Garlic

The pungent flavour of garlic is part of the fabric of Hong Kong’s cuisine. It would be inconceivable to cook without this distinctive, highly aromatic ingredient. Garlic is used in numerous ways: whole, finely chopped, crushed and pickled. And in Hong Kong I have even found it smoked. It is used to flavour oils as well as spicy sauces and is often paired with other equally pungent ingredients, such as spring onions, black beans, curry, shrimp paste or fresh ginger. In Hong Kong, cooks often add a smashed clove of garlic to the hot oil. The garlic becomes fragrant and is said to have ‘sweetened’ the oil; it is then removed and discarded.