culinary art

Jan 4th, 2021 21m 33s

Tempura is an ubiquitous Japanese dish, with seafood or vegetables coated in batter and deep-fried. But did you know that tempura originated in Portugal? Bernice and Alkira trace its origins back to the 16th century when Portuguese missionarie

How tofu made its way to the West

Nov 6th, 2020 27m 34s

Before plant-based meats and oat milk there was tofu. It's a popular staple in Asian cooking that was first written about before the Sung dynasty in 960 AD. Bernice Chan and Alkira Reinfrank look at how tofu made its way to America in three wav

Hong Kong egg tarts and their medieval English origins

Sep 23rd, 2020 22m 33s

Cantonese egg tarts are hard to resist with their silky egg custard filling and flaky pastry crust. Found in bakeries and eaten at the end of dim sum, the egg tart is a sentimental dessert in Hong Kong and across southern China, but its roots a

Xiaolongbao: how soup dumplings went global

Aug 11th, 2020 19m 47s

Xiaolongbao - or soup dumplings as they are known in the West - are delicate parcels of pork and broth that are served piping hot in a bamboo steamer. In this episode Alkira Reinfrank and Bernice Chan uncover the origins of this golf-ball sized

The story behind Oscar-winning film Parasite’s ram-don noodles

Jun 15th, 2020 15m 2s

Jjapaguri, or ram-don, as it is known in the Academy award-winning movie Parasite, is a super easy and cheap dish that simply mixes two kinds of instant noodles together. In this episode of Eat Drink Asia, we look into the food references in th

Quarantine Cooking: Instant noodle okonomiyaki

Jun 8th, 2020 6m 37s

Vicky Cheng, chef and owner of one-Michelin-starred VEA tells us how to turn a humble pack of instant noodles to a glorious okonomiyaki — a classic Japanese pancake.

It’s butter chicken — not curry

May 22nd, 2020 18m 12s

As popular and ubiquitous as curry is around the world, the word ‘curry’ doesn’t actually exist in India. In this episode we look into butter chicken – not curry – a dish that balances the smokiness of the meat and the silkiness of the sauce li

Quarantine Cooking: Coconut fish stew

Apr 30th, 2020 3m 58s

This is a quick coconut fish stew recipe that will make you look like the chef of the house. It's shared by chef Palash Mitra, who helms the Michelin-starred restaurant New Punjab Club in Hong Kong.How to make it:Cut the fish into manageab

Quarantine Cooking: French onion instant noodle soup

Apr 22nd, 2020 4m 4s

Listen to top chefs in Hong Kong describe how they cook their favourite comfort dishes at home. Today's recipe from chef Barry Quek only requires three ingredients: instant noodles, an onion, and a hard cheese, like cheddar or parmesan.How to

KFC vs KFC

Dec 6th, 2019 20m 22s

When it comes to fried chicken, almost every country has their own take on it.The Philippines has Jollibee, South Africa has Nando’s, Japan has Karaage... but no country has made the competition more intense than South Korea.So for toda

Banh mi: where Vietnamese tradition and French colonialism collide

Oct 25th, 2019 18m 3s

The dish was born in a time when Vietnamese weren’t even allowed access to wheat flour, making it hard to imagine the sandwich would become world famous.

All about that Spam

Sep 27th, 2019 23m 33s

American icon became popular during the war and managed to stick around.Your junk email is named after the canned meat, by the way.

Mooncakes then and now

Aug 30th, 2019 13m 47s

We tried KFC’s spicy chicken mooncakes so you don’t have to.From the end of the Yuan Dynasty to modern Hong Kong, mooncakes have been the bearers of political messages.

The surprising history of Sichuan cuisine

Jul 26th, 2019 20m 36s

Bernice Chan and Alkira Reinfrank analyse the cultural appropriation, and fascinating history, of Sichuan cuisine. They delve into the chemistry of the Sichuan pepper and unpack the components of a traditional meal.