If there is any dish which is unique to Hong Kong, it is surely pun choi. There has been renewed interest in the dish in recent years - though mentions in the media have more often than not been about outbreaks of food poisoning.
Pun choi, or 'basin food', is essentially a rustic, communal dish. There are always turnips at the bottom and then ingredients such as fish balls, braised tofu, dried oysters, pork skin and bamboo shoots are placed on top, one ingredient at a time, finishing with the most prized items such as roast duck at the top.
Each item is prepared separately and then all the components are layered in a bowl, which traditionally is wooden, but can be porcelain or metal. Then the whole thing is reheated, preferably over an open fire to add a slight smokiness. The result is a kind of stew, where meat and particularly pork juices trickle down through the layers to add flavour to some of the more low-key vegetables.
It can be served with additional dishes such as soup, but the pun choi itself always takes centre stage. Today, upmarket versions can be found in smart restaurants, with delicacies such as abalone and fresh oysters, but pun choi is the indigenous food of New Territories' walled villages.
Pun choi is thought to have begun as food eaten by people who, because of social hierarchy, were not allowed to dine inside the main hall of the walled village. So portions of the delicacies being consumed inside were passed out to those in the adjoining courtyard, each item conveniently placed inside the same large bowl.
Legend has it that Emperor Bing of the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD) fled to what we now call the New Territories. Villagers there cordially received the emperor and his army with any seasonal produce they could find - locally grown turnips and mushrooms, locally reared ducks, locally caught fish.
This was when Hong Kong had a strong agricultural tradition. But unable to find enough dishes for such a large crowd, they served it in the wooden bowls used by fishermen.
