Ditch the Christmas ham this Yuletide and try your hand at these holiday recipes created by some of Hong Kong’s most creative Chinese chefs

Christmas is often a time to fall back on traditions—putting up the Christmas tree, hanging up the stockings, and preparing a turkey or Christmas ham for your annual Yuletide bash. But why not mix things up a little bit this year with some centrepiece dishes featuring a bit of local flavour?

Try your hand at these holiday recipes (plus a cocktail!) created by some of Hong Kong’s most creative Chinese chefs. From a drunken turkey roulade to a beggar’s chicken that’ll have millionaires salivating, these dishes are designed to be the focal point of any Christmas dinner.

Don't miss: The 18 best holiday menus for Christmas 2022

Grand Majestic Sichuan

Recipe by chef Theign Phan

“When I think of Christmas, there’s always a whole roast—be it lamb or beef—so I thought of adding a Sichuan twist with a special spice rub. Lamb can be quite gamey and fatty, so I decided on a side of cucumber and coriander salad. The dressing [is inspired by] the pickled chilli used in Sichuan cooking: the flavour profile is slightly spicy and tart, which helps to cut through the fat.”

Sichuan-spiced rack of lamb with pickled chilli cucumber and coriander salad (Serves 4)

Ingredients

  • 1 Frenched rack of lamb (roughly 1kg, approx. 8 ribs)
  • ¼ cup Sichuan spice cure
  • Sichuan peppercorn oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 medium cucumber
  • 1 bunch coriander
  • 2 tbsp pickled chilli dressing

Sichuan spice cure

  • 1 tbsp chicken powder
  • 4 tbsp salt
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp Sichuan chilli powder
  • 1½ tsp Sichuan chilli flakes
  • 1½ tsp Sichuan red peppercorns
  • 3 tsp black peppercorns

Pickled chilli dressing

  • 4 shallots
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tbsp Sichuan pickled green chillies
  • 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 ½ tbsp chilli oil

Method

1. Make the Sichuan spice cure: Crush the Sichuan red peppercorns and black peppercorns, then mix together in a bowl with the remaining cure ingredients.

2. Make the pickled chilli dressing: Finely chop the shallots, garlic and pickled chillies, then mix together in a bowl with the remaining dressing ingredients.

3. Rub the spice cure all over the rack of lamb—be generous. Transfer to the fridge and leave to dry cure for at least 6 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan. Remove the lamb from the fridge 1 hour before cooking. 5. Place the lamb on a roasting tray with the fat cap facing up and rub Sichuan peppercorn oil (or vegetable oil) generously all over.6. Roast the lamb for 20 minutes for rare or 23 minutes for medium rare (internal temperatures of 51°C and 57°C, respectively, measured using a meat thermometer).

7. Meanwhile, make the salad: Shave the cucumber into thin strips, then toss with coriander and 2 tbsp of dressing.

8. Once the lamb has reached your desired doneness, remove from the oven, cover with foil and rest for at least 10 minutes.

9. Slice the lamb into chops and serve with the salad.

Read more: The best New Year’s Eve dinners in Hong Kong to ring in 2023

Hong Kong Cuisine 1983

Tatler Asia

Recipe by chef Silas Li

“When I think of making a festive dish to be served at home over the holiday, the first ingredient that comes to mind is turkey. I thought it would be quite interesting to replace chicken with turkey in this take on drunken chicken, which also includes the richness of foie gras. With the addition of the mixed cherry tomatoes as a garnish, the dish sports a colourful and festive presentation that’s perfect for Christmas.”

*We recommend using cruelty-free foie gras.

Drunken foie gras turkey roulade with stuffed cherry tomatoes (Serves 4)

Ingredients

Foie gras turkey roulade

  • 1 boneless turkey thigh
  • 180g foie gras

Goji berry huadiao wine sauce

  • 450ml water (boiled then cooled to room temperature)
  • 1 tsp goji berries
  • 300ml huadiao wine
  • 150ml osmanthus wine
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Tomato jelly
  • 100ml tomato juice
  • 1 tsp/3g gelatin
  • ½ tsp ginger juice
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ tsp sugar

Preserved sweet plum sauce

  • 130g preserved sweet plums
  • 1.2l water
  • 75ml huadiao wine
  • 225ml osmanthus wine
  • 1½ tbsp salt
  • 200g sugar

Method

1. Prepare the roulade: Lay a piece of cling film down on a board, then place the turkey thigh skin-side down on top of it. Spread the foie gras over the meat, leaving a narrow border on each side.

2. Starting from one of the short edges, roll the thigh tightly into a log shape. Then wrap tightly in the cling film. Steam at 65°C for 2 hours. Leave to cool.

