The beautiful birdcage

The range of birdcages in Hong Kong is astounding: there are ones taller than myself, round, temple-shaped and bamboo ones hand-crafted to perfection. Empty ones make unusual decoration as a standalone feature piece. As I think about all these varied hues and the stainless steel ones made with different Chinese detailing (anything from long life to double happiness), I want to buy all of them but take the view that keeping a home filled with birdcages would probably leave me with little floor or ceiling space. Don’t forget to grab a few of the hand-painted porcelain water dishes – not sure what you can do with them yet but they do look so pretty. If you head to the Bird Market at Yuen Po Street, Mongkok, Kowloon you can see man and bird walking side by side. The elderly Chinese men make their feathered friends all preened again while chatting or playing mahjong with their friends. 

If you’re looking for a ceramic birdcage head to Wah Tung China Arts, 16/F, Cheung Fat Building, 7-9 Hill Road, Western District, Hong Kong, +852 2873 2272 for hand-painted ceramic ones. Hang them or perch them on a shelf and place an arrangement of tea-light candles in them at night. For ginger lily scented tea-light candles head to Muji. 

Artland Gallery, G/F 55A Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong. +852 8584994, speacialize in vintage bamboo birdcages that are true objects of art. 

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Velveteen

We recently worked on a shoot for the children’s label Velveteen. While we set the scenes, Asia from Hollywood Hair created whimsical up-dos for our models. Founder and designer Laura Egloff is doing a very good job designing clothes with true artisan detailing from intricate beading to original block printing all sourced from India. Her designs are unique and so easy to wear for children that you wish she would put together an adult range. Velveteen is heading to New York for Playtime the international trade show for children’s collections in early August so we decided to chat to the talented designer before the big show. Read More…

Biscuits with Spice

Biscuits with Spice
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Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  2. 1/2 cup icing sugar
  3. 130g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
  4. 1 large egg yolk
  5. 2 tsp ground cardamom
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees celsius.
  2. Place the flour, sugar and cardamom in a food processor. Pulse to mix.
  3. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles a course meal.
  4. Stir in the egg yolk and pulse again until the dough forms clumps and curds.
  5. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and very lightly knead just to incorporate dry ingredients. Wrap the biscuit dough in plastic cling-film and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight).
  6. Prepare tin with baking paper.
  7. Press small pieces of dough inside the biscuit mould (no need to grease or oil) and then pound the mould on the kitchen bench to release the mixture from the mould.
  8. Place biscuits on the baking paper.
  9. Cover biscuits with a second piece of baking paper.
  10. Bake for 20 minutes.
  11. After 20 minutes, remove top sheet of paper and bake for another 5 minutes.
  12. Cool biscuits on a rack.
stylebriefHongKong https://www.stylebriefhongkong.com/

Mango Ice Cream

Mango Ice Cream
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Ingredients
  1. 250ml condensed milk
  2. 200ml coconut milk
  3. 1 large mango chopped
Instructions
  1. Combine ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth and thick.
  2. Pour into moulds or tin of your choice.
  3. Freeze overnight.
stylebriefHongKong https://www.stylebriefhongkong.com/

Pineapple and Lychee Sorbet

Pineapple and Lychee Sorbet
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Ingredients
  1. 800g fresh pineapple, chopped
  2. 565g lychees in syrup
Instructions
  1. Spread the pineapple over a tray and place in a freezer overnight.
  2. In a food processor, combine the frozen pineapple and tin of lychees (including the syrup).
  3. Blend until it looks like snow. Spoon into moulds and freeze until it reaches your desired consistency.
stylebriefHongKong https://www.stylebriefhongkong.com/

Vegetarian Spring Rolls

Vegetarian Spring Rolls
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Ingredients
  1. Canola oil for frying
  2. 2 cloves of garlic, grated
  3. 1 cup of bean sprouts
  4. 1 small bunch of coriander, chopped
  5. 3 shallots (green onions) chopped
  6. 1 medium carrot, julienned
  7. 300g fresh water chestnuts, washed, peeled and chopped
  8. 1 cup rice vermicelli noodles, soaked in hot water until soft and then drained
  9. 1 packet of square spring roll wrappers
Instructions
  1. Heat a little canola oil in a wok and stir-fry garlic, bean sprouts, coriander and shallots for three minutes until soft. Remove from heat.
  2. Mix in carrot, water, chestnuts and noodles.
  3. Combine well, then pour mixture into a sieve and drain for 1 hour.
  4. Lay spring roll wrappers out on a flat work surface.
  5. Place a small amount of mixture in the middle of each wrapper and roll up.
  6. Continue until mixture is used up.
  7. Fill wok half-way with canola oil and heat until it's hot enough for deep frying.
  8. Place rolls in one at a time and deep-fry until golden on all sides.
  9. Cook in batches until all rolls are fried.
  10. Place rolls on paper towels to soak up excess oil.
stylebriefHongKong https://www.stylebriefhongkong.com/

Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken Fried Rice
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Ingredients
  1. 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  2. 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  3. 2 tbsp Oyster sauce
  4. 2 tbsp coconut oil
  5. 600g chicken breast, thinly sliced
  6. 1 brown onion, cut into think wedges
  7. 1 clove garlic, crushed
  8. 1 red chilli, finely chopped
  9. 1 small knob of ginger finely chopped
  10. 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  11. 3 cups cooked rice
  12. 1 cup fresh coriander, chopped
  13. 4 shallots sliced diagnoally
  14. 1 small can of water chestnuts drained and sliced
Instructions
  1. Combine soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and oyster sauce in a small bowl.
  2. In a small wok, heat three teaspoons of oil at medium heat.
  3. Add half the chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes or until browned.
  4. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with another teaspoon of oil and remaining chicken.
  5. Add remaining oil and brown onion to wok and stir-fry for 2 minutes until golden.
  6. Add garlic, chilli and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
  7. Add egg and rice, stir-fry for a few minutes more, or until egg is well combined with rice.
  8. Return chicken to work.
  9. Add soy sauce mixture, coriander, green onions and water chestnuts.
  10. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until well combined.
Notes
  1. Spoon into bowls to serve.
stylebriefHongKong https://www.stylebriefhongkong.com/

Egg Tarts with Cardamom

Egg Tarts with Cardamom
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Ingredients
  1. Pastry
  2. 450g self raising flour
  3. 110g sugar
  4. 1 tsp ground cardamom
  5. 110g margarine
  6. 110g butter
  7. Egg custard filling
  8. 450ml boiling water
  9. 450g castor sugar
  10. 4 cardamom pods, bruised
  11. 200ml evaporated milk
  12. 4 eggs
Instructions
  1. Pastry
  2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
  3. Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
  4. Turn the mixture out onto a bench and knead it into a dough.
  5. Roll into a ball and wrap in cling wrap.
  6. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more.
  7. Egg Custard filling
  8. In a bowl, add the cardamom pods and the sugar then pour in the boiling water to dissolve the sugar then set aside to cool down. When cool pour through sieve to remove cardamom.
  9. Whisk the eggs and evaporated milk into the cooled sugar mixture until mixed well. Sieve the mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  10. Roll out the dough and cut into small dough balls, then press the dough into the tart shells.
  11. Pour the custard into the shells making sure not to overfill.
  12. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until pasty golden brown and custard is set. Turn down oven if pastry is getting too brown.
Notes
  1. Eat warm.
stylebriefHongKong https://www.stylebriefhongkong.com/

Coconut Egg Tarts

Coconut Egg Tarts
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Ingredients
  1. Pastry
  2. 450g self raising flour
  3. 110g sugar
  4. 2 tsps coconut milk
  5. 110g margarine
  6. 110g butter
  7. Egg custard filling
  8. 450ml boiling water
  9. 450g castor sugar
  10. 200ml coconut milk
  11. 4 eggs
Instructions
  1. Pastry
  2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
  3. Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
  4. Turn the mixture out onto a bench and knead it into a dough.
  5. Roll into a ball and wrap in cling wrap.
  6. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more.
  7. Egg Custard filling
  8. In a bowl, dissolve the sugar in the boiling water and set aside to cool down.
  9. Whisk the eggs and coconut milk into the cooled sugar mixture until mixed well.
  10. Sieve the mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  11. Roll out the dough and cut into small dough balls, then press the dough into the tart shells.
  12. Pour the custard into the shells making sure not to overfill.
  13. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until pasty golden brown and custard is set.
  14. Turn down oven if pastry is getting too brown.
Notes
  1. Eat warm.
stylebriefHongKong https://www.stylebriefhongkong.com/

Fungus Workshop

I first met Baldwin Pui and Philip Lau when I did a leather making class in their workshop late last year. This lovely and very clever duo have been making leather goods for stores such as Harvey Nichols and private clients for quite some time now. They are a highly regarded leather making team. Fungus Workshop is a partnership between Hoiming (a leather goods designer brand) and Cowrice (a lifestyle creative unit). Not only do they run classes but they also sell their designs at Fungus Workshop, a quirky and inspiring studio space on G/F 4 Po Hing Street, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Island, +852 2779 9003.

Baldwin and Philip started teaching leather classes in 2009 and haven’t looked back. They want people to focus on making their own handmade leather pieces, they teach students to stitch everything by hand. The main aim of Fungus Workshop is to share their passion, technique and respect for the leather craft and they encourage people to enjoy the satisfaction that comes from making something from scratch.

Classes are packed so bookings are essential and what you choose to make is completely up to you. I worked on a leather clutch; others in my class were making everything from dog collars, wallets and handbags to children’s shoes. Materials are provided but they don’t mind if you bring along your own handles or leather. I found my leather in Sham Shui Po at Luen Cheong Company, G/F 173 Tai Nan Street, Kowloon, +852 2393 5926. We’ve also been to Sun Hing Lung Leather Company, G/F 170 Ki Lung Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, +852 2391 3448. It’s definitely worth a look – they fill their bins at the front with affordable off-cuts.

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