The Vibrant Hong Kong Table: 88 Iconic Vegan Recipes from Dim Sum to Late-Night Snacks

by Christine Wong

A visual and sumptuous ode to Hong Kong that reimagines 88 classic and iconic dishes as colorful and beautiful plant-based meals.

A common Chinese greeting is 食咗飯未呀? “Have you eaten (rice) yet?” which is how Christine Wong’s paternal grandmother would welcome her home during her childhood in Hong Kong. Food was the language of love, with birthdays and special events always celebrated with family meals, from nine-course banquet-style restaurant feasts to simple home-cooked dinners. After leaving Hong Kong and adopting a vegan lifestyle for health and sustainability reasons, Christine yearned to recreate the flavors and textures of her family’s food at home without animal by-products.
 
The Vibrant Hong Kong Table celebrates many of Hong Kong’s most iconic dishes with a vegan twist. Organized by a day of eating through the city and paying homage to its culinary heritage, these fresh, bright, vegetable-based recipes
"Hong Kong Highlights," included throughout, showcase cultural customs such as balancing yin and yang and sharing food family-style. And Mama Wong’s tips for using ingredients like lotus root, taro, and salted oranges, offer an immersive experience of Hong Kong’s culinary and societal traditions. With beautiful imagery, intimate storytelling, and easy-to-follow instructions, The Vibrant Hong Kong Table is a treasury of fresh and inspiring vegan meals straight from the heart of this magnificent city to your home.

UNIQUE VEGAN Born out of hardship, hard work, and diverse cultural influences, Hong Kong’s food culture is an integral part of its history. Author Christine Wong taps into her culinary heritage to offer a window into this incredible city through vibrant memories and colorful, flavorful, plant-based spins on classic dishes like Crystal Dumplings, Salt & Pepper "Squid," Laughing Sesame Cookies, and of course, Hong Kong Milk Tea. 

GOOD FOR THE PLANET AND These easy and hard-working vegan recipes offer a way to move toward a sustainable plant-based diet without sacrificing flavor. Based on time-tested Hong Kong cooking techniques and flavors, these recipes are designed to be easy to follow and sharable, offering nourishing meals for weeknight dinners and work-from-home lunches.

A TOUR OF HONG Filled with beautiful and evocative photography, The Vibrant Hong Kong Table captures all the intoxicating sights, sounds, and smells that Hong Kong is famous for.

Perfect

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published September 10, 2024

About the author

Christine Wong, author, plant-based cook, and advocate for eco-friendly choices, blends cultural representation with culinary expertise. Her upcoming book, The Vibrant Hong Kong Table (Chronicle Books, available for pre-order), reimagines 88 iconic dishes, preserving the rich cultural tapestry of Hong Kong. Christine's impactful works include Living Without Plastic (Artisan, 2020), co-authored with Plastic Oceans International, and The Plantiful Plate (Countryman Press, 2019), showcasing versatile, plant-forward recipes. Through collaborations with major brands and features in renowned publications, Christine shares recipes and tips, promoting health and sustainability. An active member of NYC's Chinatown community, she celebrates Asian American culture on various platforms, embodying the belief that food is a vibrant blend of culture, nostalgia, and sustainable living.

Reviews

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a stellar book with 88 delicious vegan recipes of classic dishes from Hong Kong. Gorgeous illustrations and photos capture the scrumptious food and bustling city, while the beautifully written stories reveal Hong Kong's cultural customs and traditions. A delight!

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Vibrant Hong Kong Table.

I was more than pleasantly surprised when I saw this cookbook focused on recreating vegan versions of popular and delicious Hong Kong dishes.

If there's one thing Chinese food isn't known for, it's vegan dishes!

I grew up eating most of the incredible and delicious foods in the cookbook and each photo and recipe brought back warm and mouth-watering memories from my childhood.

The author pays homage to her culinary heritage, including family stories and anecdotes, old timey photos and personal photos, which I loved.

Her distinctive writing style and warm tone permeated throughout the cookbook, conjuring a friendly and cozy vibe, like a friend explaining how a particular dish is made right in her kitchen.

I'm not sure I'd try the vegan versions of my favorite foods like 'egg' tarts, but I do try to limit my intake of meat.

I love knowing there are vegan versions of my favorite dishes and the recipes will inspire me to eat better, if I never get around to making them.

Some recipe are labor extensive but overall, the instructions seem easy to follow.

The photos are clear and straightforward, delish, not fancy, though I was expecting more styling.

There are so many dishes and recipes to choose from so there's no shortage of finding a favorite and/or discovering new favorites.

