Put chai ko
Encyclopedia
Put chai ko is a snack which originates from Hong Kong
. The pudding cake is palm
size and is sweet in taste. It is soft, but can hold its molded shape outside of a bowl
or small bowl. The cake is made from different forms of steamed sugar and select ingredients.
steam cakes. It is said to have originated in the Chinese
county of Taishan
, which is 140 km west of Hong Kong
. The pudding reached its popularity peak in the early to mid-1980s when hawkers
sold it all over the streets in their push cart
s. At the time, there were only a small handful of flavors. One of the dish's cultural trademarks is that it is served in a porcelain
bowl or an aluminium
cup. The snack is still available today in select Chinese pastry
or snack shops, or from street hawkers. The pudding can also be served like an ice pop
, held up by two bamboo sticks.
Cuisine of Hong Kong
Hong Kong cuisine is influenced by Cantonese cuisine and parts of non-Cantonese-speaking China , Western world, Japan, and Southeast Asia, due to Hong Kong's past as a British colony and long history of being an international city of commerce...
. The pudding cake is palm
Hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered extremity located at the end of an arm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs...
size and is sweet in taste. It is soft, but can hold its molded shape outside of a bowl
Bowl (vessel)
A bowl is a common open-top container used in many cultures to serve food, and is also used for drinking and storing other items. They are typically small and shallow, although some, such as punch bowls and salad bowls, are larger and often intended to serve many people.Bowls have existed for...
or small bowl. The cake is made from different forms of steamed sugar and select ingredients.
Names
The snack is also known by a number of English names, including Put chai pudding, Earthen bowl cake, Bootjaigo, Red bean pudding, Bood chai ko and the more direct but unofficial translation of Sticky rice pudding.History
The pudding is made like other traditional CantoneseCantonese cuisine
Cantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong Province in southern China and is one of 8 superdivisions of Chinese cuisine. Its prominence outside China is due to the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong. Cantonese chefs are highly sought after throughout the country...
steam cakes. It is said to have originated in the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
county of Taishan
Taishan
Taishan is a coastal county-level city in Guangdong Province, China. The city is part of the Greater Taishan Region....
, which is 140 km west of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. The pudding reached its popularity peak in the early to mid-1980s when hawkers
Hawker (trade)
A hawker is a vendor of merchandise that can be easily transported; the term is roughly synonymous with peddler or costermonger. In most places where the term is used, a hawker sells items or food that are native to the area...
sold it all over the streets in their push cart
Cart
A cart is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people...
s. At the time, there were only a small handful of flavors. One of the dish's cultural trademarks is that it is served in a porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
bowl or an aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
cup. The snack is still available today in select Chinese pastry
Chinese bakery
Chinese bakery products consists of pastries, cakes, snacks, and desserts of largely Chinese origin, though some are derived from Western baked goods. Some of the most common Chinese bakery products include mooncakes, sun cakes, egg tarts, and wife cakes....
or snack shops, or from street hawkers. The pudding can also be served like an ice pop
Ice pop
An ice pop, also referred to in the United States as a popsicle, and in the United Kingdom as an ice lolly, lolly ice or ice lollipop, is a frozen, water-based dessert. It is made by freezing flavored liquid around a stick. Often, the juice is colored artificially...
, held up by two bamboo sticks.
Classic Hong Kong flavors
- Plain white steamed sugar
- Brown sugar
- Plain white sugar with azuki beanAzuki beanThe is an annual vine, Vigna angularis, widely grown throughout East Asia and the Himalayas for its small bean. The cultivars most familiar in north-east Asia have a uniform red color, but white, black, gray and variously mottled varieties are also known. Scientists presume Vigna angularis var...
s - Brown sugar with any one of the beans in the genus VignaVignaThe genus Vigna is in the plant family Fabaceae. The genus is named after Domenico Vigna, an Italian botanist of the 17th century. They include some well-known and other less well-known beans formerly — and sometimes still, especially in non-scholarly sources — included in the genus Phaseolus...