If you want to try authentic Hong Kong-style dim sum, then Choi Hang Village is a great choice. It’s also a frequent award winner at the Hong Kong Food Festival. Its three most famous signature dishes are: Clay Pot Chicken with Shark’s Fin, Crispy Chicken with Scallion Oil, and Snowflake Braised Bird’s Nest. In the afternoon, waiters push dim sum carts around for service—be sure to stop them for some Saltwater Dumplings…
Clean the fresh shrimp by trimming off their whiskers and claws (make a shallow slit along the back for larger ones), then drain any excess moisture. Toss the shrimp with mashed garlic, sesame oil, peanut oil, shredded red chili, monosodium glutamate, and other seasonings until well coated. Spread them out evenly on a plate and steam over high heat until just cooked through. A strong, vigorous boil is essential—steam for 6–10 minutes until done. Overcooking will make the shrimp meat mushy and drain away its freshness. Flavor Profile: Garlic...
Besides fish balls and siu mai, almost every snack shop offers the Three Stuffed Delicacies, making it a popular choice for those in a rush to fill their stomachs. In fact, the options for fried snacks go far beyond just these three. Classic choices include fish-stuffed eggplant, stuffed green peppers, stuffed tofu, fried fish balls, and fried sweet sweet potatoes, all of which are typically served with...
If you were to name the most popular street snack among kids, chances are everyone would agree it’s egg waffles. Egg waffles are made from a mixture of eggs and flour batter. Vendors pour the batter into specially shaped baking molds and bake them for about five minutes to create hot, freshly made egg waffles. A delicious egg waffle should have a crispy outer layer…
Hong Kong’s shrimp wontons are as much a must-try culinary masterpiece as Shanghai’s xiaolongbao. There are many well-known vendors, but you’d never expect the most delicious ones to also be the cheapest. A bowl of four plain wontons with leafy greens costs just HK$10. Each wonton is about the size of a baby’s fist, and the filling is made entirely from whole, large fresh shrimp. …
The bird's nest pudding is priced at 23 RMB per serving. Don't be fooled by its name — it's actually an authentic mango dessert. Served on a white boat-shaped porcelain plate is a large mango pudding studded with fruit bits in the center, topped with a scoop of coconut ice cream sprinkled with a spoonful of bird’s nest, and at one end of the plate, there's also a scoop of mango ice cream surrounded by several fresh slices of mango. So in this one dessert, you can enjoy three different mango preparations, along with the rich aroma of coconut and the smooth texture of bird’s nest — truly a delightful treat.
“Crispy Skin Chicken” is a signature dish of Datong Restaurant, a renowned Cantonese cuisine establishment in Guangzhou, beloved by both locals and foreigners. In China, the chicken is one of the six domesticated animals and has been raised for over 6,000 years. The earliest form of the character “chicken” can be found in oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty. By the Zhou Dynasty, there was even an official title called “Chicken Officer,” responsible for overseeing rituals and timekeeping. The famous Qing Dynasty literary figure and culinary expert Yuan Mei once said: “Among all poultry, the rooster is the most important, as many dishes rely on it.” In his book “Suiyuan Shidan” (The Menu of Suiyuan), he ranked chicken at the top among feathered fowl, a claim that holds considerable merit.
Crackling noodles are often perceived as an inexpensive dish. The so-called "cracklings" are actually the leftover bits of meat from rendering fatty pork. These noodles are primarily made with Shanghai-style noodles and are topped with these cracklings, along with a rich assortment of ingredients such as ham shreds, shredded mushrooms, pickled mustard greens, and winter vegetables, which enhance their flavor and make them a delightful afternoon snack enjoyed by many...
This Jurassic Chicken is presented in a rather unique way. Before eating it, there’s a special ignition ceremony where rose dew is poured over the chicken skin and then ignited with a lighter. The chicken becomes a glowing blue spirit. This ritual not only makes the skin crispier and more fragrant but also gives off a romantic rose aroma. Ingredients: about 1000 grams of free-range chicken,…
Hong Kong-style butter toast is also a highly commendable dim sum dish. When the server places a knife, fork, and spoon in front of you, you might feel as though you're having a Western meal. Indeed, this is one of the most intuitive characteristics conveyed by Hong Kong cuisine—this blend of strong or subtle Western influences gives “Hong Kong food,” which is very similar in style to Cantonese cuisine, a…
Hong Kong cuisine places great emphasis on the color, aroma, and taste of dishes. Take instant noodles, for example. Although the name may not sound particularly special, the presentation when served is absolutely delightful—two thin slices of luncheon meat paired with a tender fried egg, accented with a few garnishes of greens. A simple bowl of instant noodles is presented in its most perfect form, making diners eager to roll up their sleeves and enjoy an authentic taste of Hong Kong-style instant noodles.