This is a fantastic cookbook, and would be a welcome addition in anyone's personal collection, if you're a chef or not.

If you love to eat (and I do), this book is for you (and me!)

[Natalie Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This beautiful cookbook is filled with interesting recipes and photographs, as one might expect, but it also provides the history of Hong Kong, its diverse food culture and people as well as the author’s own connection with Hong Kong. Although I haven’t yet tried the recipes, I love that each dish has a quick introduction of its origin and the author’s recollections of the dish in her own life. The recipes are vegan takes on many classics and favorites but I’m sure a non-vegan ingredient could swapped in for what’s on hand. One of the most interesting historical notes was that pineapple buns are fashioned after conchas. During the 1930s wave of anti-Chinese hysteria, Chinese who had immigrated to Mexico returned to Hong Kong with their Mexican wives who were stripped of Mexican citizenship. And thus these Mexican buns came to be part of the Hong Kong food culture.

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This is a decently presented cookbook that doesn't pander to a Western audience - the dishes look and taste authentic. Some ingredients can be difficult to find and some recipes can be confusing (e.g., an ingredient "Chinese vegetable mixture" for a stir fry may leave heads scratching). Instructions are kind of chunky and blocky but there is really nice variety here along with cultural insights into the food as well. Those choosing vegan for health probably won't find much here - it has the usual sugars, salt, coconut oil, deep frying, etc.

The book breaks down as follows: introduction, pantry staples, food preparation/cooking techniques/ kitchen tools, staple recipes/ breakfast and dim sum, cha chaan teng and lunchbox favorites, family style dinners from festival foods to dai pai dongs, snacks/sweets/siu yeh, sample meals, stockists. Recipes include soy milk, grandma's curry paste, iced lemon tea, lotus leaf rice, yeung chow fried rice, mango pudding, longevity buns, five nuts mooncakes, curry puffs, Hong Kong sweet buns, mango pomelo 'sago', typhoon shelter celeriac, lunar new year dumplings, year cake, and many more.

Most recipes come with photographs. The photographs are serviceable but not of a more professional quality. The formatting/design of the cookbook is ok - recipes are kind of clunky, roll over onto a second page too often, and the fonts are all nearly the same size, making the introduction take up far too much room (you read an introduction once or twice but the ingredients/directions several times, so it doesn't make sense to have the intro take up over 1/4-1/2 of the page).

Each recipe comes with an English name, the Chinese name, Chinese characters, large introduction, serving size, ingredients separated by final product type (e.g., for 'egg' tarts, there are separate ingredient lists for the oil dough, the 'egg' custard, and the water dough). The directions are one huge chunky paragraph (or 2-3 paragraphs for different parts (e.g., the 'egg' tarts has chunky paragraphs for making the oil dough, making the water dough, assembling, and then the 'egg' custard). There are occasionally tips but no nutrition information, substitution suggestions, allergy concerns, etc.

I found several ingredients particularly hard to get and many recipes referred back to other recipes in order to complete. The author gives recipes in the beginning that are staples to have ready so in that way, it might be best to have Chinese all week in order to save time having to do up separate recipe ingredients all the time and instead have staples premade and ready to go.

In all, I greatly appreciated the authenticity of these foods. The taste was spot on when I could find the ingredients and spent the time needed to make these. The directions were clunky and I can't say I loved the photography (but was glad to at least have pictures of the dishes otherwise I'd have no clue what I was making or how it should have looked finished). There are also good tips on buying and storing some of the more uncommon ingredients such as lotus root. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Farrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC of the book!

Despite the fact that half my family is from Hong Kong, I (very sadly) barely know how to make any Chinese/Cantonese-style dishes. It's something I'm hoping to change, so this book was right up my alley!

The author described this book as her "love letter to the city's culinary heritage" while also adapting recipes for a more plant-based approach. I'm learning more about lifestyle medicine at the moment, and there are many, many studies out there detailing how many health benefits there are to adopting a plant-based diet. While I can't bring myself to completely cut out meat altogether, I do try to limit my intake of it when I can, so the fact that this book exists makes me even happier!

The first set of recipes covers breakfast and dim sum. I don't eat pork/seafood other than fish, so I've never been able to eat a whole lot of the dim sum options out there. The fact that this has recipes to make alternatives + also lots of old favorites (e.g. mushroom cha siu buns, crystal dumplings, mango pudding, lava custard buns, sampan congee) makes me extra happy!

The next chapter covers foods/drinks you'll often see in "Cha Chaan Tengs" ("tea reasturants") which are known for their affordability, vast menus, and east/west fusion dishes. Some recipes include HK milk tea, borscht, red bean soup, Singapore noodles, and tomato "egg" rice.

