Poon choi

Poon Choi (盤菜; pinyin: páncài), also known as Pan Cai or Big Bowl Feast, is a traditional type of Chinese food served in wooden basins instead of the porcelain or metal kind.

Related Topics:
Pinyin - Chinese food - Wood - Porcelain - Metal

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Poon Choi includes ingredients such as pork, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, abalone, ginseng, shark fin, fish maw, prawn, crab, dried mushroom, fishballs, squid, dried eel, dried shrimp, pigskin, beancurd and mooli.

Related Topics:
Pork - Beef - Lamb - Chicken - Duck - Abalone - Ginseng - Shark fin - Fish maw - Prawn - Crab - Mushroom - Fishball - Squid - Eel - Shrimp - Pigskin - Beancurd - Mooli

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Poon Choi is special in the way that it is composed of different layers of many ingredients. It is also eaten layer by layer instead of "stirring everything up", but those who cannot wait will often choose to pick up the juicy radish at the bottom first using shared chopsticks.

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It is often served during religious rituals, festivals, special occasions and wedding banquets. Poon Choi can also be enjoyed at many restaurants in the autumn and winter or on special occasions throughout the year.

Related Topics:
Religious - Ritual - Festival - Wedding - Restaurant

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It was said that Poon Choi was invented during the late Song Dynasty. When Mongol troops invaded Song China, the young Emperor fled to area around Guangdong and Hong Kong. To serve the Emperor as well as his army, the locals collected all their best food available, cooked it, and put it in wooden washing basins. By doing so Poon Choi was invented.

Related Topics:
Song Dynasty - Guangdong

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