A typical Cantonese dish originating from the southern parts of China (including Hong Kong) known as rice noodle roll is a small roll prepared with a wide strip of rice milk that is usually filled with vegetables, beef, pork, or shrimp. The dish can also be made without any fillings, when it's commonly known as chee cheong fun, literally translated to pig intestine noodle, due to the fact that the noodle is rolled tightly, resembling the small intestine of a pig.
Rice noodle roll is usually served either as a variety of the popular dim sum or as a snack, and it is common to pour some sweet soy sauce over it prior to serving. Because it is a popular snack in China, regional varieties are not uncommon, so in Cantonese cuisine, it is often prepared as dim sum, in Vietnamese cuisine it's mostly eaten for breakfast, and in Southeast Asian cuisine, it is served in two versions - dry or wet, accompanied by a sweet black sauce called timzheong.
MOST ICONIC Cheung fun
View moreOriginating from Cantonese cuisine, zhaliang refers to traditional Chinese deep-fried crullers wrapped in silky and almost translucent rice sheets. Similar to the plain cruller, zhaliang is commonly served for breakfast, but it is often a part of traditional Cantonese dim sum meals.
It is accompanied by a unique, slightly sweetened soy-based sauce, which can be incorporated into the dish or served on the side. Zhaliang should always be freshly prepared, so the crullers do not lose their crunchy and soft texture. For easier consumption, they are served cut into bite-sized pieces and garnished with sesame seeds and sliced scallions.
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Pineapple buns are golden, crispy-crusted, sweet pastries originating from Hong Kong. Despite their name, they don't contain pineapple, but are named after the chequerboard pattern of the crust that visually resembles the skin of a pineapple. An important part of Hong Kong's cultural heritage, they are made with only four ingredients - flour, lard, sugar, and eggs.
Crispy and sugary on the exterior and soft on the inside, it is a favorite food of many locals due to its inexpensive price. The buns are usually eaten for breakfast or in the afternoon with tea. One popular variation known as boh loh yaau is commonly consumed with milk tea and served with butter inside the bun.
MOST ICONIC Pineapple bun
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An egg roll is a Chinese-style snack consisting of diced meat and chopped vegetables that are wrapped in an egg-based dough, and then deep-fried in hot oil. Although Andrew Coe, the author of Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States claims that the appetizer was invented in New York in the early 1930s, most people still believe that egg rolls originated in Southern China, as the tradition stems from Cantonese cuisine.
Today, egg rolls are mostly consumed as appetizers or as a part of a big breakfast, when they are served hot, preferably with a spicy dipping sauce on the side. There are also numerous other versions of egg rolls in countries such as Vietnam, Australia, the United Kingdom, and India.
Yuba or tofu skin roll is a traditional dim sum snack consisting of filled tofu skin. The wrappers are made from tofu skin and they’re packed with crunchy vegetables or meat, then braised in a savory broth. Although there are variations, yube is often filled with ingredients such as cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, shrimp, chicken, bean sprouts, leeks, or celery.
The vegetables are seasoned with a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, white pepper, and sesame oil. The broth and sauce for braising usually consists of water or stock, soy sauce, ginger, sugar, cinnamon, and star anise. When served, tofu skin rolls are often garnished with chopped scallions, while the sauce can be served in the same plate or on the side for dipping.
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Curry beef triangle is a pastry originating from Hong Kong. In order to prepare it, the dough is shaped into a circle, then usually filled with a combination of ground beef, onions, garlic, curry powder, and peas. It is then folded into a triangle, sealed with beaten eggs, and fried in oil over high heat.
If properly prepared, the outside should be thick, crunchy, and flaky while the interior remains succulent.
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Lop cheung bao is a traditional dish that’s usually served as a part of dim sum. These sausage buns are made with mantou buns and Chinese sausage. During the process of steaming, the bread will soak up the oil from the sausage and become a savory snack.
These steamed sausage rolls can be found in bakeries or in restaurants as a part of dim sum. The dough is usually wrapped around the sausage in a coiled shape. If desired, oyster sauce, sesame oil, or soy sauce can be added to the sausage filling.
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Cream bun belongs to a group of traditional Chinese buns hailing from Hong Kong. Like most other varieties of Chinese sweet buns, this one also consists of a soft and fluffy yeast dough that’s typically made with a combination of bread flour, yeast, eggs, condensed milk, unsalted butter, tangzhong (a mixture of bread flour and water), custard powder, milk powder, salt, and sugar.
This classic bun can be recognized by its elongated elliptical shape; the nice, golden surface resulting from the use of egg wash, and the characteristic split down the middle. After baking, the sweet buns are usually cut open, brushed with sugar glaze, covered with shredded coconut, and filled with cream.
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Black sesame roll is a sweet dessert and a type of dim sum originating from Hong Kong. It's made by drying a thin sheet of black sesame paste, which is eventually refrigerated and shaped into a roll. The texture of black sesame rolls should be soft and smooth.
Common ingredients include black sesame seeds, sugar, water, rice flour, chestnut flour, oil, and white sesame seeds that are often used as a garnish. This dim sum variety was especially popular in the 1970s and the 1980s, but nowadays it's usually prepared at home.
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Hong Kong-style French Toast is prepared with two slices of peanut butter or coconut jam-smeared milk bread, which are dipped into a batter of eggs and vanilla essence, then pan-fried or deep-fried in oil until golden brown. When served, this french toast version is topped with a dab of butter in the center, and it's often drizzled with maple syrup, condensed milk, honey, or an ice cream scoop.
This dish is traditionally served hot, and it's recommended to pair it with a cup of milk tea.
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