The next set of recipes covers dishes you'd often see in family-style dinners, street food, and food you'd see in different festivals. Lunar New Year is coming up soon, and it even includes a page on a bunch of foods that are considered to be lucky (+ their symbolism/meaning). Some of the recipes in this chapter include Lunar New Year dumplings, Dragon Boat Festival "rice parcels," Yin Yang fried rice, Buddha's Delight, and wintermelon soup.

The last chapter includes snacks, sweets, and "siu yeh" (aka late night/early morning meal, which I am especially well acquainted with since I'm a night owl)! Curry "Fishballs," stinky tofu, curry puffs, pineapple buns, wife cakes, mango pomelo "sago"...there's something for everyone here! :]

Each of the recipes contains a short intro, the ingredient list, serving size, and instructions, as well as the Chinese name/characters. There are 88 different recipes total in here. I love the variety + so many of them are foods I've grown up eating + always try to seek out whenever I'm visiting in Hong Kong. Definitely going to be getting a physical copy of this!

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Vibrant Hong Kong Table is a gorgeously presented vegan cookbook with recipes developed and curated by Christine Wong. Due out 10th Sept 2024 from Chronicle Books, it's 288 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Iconic Hong Kong dishes are rightfully world renowned for their color, presentation, and unforgettable deliciousness. There's nothing pretentious and everything about hospitality, delicious complex flavor profiles, and camaraderie. The author has taken the assignment seriously: beloved dishes translated into vegan versions whilst maintaining the same appeal and flavor profiles as the non-vegan originals.

The recipes are arranged thematically: introduction & pantry/supplies lists, breakfast & dim sum, cha chaan teng & lunch, dinners festival foods & dai pai dongs, and finally snacks sweets & siu yeh. Recipes include a description, yields, and name in Pinyin, English, and Chinese characters. Ingredients are provided in bullet lists, with measurements in both imperial (American) and metric units (yay!). Many ingredients will require a trip to a very well stocked grocery store, or (more likely) an international food store or market. The author has included helpful resource lists in the appendices for sourcing some ingredients. The step by step prep and cooking instructions are easy to understand and follow.

Each recipe is accompanied by a clear color photograph. Serving suggestions are appetizing and appropriate and the food is well (professionally) styled. There are dishes which would be great for both casual family meals as well as more formal gatherings.

Five stars. There are partial and ingredient recipes such as mushroom powder and twists on DIY tofu that are likely worth the price of the book by themselves. Additionally, the appendices, bibliography, resource lists, and sample menus are -very- useful.This would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, home use, and gift giving.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Whitney Pergram · Rating 5 out of 5]

A BIG THANK YOU to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the ARC of The Vibrant Hong Kong Table: 88 Iconic Vegan Recipes from Dim Sum to Sweet Buns by Christine Wong.

This collection of recipes is a culinary journey that reimagines the iconic flavors of Hong Kong through a vibrant plant-based lens. With a deep personal connection to the city's rich food culture, Wong successfully captures the essence of traditional dishes while adapting them to a vegan lifestyle, making this book a fusion of heritage and innovation. Each recipe is thoughtfully crafted to honor the original while providing a fresh, health-conscious twist that will appeal to both vegans and non-vegans alike.

Christine Wong's storytelling is as captivating as her recipes, drawing readers into her childhood memories of family gatherings and festive feasts in Hong Kong. The book is structured to guide you through a typical day of eating in the city, from the morning delights of Sampan Congee and "Egg" Tarts to the comforting family-style dinners of Sweet & Sour Cauliflower and Snow Skin Mooncakes. The inclusion of "Hong Kong Highlights" and Mama Wong’s tips throughout the book adds a rich cultural layer, making it not just a cookbook but a heartfelt homage to Hong Kong’s culinary and societal traditions.

Visually, The Vibrant Hong Kong Table is a feast for the eyes, with stunning photography that brings each dish to life. The imagery, combined with Wong's clear and easy-to-follow instructions, makes the recipes accessible even for those new to vegan cooking. This book is more than just a collection of recipes, it’s an invitation to explore the vibrant and diverse world of Hong Kong cuisine in a new, plant-based way. Whether you're looking to recreate childhood favorites or discover new vegan dishes, Christine Wong's celebration of Hong Kong's food is sure to inspire and delight.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 06 August 2024
#TheVibrantHongKongTable #NetGalley

