Hong Kong chefs share their favourite holiday recipes (part 1 of 2)

Four Hong Kong chefs share with Stephenie Gee their Christmas traditions growing up, along with their favourite holiday recipes and the memories that go with them. Here are the first two 

Even for the most sophisticated chefs, holiday cooking is not about wowing everyone with the most prestigious ingredients and innovative techniques. It’s about recreating all those old standbys that affirm a family’s shared history, the simple foods they’ve loved since childhood, the festive dishes that are always the same no matter how much everything else has changed. 

Matthew Reuther, chef de cuisine at Mandarin Grill + Bar 

“We were a very traditional family when it came to Christmas. The day would start with opening the presents from our stockings, followed by breakfast, which was usually smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. The eggs were always fresh from a local farm shop nearby. The rest of the day would be quite relaxed. My mum would typically start cooking early in the day. However, once I became a chef, I took over the cooking, but we kept the same menu every year. 

For starters, we always had a prawn cocktail – something that hasn’t changed in over 45 years. For the main course, we had roasted turkey from a local farm, served with all the classic trimmings. And of course, we’d finish with Christmas pudding, which we’d buy from the shop, served with brandy butter and cream. After lunch or dinner, we’d open the presents. We’d gather in the living room, with the fire crackling, and my dad would call out the names on the gifts. It was a simple but cherished tradition. 

One of my absolute favourite holiday recipes has to be my Nan’s meat pies. I believe it’s a variation of a Delia Smith recipe, but they’re legendary in our family. They barely lasted five minutes once they came out of the oven! My mum still makes them today. They’re made with rough puff pastry and a savoury minced beef filling – super simple but incredibly tasty. My dad has always joked that I should open a shop or add them to my menu, but I’ve decided to keep this one in the family. Here’s a version of the recipe, though it’s not exactly the same as my Nan’s secret one.” 

Nan's meat patties 

Ingredients: 
Lean beef mince
Finely chopped onion 
Beef stock cube 
Water 
Corn starch 

For the pastry: 
8 oz plain flour 
6 oz butter 
Salt 
Very cold water 

Instructions: 
1. Prepare the meat filling
• Cook lean beef mince with finely chopped onion and a beef stock cube, adding a little water as needed. Thicken the mixture with corn starch until it reaches a thick consistency. Set the mixture aside to cool.
2. Prepare the pastry
• Grate the butter into the flour and add cold water to form a dough, ensuring everything remains as cool as possible.
3. Assemble the patties
• Roll out the pastry and line a patty tin with it. 
• Fill each pastry-lined tin with the prepared meat mixture. 
• Cover each patty with more pastry. 
• Brush the tops of the patties with beaten egg for a golden finish. 
4. Bake
• Bake in the preheated oven (180°C/350°F). 

Also see: #giveaway - A pair of tickets (HK$1,496) to Grand Hyatt Hong Kong's new year party

Ciro Petrone, culinary director at Regent Hong Kong 

“I grew up in Naples, Italy. There it’s all about traditional family reunions at Christmas. It’s a magical time for families and especially children. While Italian Christmas traditions vary by region, seafood is always an important part of the festive meal. In Napoli, the Christmas meal definitely centres around seafood dishes, although some families might also serve a meat dish. Our Christmas lunch or dinner might include a cod salad with olives, pickled vegetables, anchovies and cauliflower, as well as a deep-fried fish, with eel being popular. 

The one dish on every Christmas menu in my hometown is spaghetti with clams. My favourite version of this traditional Christmas dish is spaghetti vongole with a sauce made with tomatoes aged in the mountains of Napoli. They are known as Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio. The traditional way of preserving the Piennolo tomatoes is by carefully stringing them up into beautiful bunches and then hanging them from cellar beams where they are left for 12 months swinging in the air, being dried by the wind and cold instead of the sun. This gives the skin a thicker texture and imbues the tomatoes with an amazing umami flavour. 

My traditional recipe, which I have been preparing for over 20 years, since first learning it in my hometown, includes clams, olive oil, garlic and special Piennolo tomatoes. This dish is perfection in its simplicity, making family gatherings at Christmastime a delicious treat for all ages.” 

Spaghetti vongole with Piennolo tomatoes 

Ingredients (for 4 servings):
1 kg of clams (vongole)
400g spaghetti
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
200g Piennolo tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Parsley and fresh chili (optional) 

Instructions: 
1. Place the clams in a bowl with cold salted water for 30 minutes to remove any sand. After, rinse them thoroughly under cold running water. 
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente (usually 8-10 minutes). Be sure to reserve about 1 cup of pasta water before draining. 
3. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. 
4. Add the sliced garlic and sautéing until the garlic is fragrant but not browned (about 1-2 minutes). 
5. Add the Piennolo tomatoes, crushing them lightly with the back of a spoon. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they soften and release their juices. 
6. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the clams to the pan. 
7. Cook for 3-5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the clams open. Discard any clams that do not open. 
8. Once the clams are cooked, add the drained al dente spaghetti to the pan with the clams and tomatoes. 
9. Toss everything together, adding some of the reserved pasta water (a few tablespoons at a time) to help bind the sauce. 
10. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
11. Finally, add parsley to garnish, along with a ittle extra olive oil (and fresh chili – optional). 

Also see: Where to eat in Hong Kong this December