2020/06/17

When did mangoes become a typical ingredient in Hong Kong sweets? As far as I remember, my mother used to make mango pudding for me when I was little. It was around the beginning of the 1980s.

How much do Hong Kong people like mangoes? Mangoes come to Hong Kong from various mango-producing countries, including the Philippines, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Taiwan, Australia, Japan, Mexico, and more. Therefore, Hong Kong is the only place where you can eat mangoes all year round. Hong Kong ships a small amount of agricultural products and relies on imports, so the stomachs of Hong Kong people have no prejudice against agricultural products from around the world, and they seem to accept them with openness and interest.

Because it was a colony, the city is particularly familiar with British food culture, and has no qualms about tasting not only Chinese food but also Western dairy products and Southeast Asian spices. It has adopted the food cultures of many countries and given rise to new Hong Kong food culture through its own unique arrangement.

It is no exaggeration to say that mango pudding is one of their signature dishes. Made with unsweetened condensed milk, it has a unique Hong Kong rich flavor and the sourness of mango adds a refreshing touch, making it a popular Hong Kong flavor.

When making a simple homemade Hong Kong mango pudding, many people generally use Robertsons jelly powder (Lo Ba San Jie Lei Fan). It has artificial coloring and flavoring mixed in, so it looks more yellow, is cheap, and is "Made in Hong Kong," so it makes a good souvenir (lol), but I prefer no additives, so I use fresh mango and make it from scratch. Still, it's really easy to make, so please give it a try.

The mango used in this recipe is Mahachanok mango from Thailand.

I tried to recreate the taste of the mango pudding my mother used to make for me. For me, this is the Hong Kong taste I know.

"Mong Go Bo Dinh" (Hong Kong style mango pudding)

• • Ingredients (for 4 people)

1 mango

White sugar/beet sugar 40% of the pulp

2 tablespoons lemon juice

<Mango pudding>

25g water

5g powdered gelatin

Mango sauce 200g

50g unsweetened condensed milk

50g fresh cream

130g milk

topping

1 mango

How to make mango sauce:

1. Peel the mango, remove the flesh, add sugar (40% of the weight of the flesh) and blend in a food processor, then add lemon juice.

How to make mango pudding:

1. Put water in a small container and add gelatin powder to thicken it.

2. Add the prepared mango sauce, step 1, condensed milk, cream, and milk to a pot, turn the heat to medium, and when the gelatin has dissolved, let it cool slightly, then transfer to a container and refrigerate.

3. Once set, top with cubed mango.

*The Hong Kong way to eat it is with plenty of condensed milk.

Wanjae

Culinary researcher. Born in Hong Kong. During her childhood, she ate her grandmother's home cooking on weekdays and her father's home cooking on weekends, whose hobby was cooking. After moving to Australia, she moved to Japan after getting married and has been living there for over 20 years. She is certified as a Chinese international herbalist, fermented food sommelier, and fermentation life advisor, and has a deep knowledge of food culture in both the Chinese-speaking world and Japan. She is currently working in Tokyo to spread the word about Hong Kong cuisine to the people of Japan.

Jinzai Tokyo Prime Kitchen Labo