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited by the "vibrant" cover of this book and a bit nostalgic for a trip to Hong Kong many years a go where I balanced sightseeing with eating my way through the city. I admit, little of that eating was vegetarian much less vegan, but a vegan interpretation of the dim sum, snacks, and meals that I enjoyed piqued my curiosity.
The book starts nicely with an introduction of the author's personal story, and covers tools, staples, and bases before diving into the recipes. Recipes are divided into sections for Breakfast and Dim Sum, Lunchbox Favorites, Dinners (Festival Foods to Dai Pai Dongs), and Snacks & Sweets. Each recipe is listed in English as well as Cantonese, instructions are clear and straight forward, with ingredients clearly listed and separated by the part of the dish they belong to, in the case of multipart dishes, and most dishes have a vibrant photo accompanying the recipe to see what the result should look like. The photos definitely made my mouth water. Anyone who resides in a city with a Chinatown or a well-stocked ethnic/Asian market should not have issue procuring ingredients for most or all of the dishes, but anyone living with a less diversified area may have to get creative (or go online) for some components. I appreciated reading through this book and can't wait to try out a few recipes for myself. I'd recommend this for anyone looking for a fresh variety of vegan recipes or to enrich their repertoire of Cantonese and East Asian dishes.
I received advanced access to this book thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Chronicle Books ) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

[Yvonne Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Vibrant Hong Kong Table is more than a typical vegan cookbook, Christine Wong’s writing and photographs bring 1900s Hong Kong to life. I was delightfully surprised by the focus on recreating iconic Hong Kong dishes as vegan versions, yet still capturing the flavor-packed sauces and smell. Her writing style is very casual and conversational, striking a balance between easy-to-follow recipes and interesting (and funny) behind-the-scenes descriptions. I particularly love how a couple of her recipes are labor-intensive like the traditional dishes because there’s a labor of love that goes into Hong Kong dishes. I can only imagine the lengths Christine went to perfect her recreations of Hong Kong cuisine staples. This cookbook reads like an introduction to Hong Kong from your favorite auntie. Although I’m not vegan, I thoroughly enjoyed making the Black-Pink Pepper Cabbage Steak (Haak Jiu Ye Choi Pa), and the sauce was incredible. I thought there might be a couple of traditional temple dishes from Buddhist cuisine in Hong Kong because they are strictly vegetarian! I’m so excited to try more recipes and continue exploring plant-based options. This is my first Hong Kong dedicated cookbook and I can’t recommend it enough to people who are curious about Hong Kong cuisine, miss the 1900s era of Hong Kong, or for those seeking vegan options at dim sum or to celebrate cultural holidays. Thank you Christine for writing this!

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Vibrant Hong Kong Table focuses on plant based Hong Kong recipes. The book discusses why plant based diets are beneficial alongside the recipes, so if you are interested in the impacts this would be a good staple cookbook.

The cookbook consists of pantry staples, breakfast and dim sum, cha chan teng and lunchbox favorites, family style dinners, & snacks, sweets and siu yeh. The pantry staples and meat alternatives were very in depth on the flavor components. The photos of the recipes look amazing. The recipes are very easy to follow although some of the recipes are covered on two pages. When making the recipes some ingredients would be harder to come across. I thoroughly enjoyed the Vibrant Hong Kong Table recipes.

[J Bridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first cookbook review, so if it reads like a romance review, oops 🤣

The Vibrant Hong Kong table has a gorgeous cover and is beautifully crafted. The recipes are easy to understand and follow (which is important to me as an amateur cook) and they also offer a bit of history and cultural significance. I was drawn to this cookbook for the vibrant (they nailed that) cover, and the recipe photographs inside offer more of the same. I’m very interested in plant based cooking, and I find that often, those cookbooks and recipes can be a bit…preachy? Judgmental? I don’t know how to articulate that thought really, but I didn’t have that issue with this one at all. I’m very excited to gather the ingredients to try new cuisine.

I received an advanced digital copy for review, this is my own opinion. Thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for the advance copy!

[Elsa Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this as an Advanced Reading Copy from NetGalley.

This book was so wonderfully nostalgic. I loved the photos and accompanying personal stories from the author's experience. There is a great section in the book introducing traditional ingredients and techniques. My favorite parts of the book were actually the history lessons that provided around the recipes' significance and place in the cultural landscape. While I'm not a vegan, I would buy this book for the stories alone. It's a great cookbook with an intimate narrative voice. I really enjoyed it and would buy this book for my own collection. I may substitute a few ingredients with meat but I'm sure I'd also enjoy the vegan dishes as they are described.

[Erica Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting combination of Chinese vegetarian recipes. This book includes some complex and delectable recipes, as well as some of the most basic recipes needed for Chinese vegetarian cooking, including homemade tofu and a varieties of sauces.

