相信沒有人會閉起眼睛吃東西，不過，進食要用眼睛幹嗎？其實我們除了追求食物的味道，也對食物的賣相有所要求。食物的顏色悅目一點，客人當然開胃一點。但到底有多少人知道桌上所見色彩斑斕的餸菜是如何做成的呢？ 這次我們有幸邀請得退休中式酒樓廚師李耀先生，為我們分享他幾十年來當廚子的心得，用食物色彩說故事。

C:  CULTaMAP

李: 李耀先生

C: 在街外買的燒豬、叉燒，外皮總是紅彤彤的，跟它本來肉色相差甚遠，是怎樣做成的？

李: 我們從前用的色素叫花紅粉，亦即是酒樓舉行滿月喜宴時用作染紅雞蛋的染料。首先把豬肉清潔好，用滾水淋在肉的表皮上，再以開水混和色粉，平均塗一層在上面。我們以前會往藥材鋪購買花紅粉，但藥材鋪所賣不合政府的規格，當時只有英發隆辦館賣的才是政府所認可。而所謂辦館，其實是指大型士多，就像現在的超級市場。現在再沒有人用花紅粉染燒肉了，因為其實是有毒的工業染料，早在「市政局」(康文署的前身)時代就已經禁止，改用安全的食用色素，分顏色編號，單是紅色，也有很多種。

C:  生炒排骨橙紅色的甜酸汁又是怎樣做的？

李: 這些橙紅色的汁包括很多年前也是在獻汁加入一些花紅粉，花紅粉禁用以後，大家就改用茄膏。生炒排骨的汁和錦露雲吞(炸雲吞)的錦露汁一樣，用砂糖、米醋、茄膏混合而成，顏色好看又開胃。

C:  茶樓裡還有什麼橙色的特色食品呢？

李: 就說說馬拉糕吧。一般來說，造馬拉糕應該用片糖帶出顏色，但其實在茶樓是用砂糖的。那顏色是從何而來呢？ 秘訣在於幾滴「珠油」——很濃的老抽，因滴在紙上看來好像珠子而命名。老抽的顏色效果，譬如加上麥芽糖，就可以造到鳳爪的顏色，而加入花椒、八角、蠔油等就是鹵水汁。豬腸的做法又很不同，食用色粉要和豬腸一起炆，當豬腸用水煮至六七成熟左右，就要加入色粉，太早放會太深色，相反則會不夠色。

C:  說到黃色的食物，黃色燒賣皮其實是什麼？

李: 燒賣皮嘛! 其實質地就跟雲吞麵一樣，是麵粉團加蛋漿和食用色素。不過從前的師傅要「一腳踢」，造燒賣的自己也造燒賣皮，現在的人不會了，都買現成的燒賣皮。(C: 那蝦餃皮和水晶餃皮呢？) 蝦餃皮和水晶餃皮是用澄麵造的，一斤澄麵，一手把生粉，混水搓成粉團，如果水下得較多就是水晶餃皮。

C:  為什麼茶樓的西蘭花總比家中的翠綠呢？ 是加了什麼呢？

李: 是因為加了「哥士的」(即是氫氧化鈉NaOH)。哥士的，就是用作洗濯碗碟的那種，只要用指甲般大小的哥士的溶在水中，然後把已煮熟的菜浸在其中，不久就可以變成新鮮翠綠的西蘭花。

C:  作為廚子的你剛才分享了許多為食物加添色彩的手法，那當你作為顧客，走進別的餐館時，又曾經有過什麼特別感受？

李:  我想起1949年前我還未來香港的時候，在廣州郊區某間酒館吃生炒排骨，那裡的生炒排骨沒有加上現在常見的的甜酸汁，吃下去口感很乾很脆，我反而覺得更好吃呢。又記得一次我到法國迪士尼樂園某中國菜館點了碟揚州炒飯，看來顏色黃黃，跟平時的沒有兩樣，吃下去才知，原來是好難吃的！

Paint the food:

Interviewing the veteran of Chinese restaurant — Lee yiu

Reporter: Claudia Tsang

It is believed that no one would close their eyes when they eat. But, do we really need to eat with our eyes open? Yes indeed. We concern the taste of the food as well as their appearance. Dishes with brighter color usually make customers more willing to eat. How many people do know about the magic behind these colourful dishes? Here we have invited a retired veteran, Lee-yiu, who has worked in different positions in the Chinese restaurant, to share his years of experience about food and colors.

C: CULTaMAP

L: Mr Lee

C: The roasted pork we bought from outsides always has bright red skin which is so different from the color of the original meat. How is it made to red?

L: We used to use a kind of red powder called Rhodamine B. It is what we use to make the egg in red during celebration of baby born. First you would need to clean the pork and pour hot water on the skin of the pork. Then you can dissolve the powder in boiled water and mix it well. A gentle layer of the mixture is then brushed onto the pork. We used to go to the pharmacy for buying the Rhodamine B powder, and only those from the Ying-fat-long grocery are admitted by the government. To be frank, Rhodamine B is a kind of toxic dye which is for industrial use. The government has banned the use of it in food dying as early as the days when the Urban Council (the predecessor of Leisure and Cultural Services Department) was still in charge of these affairs. Nobody use Rhodamine B in food dying anymore now. Instead, we use other food additives. Colors are systematically numbered. There are many different kinds of reds too.

C: What about the sauce on the Sweet Sour Pork ?

L: In the past, we also add in some Rhodamine B. But since it was banned, tomato paste is used to substitute it. The sauce of Sweet Sour Pork is very similar to that of Jin-Lu wonton (fried wonton). It is a mixture of white sugar, rice vinegar and tomato paste. It is a bit sour which makes people a better appetite.

C: What else orange food can we have in the Chinese restaurant?

L: Let's say the Mara cake. Generally, the orange brown color of Mara cake is brought out by the brown sugar. But one thing that you may not know is, restaurants never use brown sugar. They use white sugar instead. So where does the color come from? The magic is a few drops of “pearl oil”. It is some very concentrated soy sauce. This trick on coloring also applies on chicken feet with maltose added. Or if we add Sichuan peppercorns, star anise and oyster sauce, it becomes the brine juice.

C: Let's talk about food in yellow. What is the skin of Shumai actually made of?

L: It is made of flour, egg paste, and color additives. Cooks in the past did make their own Shumai skin by themselves, instead of buying from supplier. (C: Can you tell us more about Shrimp dumplings and pyramid dumplings?) They are both made of gluten-free flour. One catty of gluten-free flour and a grasp of potato flour are mixed with water. If more water is added, then it is the skin of pyramid dumplings.

C: Why is the Broccoli we saw in the restaurant much greener than those we had at home?

L: It is all because of caustic soda (NaOH). Caustic soda is actually used as a cleansing agent.  Dissolve a nail size of caustic soda in water. Then you can immerse cooked vegetables in it to make it greener and fresher.

C:  You has shared so many tricks with us about adding colors on food. Can you share your experience with us when you eat in other restaurants?

L:  You remind the days before I came to Hong Kong. When I was in Guangzhou，I ordered a dish of Sweet Sour Pork, in a restaurant. There wasn't any sauce on the pork. It was dry and crispy. But, how interesting, I do like it more!