Hofish Cuisine

Although Hoffland is located in Southeast Asia, most of its dishes use ingredients which are not native to the region. These are some examples of Hofish Cuisine.

<Fashuran>
A cookie-like pastry made from pancake flour. Locals enjoy eating it with ice cream.

<Yavan>
A drink made from apple juice and soda. It's the national drink and is notable for resembling beer.

<Chanai>
A pan-fried pancake crepe with various fillings. Common fillings include flavored mash potato and chocolate.

<Veichai>
Also known as Hofish Teh Terik, this Malaysian derived drink is made by pouring a mixture of tea and condensed milk at a certain height. Locally, it is enjoyed with an extra dash of evaporated milk and topped with cinnamon sugar.

<Chetsumi na Chibara Gaichatabe>
Known as Hofish toast, this classic Hofish breakfast include buttered toast topped with maple syrup, served with coffee.

<Vekyu>
These cheese noodles are served with garlic powder, pepper and hot sauce.

<Shonweku>
Fried dough served with condensed milk.

<Tashutaran>
This noodle dish's concept is similar to the Nasi Goreng of nearby Indonesia. It is a noodle dish that can be altered in any way you want. Traditionally, the broth is made by mixing chicken broth with soy sauce, along with strong yellow noodles, topped with chicken meat, chili oil, lemon grass, spring onion and kaffir lime leaves.

<Mibe Shikechi>
Also known as the Soup of Two Seasons, this drink is made by boiling purple sweet potatoes. The broth left is sweetened with sugar and spiced up with ginger. It can be eaten warm during the winter or drunk cold as a traditional summer drink.

<Veashunaku>
This heavy dish consists of pancakes smeared with butter and condensed milk along side cooked protein (usually eggs or hotdogs) and dipped in tomato sauce. Traditionally eaten during the Veashunaku Festival in December, this warm dish provides the harmony of the contrasting sweet and salty flavors.

<Chetsumi na Pufaibe>
Hofish Eggs, the English name of this dish, is made with two eggs, chili, mushrooms, carrots, spring onion and fried garlic. The eggs are left with their yolks unharmed and are often fried or steamed. They are commonly eaten during the Hofish Fertility Festival, usually by women. However, anyone can enjoy this spicy dish.

<Shaviomi>
This dish is made by pan-frying two layers of starch with cheese underneath in butter. The starch could be dough or two slices of edge-cut white bread. Modern dishes include ham and cream cheese as filling.

<Batakan na Shi-take Tamuchi>
This sauce originated from the Batakan Region of Chocheyama in the 1293. It is made by mixing soy sauce, lime juice, sugar, chopped garlic, dry pepper flakes and chili oil. It is used as a condiment for meat dishes, such as roasted pork. The spiciness of the sauce is believed to have been used to warm the people of Batakan as the mountain range is windy.

<Tadome Shashi nin ja mu na Sandowichi>
This sandwich was made during the 1930's. It is a sandwich made with butter smeared toasted bread, banana slices and jam. It is thought that locals wanted to make use of the bananas which were about to go brown, thus the sandwich was born.

<Gishimami Ngomi>
This dish is simply seasoned rice served wrapped in seaweed. Very popular amongst young children.

<Fichesha>
These fishcakes are fried after being prepared with various herbs and spices. Traditionally, they are eaten whilst being wrapped in lettuce. A common snack at the bar, Fichesha are a classic example of Hofish fried food. The name is derived from the Chetsu-Tacha words “Fii” (meaning “fish”) and “Chesha” (meaning "stump; chopped tree" which refers to the shape of the fishcakes).

<Ikuta>
A classic example of traditional Hofish dessert, Ikuta's are apple-candy-balls made by coating raw apples in a pan of sugary syrup flavored with cinnamon. After they are slightly cooled, they are hand shaped into small balls and are left to further cool. Ikuta's are made and eaten during the Autumn season during which apples are ripe. Popular amongst both children and adults alike, Ikuta's are a common item on the dessert plate during reunions and festivals. It is, however, not recommended to consume too much as sweets tend to cause fevers, an aspect from which the Hofish phrase "to eat too many Ikuta's" came from (the phrase means "having sweet-mouthed so much that you end up in trouble" referring to someone who makes many promises that he/she cannot actually deliver on, thus landing them in trouble).

