Cultural Stories on Lantau

In the past, villagers in San Tau mainly lived on farming. Back then, they would make all kinds of special Hakka food in the traditional way at special times and during festivals, such as brewing black glutinous rice wine, steaming radish Cha Kwo (Sticky Rice Dumpling) with firewood and so on. The filling of radish Cha Kwo mainly consisted of radishes, mushrooms and dried scallops.

Cha Kwo is the most common Hakka traditional dim sum, and the making technique of Cha Kwo has been included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory of Hong Kong. It is indispensable for deities worshipping and guests serving, and is welcomed as gifts for various occasions. To make Cha Kwo, mix glutinous rice flour with water, knead the mixture into balls, and then roll out dumpling wrappers. After that, wrap a moderate amount of filling into each wrapper and knead it into a ball again. Finally, place the balls one by one on a large steamer, put the steamer into a pot and steam it with firewood. Cha Kwo can be salty or sweet, and there is also seasonal Cha Kwo, i.e., “Paederia scandens” Cha Kwo. As this kind of Cha Kwo will only be made during Ching Ming Festival, it is also called “Ching Ming Tsai”. Ching Ming Tsai is made of the herb “Paederia scandens” and glutinous rice flour without filling. It is said that Ching Ming Tsai has the effects of cooling and detoxification.