Poon Choi 大盆菜 dapencai

Poon Choi is a traditional dish in Guangdong province and Hong Kong. It originated in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

It is said that the emperor of the later years of that dynasty fled to Hong Kong’s New Territories and was provided with Poon Choi by local people.

Nowadays, Poon Choi is a dish that local residents in Shenzhen enjoy at festivals or wedding feasts. A poon choi dish includes radish, Chinese cabbage, bamboo shoots, dace fish balls, pork, abalone and sea cucumber, all cooked in a bone soup to bring out the dish’s full flavor.