Hong Kong tourist cooking courses

Press, 20 August 1981, Page 8

Hong Kong tourist cooking courses

. Hong Kong is known for its ' --deliciousfpodr' .Many ’ people believe that'the 'finest - -Chinese: dishes in. the worldt are placed on the territory's . restaurant: tables every day - ■of the week. <; \

’ But? .eating your ’ way around a large number of very good Hong Kong restau-. rants is. only .one way of ■discovering what Hong Kong’s food is all about. .'Visitors can get into the kitchen, sometimes accompanied by one of Hong Kongs gourmet cooks, who will, show you the ropes, and reveal many well guarded culinary secrets. Several cooking courses are on offer to visitors to Hong Kong.

A number of them are specifically tailored to suit those who are in the territory for just a few days, and they all cater' for groups if plenty of notice is given (at least a 'couple of months). Here are just some of the. cooking schools which offer courses.

Towngas Centre

Situated in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong Island the Towngas Centre has a large staff of highly qualified tutors who cover an extensive range of dishes from Chinese

to European. Classes here are given in both English and ; Chinese.

The Chinese cookery courses are based mainly on Cantonese cuisine, a style renowned for its delicate flavours and fresh, ingredients. Two-hour practical lessons and one and a half hour demonstrations are given!

In that time at least two dishes are prepared by each student. These may vary from popular Chinese dishes like sweet and sour pork to less well known dishes such as braised vermicelli with meat sauce and fresh mushrooms with quail eggs. Among the Towngas tutors is Mrs Lucy Lo, a doyen of Chinese cooking, who’ gives both bilingual lessons and demonstrations.

The Towngas centre accepts groups of 20 .to 60 people for demonstration courses requiring about twc months advance notice. However, the minimum number for taking a practical course is 15, the maximum is 24. Three to four months advance notice is required for

special practical courses.

Visitors can fit in. with regular courses at the Centre depending on space ityPor further details write

to: The Towngas Centre. Leighton Centre, 77 Leighton Road. Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, . _ . - - Home Management Centre This Centre in Kowloon offers a wide range ol courses conducted in Chinese, English and Japanese. These vary from demonstrations of Chinese home cooking to Chinese party dishes and Chinese banquet cooking. They cover famous dishes like shark’s fin soup, alone with vegetables, hot and sour soup and of course the übiquitous sweet and sour pork as well as dim sum (a variety of bite-sized sharks). ■ But apart from seeing how it’s all done, the centre also introduces students to authentic Chinese kitchen utensils.

Many of these are an unfamiliar sight to visitors in Hong Kong, from the wok (cooking pan) to the chopper, bamboo, steamers and the simple “sand pot” without which many-believe one cannot cook a good stew. Chinese table settings and the delicate art of Chinese vegetable carving are ex-

plored. The best examples of the carving can be seen at traditional Chinese banquets where they provide a delicate sight. The Centre takes groups from a minimum of 10 to a maximum of 40 people. Lessons last from one and a half hours to two, and prices range from HK$3O for lessons in Chinese vegetable carving which includes six carvings, to HK$5O per lesson for the Chinese banquet ■ course.. . For further details w T rite to: The Home Management Centre, 1 Hysan Avenue, 2nd Floor, Hong Kong. Chopsticks Cooking Centre “Special courses for tourists who have a limited time to stay,” through to intensive,-

professional and teacher training courses, are offered by this Kowloon Centre. Special visitors’ courses vary from a one-day. course which includes a demonstration followed by practical cooking of three dishes for HK$2OO, to a demonstration only, of six dishes for the same price. The dishes on this course are chosen for students by the cooking school. Another alternative- is to take the “One-day selected course” with dishes selected by the students. This entails the cooking for six Chinese dishes, or four dim sum, or three Chinese roasts for HK$6OO. ! • . ' ' • But for those who have a

little more time to spare the “Three day- tourist group course” seems a favourable choice. .; This includes sampling different types of food in some of Hong Kong’s restaurants; visits to local markets, one of the most valuable exercises for newcomers to Chinese ingredients and what to do with them; and of course cooking a number of Cantonese style dishes. The “Three day tourist group course” costs HK?1000 per head for a group of 12. A one-week tourist course is available at a cost of HK$2OOO which includes cooking dim sum and Chinese dishes to Chinese roasts and vegetable carving.

The Chopsticks Cooking ; Centre is-very popular with • South-East Asians, mainly because it provides accommodation for students on full courses for HK$6O per night. Courses are given in both Chinese and English. ’ j Special arrangements can : be made and further details obtained by writing to: The Chopsticks Cooking Centre, ; 3rd Floor. 122-122 A Waterloo = Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, * For those who have little - time in Hong Kong and want ' to combine both sightseeing « with a glimpse of the art of ’ Chinese cooking Grayline Tours of Hong Kong Ltd, are now offering a half-day tour which includes all these things.