Braised stuffed tofu, red pork belly with taro, pork hash, pork with pickled mustard greens, salt-baked chicken, stuffed bitter melon with black bean sauce, braised fish with black beans — are these Chinese dishes among your favorites? If you’ve eaten Chinese food in Hawaii, you’ve no doubt had one of these dishes and tasted the earthy, simple food of the Hakka.

A new cookbook, "The Hakka Cookbook, Chinese Soul Food from Around the World," by Linda Lau Anusasananan (University of California Press, $39.95), highlights the food of this distinctive ethnic Chinese group.

This is Chinese food that is rustic and robust, food in which pork and soy sauce predominate, a cuisine that is bold, salty and fatty.

The Hakka, literally "guest family," are a distinct group of Chinese forced from their home in the plains of the Yellow River in north-central China. They migrated south in five waves from the fourth century to the 19th century. Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong and Sichuan provinces became the homes of migrants moving to escape hostile environments.

By the end of the 19th century, the Hakka went far beyond the borders of China, to Indonesia, Malaysia, North and South America, Mauritius, the Caribbean, India, Tahiti and Hawaii, where they were contract laborers for the sugar industry.

Often referred to as a landless group, the Hakka became known as pioneers who established communities in new frontiers, farmed lands no one else wanted and adapted to their new homes, tenaciously working, saving and developing their independent spirit.

In southern China the Hakka lived alongside the Cantonese, sharing their food ingredients, flavors and techniques. The simpler, rustic food of the Hakka is usually lumped together under the Cantonese banner, a type of Chinese food considered more delicate and sophisticated.

"Cantonese people tell me that many Hakka dishes are what they eat at home, dishes like pork hash and stews," said Anusasananan by phone from her home in the Bay Area. "They lived close to each other in the southern provinces."

Hakka ingredients are ones we are familiar with in Hawaii. Lup cheong (Chinese sausage) and salted and pickled mustard greens were preserved foods the Hakka could take on long journeys and used when fresh foods were not plentiful in remote locations.

Taro plays an important role, made into taro abacus, dumplinglike gnocchi, and steamed with red pork belly. Seasonings like soy sauce, fermented red bean curd, black beans, ginger, garlic and rice wine formed the bold flavor palate of their dishes.

"Their food was homey but hearty; their lifestyle was such that they did a lot of hard physical work; their food satisfied them," said Anusasananan.

As the Hakka spread themselves throughout the world, the food evolved, picking up ingredients and flavors at each locale. During her decade-long journey to chronicle these folks and their food, Anusasananan met Hakka people from India, Mauritius, Toronto, Singapore, Taiwan, Peru, New York, California and, of course, China. She tasted their food and recorded their recipes. Hakka classics with a sense of place are the story of this book.

Though Anusasananan said many of the dishes she ate during her decade-long journey were new to her, they were also familiar.

"When I ate their dishes, it reminded me of dishes I ate as I grew up," she said.

Anusasananan grew up in Northern California, the granddaughter of merchant Hakka immigrants from Meixian in Guangdong province.

For 34 years she was a recipe editor and food writer for Sunset Magazine and consultant for many Sunset cookbooks.

This journey to discover her food roots is a fascinating read with some delicious recipes to cook. At left are two that make for simple, one-bowl meals.

TIPS ON CHOPPING >> Mincing: Chop with a French knife; a sharp 8-inch French knife is ideal. Hold the handle of the knife firmly in your right hand and place your left fingers on the tip. Keeping the tip of the blade in place on the cutting board, chop with the back half of the blade, rotating in a semicircle. Scrape the food into a pile and continue to chop until finely minced. >> Chopping ginger: Flavorful, mature ginger can be fibrous, and chopping can be challenging. For best results, peel ginger with a paring knife. Slice thinly using a sharp knife, preferably a French knife. Stack the slices and cut into matchsticks. Line up the matchsticks and cut into small dice. Scrape the ginger into a small pile, then chop until it is finely minced.