Try out some of the best street food in Hong Kong!
It is often cheap and easy to find delicious meals sold by vendors all over the city, and there are plenty of good places to eat on the go. Also, we loved exploring new neighbourhoods looking for unusual dishes or trying out some recommendations from friends. Here are some of our favourites from my time spent roaming around Hong Kong as well as some tips for getting started in your own search for excellent street food.
Introduction
Whether a resident or a tourist, the best way to experience Hong Kong is through its food. This city has a rich history of immigration and cultural diversity that's led to some genuinely unique culinary traditions. The following delicious dishes are some of our favourites from Hong Kong's street food scene:
If you're looking for delicious street food in Hong Kong, these are the dishes to try.
It is often cheap and easy to find delicious meals sold by vendors all over the city, and there are plenty of good places to eat on the go. Also, we loved exploring new neighbourhoods looking for unusual dishes or trying out some recommendations from friends. Here are some of our favourites from my time spent roaming around Hong Kong as well as some tips for getting started in your own search for excellent street food.
Egg waffles (aka Gai Dan Zai)
Egg waffles, also known as Gai Dan Zai, are a quintessential part of Hong Kong street food. These chewy round bites are made with egg batter and sugar, then deep-fried to create a crispy shell that holds the soft eggy centre. The flavourings vary by vendor: sweet or savoury, plain or filled with things like red bean paste or chocolate chips.
Foodies have plenty of options for getting their hands on these treats in Hong Kong; some vendors sell them at street stands, while others have storefronts where you can sit down for an egg waffle meal. You can even find them at several high-end restaurants in the city!
Beef brisket on rice noodles
Beef brisket on rice noodles is a famous Hong Kong street food, and it's cooked in a rich, sweet soy sauce and served on rice noodles. Rice noodles are one of the most famous street foods in Hong Kong, and they're made from wheat flour or rice flour and water.
Stinky tofu
Stinky tofu is a kind of fermented tofu that has a powerful odour, but it tastes delicious! To eat stinky tofu, you first need to cut the block into pieces and then fry them until they're crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Then eat them while they're hot and enjoy the spicy flavour with rice wine or tea.
Curry fish balls
Curry fish balls are a portion of popular street food in Hong Kong. They are made from fish paste and curry powder and served with a curry sauce. They're usually eaten with rice, but you can eat them however you want to! If you ask nicely, maybe your server will give you a fork so you can use it to dip your way through the deliciousness of these little goodies. This dish is often served in plastic bags or containers—a nice change from paper plates!
Baked milk pudding tart
Milk pudding tart is a popular Chinese dessert. It's made with milk, sugar, and corn starch. The ingredients are mixed and poured into a round pan to bake for about 15 minutes. Once it's ready to eat, the tart is served with a syrup made from sugar and water (or sometimes condensed milk). The tian pan used to bake milk pudding tarts can be found at most local markets in Hong Kong—and they're easy to find online!
Iced lemon tea with lemon peel and basil seeds
This drink is must-try street food. It's an iced lemon tea with lemon peel and basil seeds, and it's served at traditional Hong Kong tea houses. The drink tastes like lemonade mixed with some minty flavours and has a hint of sweetness. The black basil seeds add a nice crunch to each sip while providing subtle earthiness that perfectly complements the lemons and tea leaves.
Iced lemon teas are typically served chilled in tall glasses with slices of fresh lemons on top, then topped off with ice cubes. You might have trouble finding one place where there's not already someone else waiting for their turn at enjoying this delicious treat!
Bubble waffle with ice cream
At first glance, a bubble waffle may look like a pancake. However, it's not quite as sweet and much fluffier than the average pancake.
The bubbles are made from flour, eggs and milk and are cooked in a unique iron mould that gives them their distinctive shape and crispy texture. Bubble waffles are popular street food in Hong Kong because they're delicious enough to eat on their own (just ask any local). But also great for topping with ice cream or other toppings!
Ma Lai Go (Steamed Brown Sugar Cake)
Look no further than Ma Lai Go if you're in Hong Kong and want to get your hands on some traditional Chinese desserts. It's a steamed cake made from glutinous rice flour, which gives the dessert its signature chewy texture.
It's usually served with a sweet soybean paste similar to lotus paste in terms of taste and consistency but slightly sweeter due to added sugar. Some other versions are topped with dried fruits or nuts for added crunchiness and flavour.
The high fibre content makes it an excellent choice for people who want something light yet satisfying after dinner (or lunch). The protein content is also relatively high at over 6 grams per serving - great news if you're trying out those new workout routines!
Char Siu Bao (Steamed Buns With Barbecued Pork)
Char Siu Bao is served with a sweet soy sauce. The bun (bao) is made with a fluffy white flour dough filled with sweet, sticky barbecue pork, which makes it taste like a combination of doughnuts and a sandwich.
The filling consists of char siu (barbecued pork) that's been chopped up into little pieces and mixed with hoisin sauce, sugar and other seasonings. Suppose you're not familiar with char siu yet. In that case, it's Chinese roasted pork flavoured with soy sauce or other salty ingredients like rice wine or five-spice powder. It can also be cooked in clay pots over an open flame for extra flavour.
Dao Fu Fa (Beancurd Dessert)
Dao fu fa is a type of soft tofu pudding that is popular in Hong Kong. It is made with tofu, sugar and water, then served cold with ginger syrup. It's an effortless dish to make; the most challenging part might be finding the right kind of bean curd (tofu) for your recipe.
Bo Lo Bao (Pineapple Buns)
Pineapple buns are a Chinese dessert, but unlike the pineapple bun you're used to eating at dim sum restaurants, this version is made from soft and fluffy dough. The filling is sweet red bean paste, which has a texture similar to mashed potatoes and tastes like warm brown sugar mixed with buttercream frosting. Pineapple buns are topped with a thin layer of caramel that adds extra sweetness and crunch. It's hard to pick just one place for pineapple buns in Hong Kong because they're everywhere!
Lo Po Bang (Wife Cakes)
Lo Po Bang is a traditional Chinese dessert from the Cantonese region of China. Lo Po Bang is made from glutinous rice flour, sweetened with sugar and coconut water, and then steamed until it becomes fluffy and soft. It can also be eaten cold or deep-fried; however, its original form is boiled.
Lo Po Bang is often served with sweet sauce, which adds flavour to the cake while accentuating its naturally sweet taste. The dish has become famous throughout Hong Kong since it became available at street food stalls. And even more so because it's traditionally eaten on special occasions when families gather together or during festivals such as Chinese New Year or Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie).
Cheung fun (Rice Noodle Rolls)
If you're looking for some authentic Cantonese fare in Hong Kong, then Cheung fun (rice noodle rolls) is a must-try. The dish is a type of Cantonese rice noodle roll, and it's often served as street food or at dim sum restaurants.
Cheung fun is made with rice flour and usually filled with meat or seafood, such as shrimp and squid. The fillings are wrapped inside the thin sheets of dough before being rolled up into a tight bundle that resembles an earphone cord—hence why it's sometimes called "Cheung fun." It can also be prepared with other types of meat like char siu pork instead of shrimp or squid.
Conclusion
If you're looking for street food that's delicious but not too filling, these dishes are perfect. They're also very budget-friendly and easy to find. If you're new to Hong Kong and want to try some of its best street foods without breaking the bank, consider visiting one of these stalls!