Crab curry is a classic Southeast Asian dish. The plump, red-hued mud crab is adorned with golden curry, making it even more visually enticing and aromatic. This curry, known as the “fragrance of the world,” is meticulously prepared by simmering dozens of fresh, natural spices from Southeast Asia, offering the most genuine, freshest, and…
Wonton Noodle Soup (Fake Shark Fin Soup) is one of the common street foods in Hong Kong. It was originally sold by street vendors and got its name because it is served in small bowls. In the past, many vendors would obtain leftover shark fin pieces (commonly known as “fin tips and ends”) from restaurants, then cook them with dried mushrooms, wood ear fungus, shredded pork, broth, monosodium glutamate, and starch (such as water chestnut starch or bean starch), among other ingredients.…
Roast meats include roast goose, squab, suckling pig, char siu, and various braised dishes. They are typically marinated in a secret sauce for some time before being roasted. The skin of roast goose and suckling pig is crispy, the meat is tender and rich, with a slightly sweet flavor favored by Cantonese people. Deep Well Roast Goose and Huadian Squab are among the “time-honored brands.” During festivals and holidays, Cantonese people bring suckling pigs when they go to temples to offer incense...
Eight Immortals Duck is a large-bowl dish served at the Confucius Mansion banquet. It was once one of the main dishes on two birthday banquet tables presented by Kong Lingyi, his wife, and mother when they went to Beijing in the 20th year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign to celebrate Empress Dowager Cixi's birthday. This dish is first steamed, then prepared with milk soup, resulting in tender, white meat. The duck’s belly is stuffed with eight different fillings, hence the name Eight Immortals Duck. Ingredients: One plump…
The "Imperial Brush" refers to the emperor’s brush, historically also known as the imperial calligraphy. Countless steles and plaques inscribed with calligraphy bestowed by emperors throughout history can be found in the Confucius Mansion, Temple, and Cemetery. The chefs of the Confucius Mansion created the dish "Imperial Brush Hedgehog Fungus," using hedgehog fungus as the main ingredient, mixed with minced meat to form the shape of a brush, then steamed. This dish has an elegant name,...
This is a signature dish in the high-end banquets of the Confucius Mansion. It uses premium white jade shark’s fin, which is meticulously stewed and braised through a refined process to achieve tenderness. The finished dish has a glossy red hue, with the shark’s fin tender, aromatic, and delicious. Ingredients: 1000g soaked white jade shark’s fin, 50g winter bamboo shoots, 2 chicken wings,…
It is said that poon choi originated in the late Southern Song Dynasty when the Yuan army invaded and the Southern Song emperor was unable to resist. The imperial party fled to the New Territories of Hong Kong. The local residents warmly welcomed them, but in the haste, they couldn’t find enough large containers, so they used wooden basins at hand to hold the dishes—thus, poon choi was born. Ingredients of poon choi include pork, beef, lamb, chicken, abalone, sea...
How to make Swiss-style Chicken Wings: 1. Wash the chicken wings and pat dry, then mix them with the marinade and let marinate for 20 minutes; 2. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil, sauté ginger slices and green onion until fragrant, add the chicken wings and stir-fry briefly, pour in wine, and add star anise, Sichuan peppercorn and seasoning; 3. Cook everything over low heat until the wings are fully cooked, colored, flavored, and the sauce is thick. Remove and plate, then drizzle with a little sesame oil to finish.
Ingredients for snake soup: three-snake mix, cooking wine, monosodium glutamate (MSG), fine salt, ginger slices, scallion strips, egg white, cornstarch slurry, civet meat, shredded shiitake mushrooms, shredded yellow croaker maw, wood ear fungus, pepper, lard. Preparation process: Slaughter the three snakes, remove their skin, heads, tails, and internal organs. Boil until cooked, shred the meat off the bones, and stir-fry briefly in lard. Add cooking wine, pour in snake stock…