Hong Kong, you must have heard of this city. Located in Asia Hong Kong is one of the busiest financial centres in the world. Apart from that, Hong Kong is also one of the most fun cities you could ever be in! From historical sites to nature to nightlife, you name it.
Though located on the other side of the globe, Cathay Pacific got it all sorted with their direct flights from Melbourne to Hong Kong, bringing you to this wonderful Asian city in 14 hours with one easy flight booking.
Hong Kong is famous for its vast array of cuisine choices, however it is the local street food that amazes everyone from tourists to expats to locals. Here are the top 10 street foods in Hong Kong you can never miss.
1. Curry Fishball
Right at the top, Curry Fish Balls are the cheap thrills that filled our stomachs after school when we were kids, due to its cheap price, easy accessibility and tastiness. Made with the simple mix of minced fish, these golden balls of fish are fried in hot oil and further boiled in a hot and spicy curry sauce. You can see it in almost every snack stall on the streets, and even some 7-11 convenience stores! One thing to point out is that different stalls have their secret recipe on the curry sauce, so do try out a few different ones to find your favourite!
2. Siu Mai
A close draw to the 1st, siu mais are steamed dumplings made with minced pork or fish. With its signature yellow thin outer layer wrapping the meat, it is without a doubt on the list of most common snacks around the city. The history of street siu mai traces back to the traditional Siu Mai (The Dim Sum), where it is a fish/meat minced dumpling with a shrimp on top. Nowadays the street siu mai are almost all made with fish pastes, without the shrimps. Don’t forget to try it with soy sauce and chilli oil!
3. Cheung Fun
Not to be fooled by its Cantonese translation, the cheung fun contains no meat and is not really related to intestines. This snack is basically dozens of tubular rolls of rice noodle sheets with no fillings, covered in a good mix of sweet, peanut, chilli and soy sauces, and is usually a hit for the lil ones due to its smooth texture, al dente chew and easy-going taste! Note that the cheung fun that you get from dim sum restaurants are a totally different kind, often stuffed with barbequed pork, beef or shrimp fillings.
4. Eggettes / eggpuffs / Gai Dan Jai
A personal favourite, made from a similar kind of batter as the western waffles/ pancakes, the Gai Dan Jai is a hexagonal mat of bubble-shaped puffs. You will be able to find contemporary variations of this snack with fillings such as Nutella, Japanese matcha, chocolate etc, just to name a few. If made correctly, the gai dan jai should be crunchy on the outside but spongy on the inside, an art that not every craftsman can master.
5. Imitation shark fin broth
Being much more ethical than the real deal, the imitation shark fin broth is one cheap and delicious street snack. Glass noodles are added to the broth to resemble the shark’s fin in the old days, and with the added chicken strips and shredded black fungus, this was “The Soup” for us kids in the old days! The secret time is to add a splash of red vinegar to bring layers of yumminess to your taste buds, do try it out!
6. Three Stuffed Treasures
The three treasures can mean several different items depending on your options but the most popular Trio is definitely the Aubergine, Green bell pepper and Tofu. These picks are smeared with minced carp paste and fried until greasy and delicious. They sure are dripping in oil, but hey, veggies are healthy right?
7. Pineapple Buns, with iced butter
Named after the resemblance of a pineapple look, these golden puffy buns have a crusty sugary cap on top which explains the name. These pineapple looking buns contain no pineapple and are best served with a thick cut of cold butter in the middle (and with milk tea of course).
8. Egg Tarts
A favourite of Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong under the British reign, the ever-popular egg tarts are similar to the English custard tart but with a different filling heavily focused on the egg. With the crumby exterior crust and the creamy and rich egg fillings, egg tarts have been favourites of everyone. You know how good Hong Kong’s egg tarts are when people buy them in dozens, but not units. Many have willingly fallen prey to these delish morsels since the 1940’s.
9. Milk Tea
Bending the rules by a tad here by including a drink instead of a legitimate snack. The HK style milk tea is exactly as it sounds like, a mix of black Sri Lankan teas and Dutch evaporated milk. This drink has the right balance of smoothness and long-lasting, rich punch of the tea. This drink is iconic to the city and the local culture, and is to be consumed at every meal by many.
10. Dou Fu Fa “Tofu Flower”
A popular dessert to be consumed both icy cold in the summer and gently warm in the winter, the Dou Fu Fa is made from soft silky tofu in a thin soup made using ginger and sugar. It may sound the simplest but the temperature, flavour, and the texture has to be just right, making it another hard dessert to perfect.
Wanna try them for yourself? Fly from Melbourne to Hong Kong now! Book your flights with Cathay Pacific, one of the top 4 leading global airlines in 2019, the 5-star airline with top notch passenger experience and one providing the best onboard products. Have a safe and pleasant journey with Cathay Pacific and catch you in Hong Kong soon! See you there!