Cooking from the Heart

Just as my recipe research is almost complete, I discover a new restaurant on Cabrillo Street in San Francisco. This small, family-run business is simply called Hakka Restaurant. Chinese families pack into the noisy dining room on a Friday night—a good sign. It is obvious that customers come not for the ambience, but simply to eat good food. We concentrate on the Hakka specialties; most are listed on the menu as chef’s specials. I’m pleased that we have preordered the chicken with preserved mustard greens. A whole chicken, stuffed with a mixture of greens, mushrooms, and pork, is braised and served with a sauce made from the reduced pan juices. The salty-savory flavor is pure Hakka. My husband insists that we order another Hakka favorite, Chinese bacon with preserved mustard greens. The restaurant’s rendition is delicious. Soft, succulent, greaseless slices of pork belly lie on a bed of savory preserved mustard greens. Finally, a dish of vivid green Chinese broccoli with sweet rice wine crunches with freshness. The food possesses a clarity and pureness of flavor.