Hao kuih facts for kids
Featured Snack in Shantou
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| Alternative names | limulus cake |
|---|---|
| Course | Snack |
| Place of origin | Chaoyang District |
| Region or state | Shantou City, Guangdong Province, China. |
| Main ingredients | Flour and sweet potato flour, seafood |
Hao kuih (Chinese: 鱟粿) is a special snack from Shantou, Guangdong Province, China. It's famous for its unique shape and delicious taste. Hao kuih first appeared in Chaoyang District in Shantou. It's mostly known within the local Chaoshan community.
Contents
What is Kuih?
Special Cakes for Worship
People in the Chaoshan area have a long history of worshiping gods. They do this to show their hopes for a good life. They often make special snacks called kuih (粿) themselves. These are offered to the gods during their worship traditions. Chaoshan women usually use rice flour, sweet potato flour, and other ingredients to make these snacks. Kuih can be similar to cakes you might find in other places. These special snacks are a very important part of many traditional worship activities.
Some people think this way of worshiping is like giving gifts to the gods. Locals offer food to please their gods. They hope the gods will then bless them. In Chaonan District in Shantou, many towns have big festivals for their gods. One of the most important days is for showing respect to all gods. This day is usually chosen in winter. People prepare a huge feast for the gods. They thank the gods for all their blessings. After the ceremony, the food is shared with friends and family. So, a feast for gods becomes a feast with loved ones.
Many Kinds of Kuih
Even though many kuih use similar ingredients, they come in many different shapes and colors:
- Tao kuih (红桃粿): This kuih has edible red coloring. It is shaped like a peach and is a symbol of good luck.
- Shuke kuih (鼠壳粿): This one contains cudweed herb. It is believed to help with coughs.
- Puzi kuih (朴子粿): Also called Hackberry Cake. It is made from rice flour and hackberry leaves. It has a fresh plant smell and is usually green.
- Shuijing kuih (水晶粿): This kuih is also called Crystal Ball. It looks transparent, so you can see the yummy fillings inside. It's made entirely from sweet potato flour, with no rice flour.
- Radish kuih (菜头粿): People often make and eat Radish kuih in winter, especially during the Spring Festival. It helps you feel warm.
- Taro kuih (芋粿): Similar to Radish kuih, Taro kuih is made from taro and flour.
The History of Hao Kuih
Hao kuih first appeared a long time ago, during the Ming or Qing Dynasty. Here are two popular stories about how it started:
- One story tells of an old noble woman. She was very old and had trouble chewing food. She also had poor digestion. Back then, people used meat from a sea creature called a limulus (or horseshoe crab) to make a tasty sauce. This sauce was also thought to be good for digestion. So, the old woman's daughter-in-law mixed the limulus sauce into flour. She made a soft cake from it. This special cake was called hao kuih. It was soft and easy for the old woman to eat. The limulus sauce also helped her feel better. Soon, hao kuih became famous in Chaoyang District. It is still a popular snack in Shantou today.
- Another story is about an official named Shi Bosheng. He was in charge of a county where limulus creatures were destroying crops. He taught the local people how to catch and eat them. One way was to use them to make hao kuih.
Limulus Sauce in History
Ancient records show that people in the Tang Dynasty (a very long time ago!) started eating limulus eggs. A scholar named Duan Gonglu wrote that the eggs were like tiny seeds and could be made into a sauce. Another old book also described how people used the olive-colored eggs from the limulus to make sauce. This shows that limulus sauce has been used for a very long time.
What is "Hao"?
The word Hao (鲎) in the local Teochew dialect means limulus. Limulus are very old animals, sometimes called "living fossils." They have been around for millions of years! Protecting limulus helps protect all the different kinds of animals on Earth. In the Chaoshan area, limulus are now protected. They are listed as an endangered species.
| Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arthropoda | Chelicerata | Xiphosura | Limulidae | Tachypleus |
Long ago, Chaoshan people caught limulus and cooked them to make sauce. This sauce was considered a special treat, like caviar in Western countries. Limulus sauce was also believed to help with digestion. However, people later learned that limulus can be poisonous. Also, their numbers started to drop. Because of this, people stopped catching and killing limulus.
Hao Kuih Today
Hao kuih was originally made with limulus sauce, rice flour, and fillings like meat and vegetables. Since people no longer kill limulus, today's hao kuih uses other seafood, like shrimp, instead of limulus sauce. So, the hao kuih we eat now is a bit different from the original. But the traditional way of making it is still passed down. The hao kuih still keeps its special limulus shape.
To make it taste great without limulus sauce, people now use barbecue sauce. This special barbecue sauce in Chaoshan is called Shacha sauce (沙茶酱). It's a popular Chinese sauce used in Fujian, Teochew, and Taiwanese cuisine. Shacha sauce is made from many ingredients. These include soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chilies, fish, and dried shrimps. This gives it a savory and slightly spicy flavor.
How Hao Kuih is Made
Traditionally, people used local potato flour, rice, and limulus sauce to make hao kuih. Here are the steps:
- First, they cook porridge and let it cool down.
- Next, they add potato flour and the special sauce (now often Shacha sauce) to the porridge. They stir everything together until it's mixed well.
- Then, they pour this mixture into special china molds. These molds give the hao kuih its unique shape.
- Fresh shrimps and minced meat are added on top as a filling. Then, the kuih are cooked.
- Once they are cooked, they are carefully taken out of the molds.
- Finally, the hao kuih are fried in oil until they have a golden-brown crust. This golden color means they are ready to be enjoyed!
