[/caption]This is a personal ode to one of my favourite snacks in Hong Kong. The wonderful boh loh bau, or pineapple bun, which actually doesn't contain any pineapple at at all. Nobody seems to have quite made up their mind why its got this name, but I'm guessing its because the top crust has a texture a bit like that on the outsides of pineapples. In some places you also see them called 'rocky buns' - an alternative name also drawn from the virtually unique topping.
The bo loh bau is essentially a white bread bun with a slightly sugary custardy topping poured like molten lava over the top and left to soldify into the unique slightly cracked crust. It's the contrast in texture between the slightly crispy, crumbly crust and the spongy bread beneath that makes them so delightful to eat. Available in almost every Chinese bakery, of which there are thousands in Hong Kong, the boh loh bau actually vary quite a lot from one place to another. In some the crust will be really crisp, like a hard shell over the soft bread beneath. At others it will be more crumbly and soft. You can also go to the cha chaan tengs and take your boh loh bau buttered, with a cup of silken tea. This makes each new bau you have an adventure, while at the same time most still achieve delightful results.
Even with the variation however, one thing remains consistent. That is that bo loh bau are best fresh. Ideally you want to step into the bakery just as the man at the back is pulling a tray out of the over. You want to watch as he lays down a dozen or more boh loh bau with golden tops glowing, and to know that one of those is yours. When fresh each bite fills the mouth with warmth; the bread of the boh loh bau has a more sublime softness, and the top while lightly crisped still has that molten, slightly buttery quality that makes it really amazing. The whole thing just melts in your mouth and I find I can eat one, two, three, four, or more without really noticing at all. To experience this subtle delight, its worth noting the baking times of the bakery nearest to you, so you can dash out quickly.
For me, this is the ultimate comfort food. Whenever I'm anxious about something, or feeling a bit glum, my first instinct is to head out and pick up a bo loh bau. There's something soothing about biting into it and getting that familiar texture and taste. If I'm walking somewhere, the walk is always made better by stopping off to pick up a boh lo bau. But equally often, the bau becomes the excuse for the walk rather than the opposite way around. Sometimes I find I've got up from my desk, put shoes on, gone out of the door, and made it all the way to the nearest bakery without even quite realising I've moved at all. In fact, rarely a day goes by here when I don't find some excuse for picking up at least one bau.
Boh loh bau are a hidden icon of Hong Kong, as much as the tram of the the Star Ferry. In the Hong Kong comedy Chicken Duck Talk, there's a great scene where the main character battles against the tendency of the boh loh bau crust to fall off by squashing the whole thing down with his fork until its virtually destroyed. I'm told this is common practice. In the mainland, and Chinatowns accross the world, boh loh bau are sold as a distinctive Hong Kong snack. Whilst back in Birmingham UK a while ago, I trekked over to China Town and paid more than two pounds (HK $30) for a slightly dried out imitation of the genuine boh loh bau. This is almosy a luxury food item, while here in Hong Kong the bau are so cheap that people almost forget how special they are.
Of course there are other breads in the bakeries which also come close to this zenith. The lihn yeung bau, egg tarts, cha siu bau, and others can all be almost as impressive. Different bakeries tend to do one of these particularly well, so it's worth visiting them all. What I also like is how each different bakery has its own character. Some are bustling, with customers shoving past each other in the crampt space. Other's are more relaxed, the owner sat dreamily behind the counter. Some stay open into the lonely hours of the morning, while others have fresh breads laid out late afternoon and then shut their doors soon after.
Directions
Sometime soon I want to do a real face off between the different bo loh bau in Hong Kong. But for now you will have to settle for this map of some of the bakeries around the island.
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=110278381660667080594.00045ff04b94d411bc341&s=AARTsJqrWMm7tDy4GZGRW2ILYeqlFGmMXA&ll=22.286228,114.142784&spn=0.013898,0.018239&z=15&output=embed&w=425&h=350]
Cost
HK $2
No comments:
Post a Comment