In addition to the recipes, there are some great extras included. I loved the addition of the pantry staples and various cooking techniques (including the materials needed for each). And the dining etiquette section was especially interesting

[Lindsaysbooklove · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very interesting cookbook. However the edition I was given to read was a little bare and the recipes look so intriguing but not having the matching images to go along with it made it hard to imagine what they were. Imususally love unique cook books but they have to have many visual elements to attract readers. The fully published version could be different but I was disappointed in this version.

[Diandra Knutson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vibrant it is! Vegan cooking is something I’ve always wanted to do and learn with ease. Especially Asian vegan cooking. The recipes look rather intimidating but once I read through, I realized I can do this! So I’m super excited to try these out.

The book is so vibrant! In color of the pages, in pictures. Great book to keep in the kitchen.

[Kristin C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers readers an immersive cultural experience that celebrates the delicious cuisine and rich diversity of Hong Kong. Time-honored, traditional recipes have been adapted using vegan, environmentally-conscious ingredients and are presented with beautifully styled food and vivid photography.

[Mandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book and wonderful vegan recipes. This book highlights the wonderful vegetable dishes of Hong Kong in such a delightful way.

If you love Asian food, especially East Asian food, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Chronicle Books & Christine Wong for allowing me to have an ARC of this amazing cookbook!

[Drmarion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional and authoritative book on the cuisine of Hong Kong using plant based ingredients. Brilliant! The mooncakes recipes alone are worth the price (and more) of the book! The author taught a class at Milk Street and it was one of the best I have ever seen there. This is a beautiful book with stories and recipes that work!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many great ideas for people who like to cook with mushrooms (dried & fresh), tofu products, and vital wheat gluten. I am not a vegan, but love to learn how to incorporate more of these products into my diet. There are dozens of recipes I'm excited to make (leading with the mushroom cha siu steamed buns, faux shark fin soup, and the mushroom wings)!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lovely cookbook, it just didn't make me want to run out and get the ingredients to prepare any of the dishes. That said, if you're looking for more plant-based recipes to add to your rotation, this could be a great option. Thanks so much to Net Galley and the publisher.

[Jodi Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book with recipes that are new to me. Chickpea tofu is a revelation. There are beautiful photos, very dramatic. You almost want to lick the page, but you will most certainly want to try and recreate these recipes.

[Lisa H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tasty tidbits...

I really liked this book. I tried several of the recipes. The egg tart, a classic, favorite dessert, that I can highly recommend. It was easy, too. I tried the sweet and sour cauliflower (liked it!) and the mooncakes (tasty).
Highly recommend for lovely stories and photos.

[Mrsz_reads13 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great recipes 👌
I cannot wait to get started creating skme of these recipes. Some ingredients might be a bit difficult to find but I am confident the finished product will be great.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. There were some great recipes in here and several I can’t wait to try! The photos were nice as well.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a diverse collection of vegan Hong Kong recipes from dim sum and more. The recipes are rooted in tradition but are also unique and creative.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a fun book of iconic recipes - with some crowd favorites - all vegan!
one to come back to

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Have you eaten (rice) yet?”

These are words I grew up hearing in my own upbringing, and I resonate with this so much. This cookbook so eloquently portrayed an immigrant family’s story acclimating to life in the US as well as in Hong Kong. What I find most in a completely plant based meal is the addition of artificially flavored or processed ingredients to mimic the flavor of meat, especially with Asian cuisine. This cookbook was not that. And while I am not a vegetarian (I love vegetables and tofu AND meat), I really appreciated how precise the author’s substitutions were in order to keep the integrity of each dish’s flavor. The egg substitutions and the DIY mushroom powder in particular were phenomenal!

I loved reading about the history of vegetarianism in Ancient China, the yin and yang of different foods and how they’re prepared, and found many similarities to my own culture as well. The cultural crossover between foods in various countries has always been a fascination of mine. Hong Kong has been on my list for a while now, and after reading this cookbook (even being completely plant based) it has jumped up to the top. The Vibrant Hong Kong Table has made its way onto my favorite cookbooks shelf, pleasantly reminding me of another favorite of mine, Mooncakes & Milk Bread by Kristina Cho.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading the book! The recipes sounded amazing and I would love to try making these dishes. The photos made my mouth water as I was paging through the book. I always like to read the history of the family and why the authors came to write a cookbook.

Growing up I ate a lot of these dishes and it is great to see these recipes in vegetarian/vegan form. I am especially interested to see how the wontons would turn out. I would definitely purchase this book. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC