eastern-asia
Explore 82 foods connected to Hong Kong, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
Start with Baked Pork Chop Rice (Ju Pa Fan) →
The local shortlist
11 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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The full directory
82 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
Hong Kong
Ju Pa Fan
Baked pork chop rice; a Cantonese restaurant and cha chaan teng classic; pork chops breaded and fried, then baked over rice with tomato sauce and cheese; a Western-influenced Hong Kong dish; the rice gets crispy at the edges; a hearty, comforting meal; the pork chop rice that is a cha chaan teng staple.
Guangdong, Hong Kong
叉烧包
Steamed white buns that split into three at the top, filled with diced barbecued pork in a sweet-savoury sauce.
Hong Kong
Ngau Lam Min
Brisket and tendon braised for hours in star-anise broth over springy noodles; Kau Kee queues prove the point.
Guangdong, Hong Kong
干炒牛河
Wide flat rice noodles dry-fried at maximum heat with marinated beef, bean sprouts and spring onion, seasoned only with soy.
Hong Kong
芝麻糊
Silky hot tong sui ground from toasted black sesame, the standard order alongside red bean soup in Hong Kong dessert houses.
China
饺子
Half-moon dumplings of pork and cabbage, chives or fennel in a rolled wheat wrapper, boiled and dipped in vinegar with garlic.
Fujian, China
焖鲍鱼
Whole abalone braised slowly in rich chicken-and-pork stock until tender — a Fujian banquet classic built on commercially farmed abalone.
Guangdong, Hong Kong
凤爪
Chicken feet deep-fried to blister the skin, then braised soft in black bean, garlic and chilli until the skin slips off the bone.
China
佛跳墙
A sealed jar of abalone, sea cucumber, scallop, ham, quail egg and mushroom steamed for hours in Shaoxing wine and superior stock.
Guangdong, Hong Kong
叉烧
Strips of pork shoulder lacquered with maltose, honey, soy and fermented bean curd, then roasted until the edges char.
Guangdong, China
粥
Rice simmered for hours until the grains dissolve into a smooth white cream, then flavoured with fish slices, preserved egg and pork, or beef balls.
Guangdong, China
凉茶
A dark bitter decoction of medicinal herbs drunk to counter what Cantonese tradition calls internal heat, sold from shopfront counters by the bowl.
Hong Kong
Che Zai Min
Build-your-own noodles born from postwar street carts — pick a base, toppings and broth; mixing three toppings is the classic move.
China
皮蛋
Duck egg cured in alkaline clay, ash and salt for weeks until the white turns to dark amber jelly and the yolk to grey-green cream.
Hong Kong
Char Siu Fan
Sliced roast pork draped over steamed rice with a drizzle of the lacquering syrup — the default lunch of the city.
China
炒面
Boiled wheat noodles stir-fried at high heat with shredded meat, cabbage and bean sprouts until the edges catch.
Guangdong, Hong Kong
煲仔饭
Rice cooked to order in a lidded clay pot with cured sausage, salted fish or chicken laid on top, finished with sweet soy poured round the rim.
Hong Kong
Gai Mei Bao
A shredded-coconut-and-butter-filled bun with a glazed top stripe, invented to use up stale bun crumbs.
Hong Kong
Yuen Yeung
Hong Kong's unique drink mixing coffee and milk tea; a combination of strong black coffee and silk stocking milk tea; the ratio varies by cha chaan teng; creamy, rich, and caffeinated; a uniquely Hong Kong invention; served hot or iced; the drink that combines two colonial-era beverages into one; a cha chaan teng staple.
Hong Kong
煉奶包
A crusty bun toasted hard, sliced and drizzled with sweetened condensed milk — the simplest cha chaan teng sugar hit.
Hong Kong
乾瑤柱
Dried scallop adductor muscle used as a concentrated seafood seasoning in Cantonese soups, congee, sauces, and braises. Hong Kong food-safety guidance treats it as a dried seafood product.
Guangdong, Hong Kong
烧肉
Pork belly salt-rubbed and air-dried, then roasted so the rind blisters into a layer of crackling above the striped fat and meat.
Hong Kong
咖喱角
Ga li su, the flaky curry-beef triangle of Hong Kong bakeries and dim sum trolleys, crisp outside with a thick spiced mince within.
Hong Kong
奶黃包
A dim sum bun filled with molten yellow custard, steamed until the filling runs.
Guangdong, China
双皮奶
Buffalo milk set twice so that two skins form, giving a custard that is firm on top and loose beneath, served warm or chilled.
Guangdong, Hong Kong
蛋挞
A small tart of smooth egg custard in either a flaky puff shell or a shortcrust one, eaten warm.
Hong Kong
Gai Daan Jai
Hong Kong street snack of a bubble-wrap-like waffle; made from egg, sugar, flour, and evaporated milk; cooked in a special mold that creates a grid of golden, crisp balls; crispy on the outside, soft inside; sold by street vendors and small shops; a beloved Hong Kong snack; the waffle that looks like a sheet of golden eggs.
China
油条
Long twisted lengths of salted dough deep-fried until hollow and golden, eaten at breakfast dunked in soy milk or congee
Jiangsu, China
大闸蟹
Freshwater mitten crabs steamed whole and eaten with ginger vinegar, prized for the roe of the female and the creamy fat of the male.
China
龟苓膏
A near-black bitter jelly set from a decoction of smilax root and other medicinal herbs, eaten with honey or condensed milk poured over.
Hong Kong
Yu Daan
Curry fish balls; a classic Hong Kong street food; fish paste formed into balls and deep-fried; then skewered and doused in curry sauce; bouncy and savory; sold at street stalls and dai pai dongs; one of the most popular street snacks in Hong Kong; the fish ball that defines the city's street food culture.
Hong Kong
Sai Do Si
Thick peanut-butter sandwiches dipped in egg batter, deep-fried and flooded with golden syrup and butter.
Hong Kong
Da Bin Lo
Communal hot pot with a clear or spicy broth cooked at the table; Hong Kong tables order fresh beef, oyster mushrooms and corn as standard.
Hong Kong
Saan Chaan Daan
Cha chaan teng eggs whisked with a little stock or milk and folded soft and loose — the benchmark is custard, not curd.
Hong Kong
甘草欖
Gan cao lan ("airplane olives"), liquorice-cured olives thrown by street hawkers up to tenement windows, is a named Hong Kong snack with a piece of city history attached.
Hong Kong
Tong Min
Short macaroni in clear chicken broth with ham — the breakfast half of any cha chaan teng set meal.