3. Prepare the goji berry huadiao wine sauce: Place all the ingredients in a non-reactive (glass or ceramic) dish large enough for the turkey to lie in. Stir until well combined.

4. Remove the cling film from the roulade and place in the sauce. The meat should be fully immersed in the liquid.

5. Cover the container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to three days.6. Prepare the cherry tomatoes: Wash and peel the cherry tomatoes, then gently scoop out and discard the pulp.

7. Gently heat the tomato juice in a saucepan, then remove from heat and stir in the gelatin. Add the ginger juice, salt and sugar, then cool and leave to set in the fridge.8. Using a piping bag, fill the prepared cherry tomatoes with the tomato jelly. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

9. To serve, cut the roulade into 2cm-thick slices, then plate with the cherry tomatoes, pouring the wine sauce over the top.

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Chinesology

Tatler Asia

Recipe by chef Saito Chau

“Symbolising fortune and prosperity, fu gui chicken, also known as ‘beggar’s chicken’, is quintessential fare for the festive season. It’s also a classic artisanal dish that requires masterful preparation. Just as eating turkey for Christmas celebrates togetherness in western countries, I like to invite my guests to celebrate the holidays with a special rendition of fu gui chicken.”

Salt-baked fu gui chicken stuffed with abalone and shiitake mushrooms (Serves 4 generously)

Ingredients

  • Chicken and marinade
  • 1 medium-sized three-yellow chicken (1-1.2kg)
  • 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp huadiao wine
  • 2 tbsp sugar

Stuffing

  • 5 shiitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced
  • 3 dried abalone, soaked and marinated
  • Handful of mei cai (preserved mustard greens)

Crust

  • 2 whole lotus leaves
  • 10 eggs
  • 400g sea salt  
  • 400ml water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 250°C.

2. Make the salt crust: Mix together the eggs with salt and water to form a stiff dough. Once mixed, leave for 15-20 minutes to rest or until the crust is firm, then knead till smooth. If the crust is not firm enough, add 1-2 tbsp of flour. Set aside.

3. Combine the dark soy sauce and huadiao wine in a large, non-reactive dish. Pierce the chicken skin with a fork to aid the marination, then leave to marinate for 4-5 hours.5. Remove the chicken from the marinade and stuff with mushrooms, abalone and mei cai.

6. Lay the lotus leaves on a flat surface, place the chicken on top and wrap like a parcel. If any of the leaves tear of have a hole, patch with an extra leaf. Flatten out the salt crust dough, then wrap around the chicken to form a seal. Transfer to a shallow oven-proof dish.7. Bake the chicken in the oven at 250°C for 3 minutes— this creates a crispy skin while retaining the meat’s juices. Then reduce the temperature to 120°C degrees and cook for a further hour, resulting in a perfectly tender finish.

8. Use a spatula to crack the salt crust open and unwrap the leaves, then carve as desired. Best served hot.

Read more: Understanding the fusion of fashion and food

Sam Fancy

Tatler Asia

Recipe by mixologist Jon Ching

“Each winter, my family and I would go to these grand Chinese restaurants, and every meal would finish with either mango pudding or mango pomelo sago. This cocktail is a take on those dishes: a booze-tinged alternative to dessert to help your Christmas dinner segue into post-dinner drinks.”

*For the best results, you will need an ISI cream whipper.

Nitro cream coconut sago (Serves 1)

Ingredients

Cocktail

  • 45ml Plantation pineapple rum
  • 60ml mango juice
  • 45ml plain yoghurt
  • 30ml pineapple juice
  • 15ml honey syrup (3:1 honey to water ratio)
  • 2 tbsp cooked sago
  • Sprig of mint to serve

Nitro coconut foam

  • 150ml double cream
  • 50ml coconut syrup
  • 1 egg white (optional)

Method

1. Make the nitro coconut foam: Place the cream and the coconut syrup in an ISI cream whipper, then add two charges charges of nitrous oxide to foam the mixture. If the foam does not hold its structure, add the egg white into the whipper and charge the mixture again. Alternatively, hand-whip the cream and coconut syrup until a fully peaked foam is formed.

2. Pour cooked sago into a highball glass. Place all the cocktail ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add then shake vigorously with ice to chill.

3. Strain into the glass, then top with the coconut foam. Garnish with mint and serve.

See also: 4 easy and delicious Christmas drinks to prepare for the holidays

Credits

Photography  

Jake S. Thomas/Hindsight Creative

Art Direction  

Christy Yung/Hindsight Creative

Producer  

Ian Fan/Hindsight Creative

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