Staying in the rural home of a Hong Kong eco-cook
I am in a rural home in Tai Po and there is an impressive spread before me: soft sticky rice in a crispy tofu skin, a fiery green papaya salad with squid, scrambled eggs with shrimp, deep-fried tofu that's crunchy outside and succulent inside, “three-cup chicken” prepared with rice wine, vinegar and basil, as well as a banana and avocado dessert with a hint of lemon.
But more notable is the origin of each dish.
The papaya hails from a tree next to my table and the basil and lemons from the garden just meters away. The eggs and bananas come from the Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden that is half an hour’s stroll down the road.
The venue is a private kitchen called Sik Yam Sik Sik, which is paired with rural homestay Yuen Hideaway; both are located in Tai Om, a community of several hundred in Tai Po’s Lam Tsuen, which comprises 26 hamlets and dates to the Song dynasty.
Owner of the homestay and restaurant, Amen Tsang, once worked as a kitchen hand. He started his businesses over the past year and a half in two neighboring village houses.
Cooking good clean food is at the top of Tsang's agenda.
“Hong Kong people are not so healthy in terms of what they eat -- and spiritually,” Tsang says. “Here, they can relax and eat well. It’s a happy place.
“If they’re happy with the food, I’m happy, because I was able to cook them something they wanted to eat."
Knowing where the food comes from is central to Sik Yam Sik Sik. Whenever possible, Tsang cooks with what is grown nearby.
“I want to be low-carbon," says Tsang of his way of life. "It's healthy."
Besides papayas, basil and lemons, Tsang grows lemongrass. If he needs fertilizer, he uses natural ones like coffee grounds, egg shells, tea leaves and leftover food.
Sometimes, Tsang buys produce from or gets it from village friends, who also stay away from chemical fertilizers. In the summer, Tsang might be given eggplants, tomatoes and hairy gourds. The winters yield Chinese broccoli and choi sum.
He also buys from the 148-hectare Kadoorie Farm, which adopted organic farming practices in 1995.
But even the most determined rural foodie will have to submit to non-organic ingredients from time to time in Hong Kong. Tsang does use imported chicken and goes to Tai Po Hui Market for seafood that comes mostly from China.
Tsang was living in Yau Ma Tei four years ago when he learned that one of the houses in Tai Om was available. He moved in and later also rented the house next door. He started to cook for friends and the private kitchen became popular through word of mouth. The homestay opened soon after.
“In the city, life feels so rushed -- when you slow down, you have time to think,” says Tsang, who lives alone with an 38-kilo Bernese mountain dog and a diminutive tabby cat.
Though life slows down here, there is still plenty to do.
The famous Lam Tsuen wishing trees –- two banyans that attract many worshippers –- and the adjacent Fong Ma Po Tin Hau Temple, a grade-two historical building erected in 1768, are within walking distance.
The village environs have their own curiosities: a disused school and study hall, and gardens alive with vegetables.
Getting there: 9 Tai Om Village. Email for reservations: amen_tsang@yahoo.com.hk
Dinner and accommodation cost HK$380 and $350 per head, respectively. One double and two single bedrooms are available. Between six to 12 people can be accommodated for meals. No corkage fee.
From Tai Wo Railway Station, take Kowloon Motor Bus 64K towards Yuen Long West, or the 25K green minibus towards Ng Tung Chai, getting off at Tai Om.
Travelers arriving at Hong Kong International Airport can take the E41 green minibus to Serenity Garden where pick-up is available.
