Daa Laang facts for kids
Daa Laang (Chinese: 打冷; Jyutping: daa2 laang1) refers to a night-time meal in Hong Kong cuisine. First emerging in the 1950s, it includes hot and cold Chaozhou dishes.
Origins
Daa Laang originated from Chaozhou. Therefore, it´s also called Chaozhou Daa Laang, which refers to the popular cold cuts and spicy dishes from the food stalls in Chaozhou. Marinated food, seafood, pickled products, and cooked dishes are the four main types of Daa Laang. It was then spread into Hong Kong by immigrants from Chaozhou in the 1950s.
The traditional way to order the food is to choose the dish of choice in front of a server, who then marks it down for customers. The Daa Laang is then made and sent to the table. Because of its convenience and unique taste, the traditional dish is fast expanding into other parts of the country, including Shenzhen.
Etymology
The term originated in Hong Kong, which was created in Cantonese.
Literal connotation
- In the fiction of the Song dynasty and Yuan dynasty, terms such as “da tsim” (Chinese: 打尖; Jyutping: daa2 zim1) and “da dim” (Chinese: 打店; Jyutping: daa2dim3), refere to going to a restaurant for dinner while traveling. Hence, the word “Daa” can refer to eating at a restaurant.[1]
- In the Teochew dialect, the word “lang” means "people." Thus, Cantonese refer to the Teochew people as “lang lo” (Chinese: 冷佬; Jyutping: laang5 lou2). Over time, "lang lo" became a slang term, regarding Chaozhou food stalls.[2] Then gradually the term Daa Laang referenced dinner at Hong Kong’s Chaozhou stalls.
Influence of Teochew dialect
- In the 1950s, there were many Teochew people selling late-night supper and marinated food on Hong Kong’s streets. They used to carry baskets with poles on their shoulders and then peddled along the streets. They were called the “basket carriers”. The pronunciation of this term in Chaoshan is like “Daa Laang”, so then Hong Kong people call them the Daa Laangs. In time, “Daa Laang” became the term that represents eating Teochew cuisine in Hong Kong.[1]
- Besides, at that period, many gangs dined and dashed at the Chaozhou stalls, then a Chaozhou gang was formed in Hong Kong to show Chaozhou’s solidarity. Once they found someone who came for a meal, they would yell “hit them!” to gather nearby fellows, to deal with these people. “Daa Laang” in Teochew dialect means "hit them", thus gradually people related Daa Laang and Chaozhou cuisine together.[2]
Dishes
One must-have item for Hong Kong people eat as Daa Laang is called the marinated or the Chaozhou soy-sauce goose. The marinated sauce is adjusted by every top chef in the Daa Laang, so there is a slight difference between every Daa Laang. People usually order marinated tofu and cuttlefish together with the goose or directly order a marinated combination.
Another item that Daa Laang is famous for is it's pepper and salt fried food. Daa Laang usually uses some light food like tofu and squid to cook with. Chefs will first fry the particular food and then re-fry it with pepper and salt, and serve with chili to create a spicy and salty dish.
People also order both hot and cold food from Daa Laang, which is usually cheaper than the food served in a formal Chaozhou restaurant. For hot items, it includes oyster congee, which also adds chopped meat and dried flatfish into the congee; pan fried oyster cake, adding oyster meat into an egg and frying it; lemon flathead mullet, adding lemon pieces into the mullet and steaming; Chinese kale and beef served with special Satai sauce, in which the Satai sauce is unique to Daa Laang.
For cold items, people order iced cockle - a first boiled and then frozen cockle - then serve it with a special sauce made with garlic, sugar and vinegar; and iced crab - a first boiled crab, which is later frozen.
