It’s 2023 and you’re probably thinking about a drastic diet change to start the new year off “on the right foot”. Veganism? Going keto perhaps? Instead, why not incorporate more versatile plant-based proteins in your diet, like the all-mighty soy. Enjoy it as a moreish meat alternative, a soft and sweet dessert or a silky savoury broth – the options are endless.
Mora
Chef Vicky Lau has always been fascinated with soy. Mora, her very own soy-based restaurant, was a natural next step for the celebrated chef. “I’ve actually never worked with an ingredient that is so versatile”, she shares. In order to create quality products that lived up to Vicky’s expectations, she set up her own factory in Chai Wan, where everything from soy milk to ricotta cream is manufactured and then utilised at Mora. In her lobster noodle dish, Vicky combines her rich, silky soy milk with an equally smooth noodle, crispy fish and lobster for the ultimate textural delight. “When you slurp down the noodles, it feels like silk in your mouth. Then the enhancement of the crispy fish and lobster gives more texture.”
40 Upper Lascar Row, Sheung Wan; mora.com.hk
Bite By Bite
Innovative Hong Kong dessert store Bite by Bite seeks to offer a fresh perspective with its playful and modern reinventions of Hong Kong holy grail desserts. With interiors that channel nostalgic local playgrounds from the ‘50s to ‘80s, Bite by Bite’s desserts nod to the past while looking to the future. The restaurants fresh tofu pudding is prepared tableside a la minute. Soy milk is mixed into gypsum powder, corn starch and water to create a soft and delicate tofu pudding, which is served with a mouthwatering range of accoutrements, including osmanthus syrup, black sugar ginger oat milk, honey red bean, fried bean curd and even homemade tapioca pearls. “We embrace the the taste of authenticity”, explains founder Keith Wan. “We have fresh, extra-soft and uncurdled Tofu pudding and the crispy fried bean curd side adds extra texture and crispness.”
2-24 Pak Po Street Mong Kok; @bitebybite.hk
Veggie Kingdom
Aptly named, Veggie Kingdom reinterprets a host of traditional Chinese dishes through a plant-based lens. Chef Dicky Yip uses soy as a vessel of flavour and texture when recreating classic Chinese fare. “Soy is so diverse,” he explains. “Tofu is a highly malleable food with a slight soy flavour, it can be reshaped into different dishes by using different seasonings and cooking methods.”. For his deep fried oyster dish, bean curd sheets are coated in batter and fried, giving a crunchy exterior and a soft and juicy interior. Black truffle sauce adds a punch of umami, adding oomph to the succulent texture and robust flavours.
7/F, VIP Commercial Centre, 120 Canton Road Tsim Sha Tsui; veggiekingdom.hk
Editor
Carina Fischer