<Shenye>
This classic holiday favorite is a hot, frothing cup of peppermint infused milk, topped with cinnamon sugar and sweetened with condensed milk, enjoyed either as a drink or with two slices of white bread, dipped. Candy canes were brought into Hofish society by the British and had ever since been used to infused the milk with its pepperminty essence. Nowadays Shenye’s are typically only made and sold during the winter season, but anyone can enjoy this holiday classic at any time of the year. Simply add some candy canes and condensed milk to some hot, boiling milk, then top with some cinnamon sugar, and you’ve got a nice warm cup of Shenye to enjoy the holidays.

<Hasegi>
Hasegi, full name "Fishi Takuchi Tangomi" (lit: Fish pancake), is a savory pancake composed of tuna, flour, eggs, herbs, herbs and salt and pepper. Ginger, chili flakes, spring onion and kaffir lime leaves give this dish its unique and savory flavor. A drop of oil into the batter ensures a crispy outer layer. It is pan-fried until golden brown, and are enjoyed with a dash of chili sauce. Hasegi on its own is a complete breakfast, albeit an entire can of tuna would be used. A popular street food, it is enjoyed along side cups of cold tea.

<Munchi>
Munchis are savory dumplings, stuffed with either marinated beef or pork, and are pan-fried on one side then steamed/boiled, similar to Guo Tie or Gyoza. There are two types of Munchi: Munchi-do (big Munchi) and Munchi-ku (small Munchi). The dumpling wrapper is a simple combination of wheat flour, salt and oil. It is served with a sauce consisting of vinegar, soy sauce and ginger. Some Munchis also have soup in them, prepared similarly to Xiao Long Bao, whereby gelatinized stock is mixed in with the stuffing. Munchi-ku are wrapped like pouches whereas Munchi-do are wrapped in a crescent shape. They are a traditional road-side snack.

A special type of Munchi is known as Shagechigasheme-Munchi or Crispy Munchi. These are not really dumplings, rather a meat-stuffed pastry that is pan-fried on both sides. The wrapper also consists of turmeric and pepper as extra ingredients. The stuffing also has onions and chili powder. They are served with the same sauce.

<Bunshi>
Bunshis are a type of sweet rice dumpling similar to Tangyuan and Dango. They are made with rice flour, silken tofu and white sugar. They are boiled and then cooled in an ice bath to retain their chewiness. Small Bunshi (Bunshi-ku) are served in a syrup of sugar and ginger, similar to Tangyuan. Big Bunshi (Bunshi-do) are usually stuffed, either with mung/red beans or other fillings. They are then left to soak in a sugary syrup. A special type of Bunshi is Choko-Bunshi or Chocolate Bunshi, which is a big Bunshi stuffed with chocolate, a commodity brought to Hofflands during the colonial era. Some Bunshi-do are also stuffed with egg custard, usually salted eggs. Bunshis are enjoyed with a cup of tea, usually barley tea (sufai-gaichashi).

<Chidoshi Bunshi>
These are steamed Bunshis, traditionally filled with sweet red bean paste.

<Hagai>
Short for hamushi gaichade (literally 'submerged vegetable'), Hagai are simply spicy pickled vegetables. They are staple on the dinner table, and can range from being mild (sweet, sour, moderately spicy) to spicy. It is commonly eaten during the summer, and can be made into special soups during the winter (similar to Kimchi). Any vegetable can pickled into Hagai and go through a similar process: they are washed, undergo a dry brine for a couple of hours, washed again, dried for a couple of hours then finally stacked in jars covered in the Hagai Spicy Paste. The paste itself is made up of ground ginger, ground garlic, ground apples, ground spring onions, soy sauce (or fish sauce), oyster sauce, chilli flakes, vinegar, rice wine, honey and sugar. Hagai is not fermented, as the per the addition of the vinegar which prevents it from spoiling as well as giving it its sour taste. Because of this, Hagai can prepared in a shorter amount of time compared to the pickled vegetables in other cuisines.

<Karado>
Karado is actually a renamed version of ka ra me ru or 'Caramel'. The original phonetic translation contained 'me ru' which means to fall or drop and thus implied that this dessert brings misfortune; hence it was renamed ka ra do ru with 'do ru' meaning to rise or go up, and this was later shortened to Karado. Karado is essentially caramel fudge and prepared the same way as its Western originator. The dessert was introduced by English traders during the Hido Period and remains a classic Hofish sweet treat, though it is often enjoyed salty and topped with toasted sesame seeds.