Paint the food:
Interviewing the veteran of Chinese restaurant — Lee yiu
Reporter: Claudia Tsang
It is believed that no one would close their eyes when they eat. But, do we really need to eat with our eyes open? Yes indeed. We concern the taste of the food as well as their appearance. Dishes with brighter color usually make customers more willing to eat. How many people do know about the magic behind these colourful dishes? Here we have invited a retired veteran, Lee-yiu, who has worked in different positions in the Chinese restaurant, to share his years of experience about food and colors.
C: CULTaMAP
L: Mr Lee
C: The roasted pork we bought from outsides always has bright red skin which is so different from the color of the original meat. How is it made to red?
L: We used to use a kind of red powder called Rhodamine B. It is what we use to make the egg in red during celebration of baby born. First you would need to clean the pork and pour hot water on the skin of the pork. Then you can dissolve the powder in boiled water and mix it well. A gentle layer of the mixture is then brushed onto the pork. We used to go to the pharmacy for buying the Rhodamine B powder, and only those from the Ying-fat-long grocery are admitted by the government. To be frank, Rhodamine B is a kind of toxic dye which is for industrial use. The government has banned the use of it in food dying as early as the days when the Urban Council (the predecessor of Leisure and Cultural Services Department) was still in charge of these affairs. Nobody use Rhodamine B in food dying anymore now. Instead, we use other food additives. Colors are systematically numbered. There are many different kinds of reds too.
C: What about the sauce on the Sweet Sour Pork ?
L: In the past, we also add in some Rhodamine B. But since it was banned, tomato paste is used to substitute it. The sauce of Sweet Sour Pork is very similar to that of Jin-Lu wonton (fried wonton). It is a mixture of white sugar, rice vinegar and tomato paste. It is a bit sour which makes people a better appetite.
C: What else orange food can we have in the Chinese restaurant?
L: Let's say the Mara cake. Generally, the orange brown color of Mara cake is brought out by the brown sugar. But one thing that you may not know is, restaurants never use brown sugar. They use white sugar instead. So where does the color come from? The magic is a few drops of “pearl oil”. It is some very concentrated soy sauce. This trick on coloring also applies on chicken feet with maltose added. Or if we add Sichuan peppercorns, star anise and oyster sauce, it becomes the brine juice.
C: Let's talk about food in yellow. What is the skin of Shumai actually made of?
L: It is made of flour, egg paste, and color additives. Cooks in the past did make their own Shumai skin by themselves, instead of buying from supplier. (C: Can you tell us more about Shrimp dumplings and pyramid dumplings?) They are both made of gluten-free flour. One catty of gluten-free flour and a grasp of potato flour are mixed with water. If more water is added, then it is the skin of pyramid dumplings.
C: Why is the Broccoli we saw in the restaurant much greener than those we had at home?
L: It is all because of caustic soda (NaOH). Caustic soda is actually used as a cleansing agent. Dissolve a nail size of caustic soda in water. Then you can immerse cooked vegetables in it to make it greener and fresher.
C: You has shared so many tricks with us about adding colors on food. Can you share your experience with us when you eat in other restaurants?
L: You remind the days before I came to Hong Kong. When I was in Guangzhou，I ordered a dish of Sweet Sour Pork, in a restaurant. There wasn't any sauce on the pork. It was dry and crispy. But, how interesting, I do like it more!
