Daa Laang

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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 is 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 food is then made and sent to the table. Because of daa laang's convenience and unique taste, the traditional dish is fast expanding into other parts of the country, including Shenzhen.^[1]

Etymology[]

The term originated from Hong Kong, which was created in Cantonese.

Literal connotation[]

• In fictions 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), reference going to a restaurant for dinner while travelling. Hence, the word “daa” can refer to eat at a restaurant.^[2]
• 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.^[3] 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 as 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.^[4]
• Besides, at that period, many gangs dined and dashed at the Chaozhou stalls, then a Chaozhou gang was formed in Hong Kong to show the 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.^[5]

Dishes[]

Different food like cattlefish, beancurd and goose pieces are cooked with marinate sauce

There is usually a counter put up all the marinated food for the chef to chop when customers need to takeaway.

Salt and Pepper Tofu

Oyster Meat congee

One must-have item for Hong Kong people to go 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 to taste the effort of the chef.

Another item that daa laang is famous for is the pepper and salt fried food. Daa laang usually uses some light food like tofu and squid to cook with. Chef 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 will also order both hot and cold food from daa laang, which is usually cheaper food than the food served in 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 egg and fry; lemon flathead mullet, adding lemon pieces into the mullet and steam; Chinese kale and beef served with special Satai sauce, in which the satai sauce is unique in daa laang.

For cold items, people will order iced cockle, which the chef will boil the cockle and freeze it, then serve it with a special sauce made with garlic, sugar and vinegar; and iced crab. The chef steams the live-crab with cold water until it is boiled.

References[]