Chefs dish on their favourite holiday dishes and traditions

Christmas is a time for food, family and more food. In this spirit, Stephenie Gee asks eight Hong Kong-based chefs to share their favourite Christmas dishes and traditions from home

Angelo Aglianó, Tosca di Angelo

“In Sicily, we traditionally prepare Christmas dishes at home and enjoy dinner with the family. My favourite Christmas dish is scacciata con ricotta e spinaci, or [stuffed flat bread] with ricotta cheese and spinach. It’s the first dish we made together at home and it always evokes memories of my grandmother and family. By 11pm, we go to church and pray together while waiting for midnight to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. After that, we return home and enjoy the night with prosecco, dried fruits and games until 4 or 5am.”

Richard Ekkebus, Amber

“Christmas was always very festive at our family house, especially during the meals. My mother put a lot of effort into decorations and that was a family project in early December where everyone received a task. There were gifts on Christmas Day and my mom would make non-alcoholic punch for us. The punch was made with macerated dried fruits and fresh fruit juice, with cordial, served in a large cup with a spoon. The adults would drink Champagne and wine instead. We would eat seafood for starters – North Sea prawns, blue lobster, oysters and smoked eel – then the soup and a main course, which would be roast beef or stuffed pork with plenty of side dishes. Most of the time, our dessert was iced Christmas log and there were friends and family, and a whole bunch of laughter.”

Olivier Elzer, L’Envol

“As a chef, when it comes to Christmas cuisine, there is one tradition that truly steals the show – the quintessential roast turkey. The succulent turkey, cooked to perfection with a golden-brown exterior and tender, juicy meat is the epitome of festive indulgence. But what truly makes this dish extraordinary are the delightful accompaniments. The comforting chestnut stuffing adds a touch of earthiness that complements the turkey beautifully. And let’s not forget the tangy cranberry sauce, which brings a burst of sweetness that perfectly balances the savoury flavours. To top it all off, the rich and velvety gravy drizzled generously on top binds all the elements together, creating a symphony of flavours that takes us back to cherished memories and joyous gatherings of Christmases past.”

Gaurav Kuthari, Chaat

“Being Hindu, we never had grand Christmas celebrations at my home. We celebrated Indian festivals like Diwali, Holi, Dussehra and many more, though we had long winter holidays during Christmas and New Year’s which I like the most. My mother always cooked special foods during these holidays, like choley bhature (spicy chickpea curry with crispy and soft fried bread ), aloo tikki chaat (crispy potato patty with chickpea curry), besan gatte curry (besan sausage with yoghurt-based gravy), dal bati churma (lentil curry with baked dough balls and sweet crumble), gajar ka halwa (carrot pudding) and saffron milk. I love them all, but if I have to choose one as my favourite it would be gajar ka halwa. It’s a dish that requires the involvement of the whole family. We have to first buy five to 10 kilos of quality red carrot from the market, then we clean and grate it before slow-cooking it for long hours with milk, desi ghee and dry fruits. My mum would always cook gajar ka halwa in bulk so that we could enjoy it for many days. This dish always brings back my childhood memories of celebrating the Christmas and New Year holidays, and it’s very close to my heart.”

Also see: Christmas 2023 #giveaway – ‘La Vie en Rosé’ brunch experience for two at LPM worth HK$1,996

Shane Osborn, Arcane

“My family tradition is simply about being with my wife and kids, eating great food and watching an afternoon movie. If we’re in Australia, Christmas is in the middle of summer so a barbecue and cold beers are on the menu, followed by a swim at the beach – not your typical image of Christmas. But we often spend Christmas at our family home in France, near the Pyrenees, so I look forward to having Vacherin Mont d’Or cheese. We serve it slightly warm from the oven, with crusty bread and cornichons plus a decent supply of Madiran wine. But my all-time favourite Christmas dish has got to be honey- and mustard-roasted leg of ham – the smell of the caramelised honey is mesmerising. I’ve been cooking and roasting my own hams for over 20 years.

Barry Quek, Whey

“My favourite Christmas dish is a rendang turkey that we make at home. We brine the turkey for a day, marinate it with a rendang paste for one more, then roast it off in the oven. We serve it with coconut rice, achar (pickles) and other spreads like fish head curry and sambal kangkong (stir-fried water spinach).”

Jayson Tang, Man Ho Chinese Restaurant

“Growing up, my father would take me to steakhouse restaurants like Sweetheart Garden or Golden Phoenix for a special Christmas meal. We would indulge in Hong Kong’s traditional sizzling steak served on a hot plate and desserts such as ice cream served on boat-shaped plates or fruit jelly with a decorative umbrella. Afterwards, we would visit Tsim Sha Tsui to admire the stunning Christmas light displays. Growing up in a typical Chinese family in Hong Kong, this was our cherished Christmas tradition.”

Adam Thomas, Roganic

“For me, I love the tradition of Christmas cake. Our family takes it seriously, starting to prepare it at least six months in advance and continuing with a weekly ritual of feeding the cake brandy to help preserve and build the rich flavours of a Christmas classic! Now that I live in Hong Kong, my parents make a point of sending this homemade cake each year. The taste and texture bring back happy memories of Christmastime growing up in England.”

Also see: Christmas 2023 #giveaway – ‘La Vie en Rosé’ brunch experience for two at LPM worth HK$1,996