Hong Kong’s cuisine, shaped by its colonial past, multicultural population, and geographic location, has been influenced by many cultures, primarily Cantonese, European, non-Cantonese Chinese cuisines (Hakka, Teochew, Hokkien, and Shanghainese), as well as Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian cuisines.
In this blog, we will explore some of Hong Kong’s traditional dishes and how they coexist with Western influences, reflecting its unique history. The combination of different techniques and ingredients has given rise to recipes that express Hong Kong’s own distinct and delicious culinary identity.
To understand Hong Kong cuisine, I started by trying some of its most classic dishes. And what better way than with a Dim Sum? We tasted dishes like siu mai, a juicy pork filling seasoned with salt, sugar, pepper, and sesame oil, wrapped in a delicate yellow dough and steamed to perfection; some har gau, or shrimp dumplings; the char siu bun, a soft steamed bun filled with Cantonese BBQ pork, whose sweet-and-salty balance is deeply comforting; and to finish, ma lai pudding, a very fluffy dessert that, according to some theories, it was developed from a British dessert before being adapted in China.
For the next dish, we went to Tai O, a fishing town located on an island of the same name, best known for its dried seafood, salted fish, shrimp paste, and sauces. There, we tried local specialties like lotus leaf-wrapped rice, which can be found throughout Hong Kong.This one, however,was the best I had on my trip, thanks to its flavour and texture. The lotus leaf, together with ginger and garlic, gives the glutinous rice a fresh and delicate aroma. It is usually mixed with meat, mushrooms, seafood, Chinese sausage, and salted egg yolk. Seasonings like light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a few drops of sesame oil add depth to the dish.
Next came the egg in a claypot with pork and dried tangerine peel, a simple dish cooked slowly in a claypot to distribute the heat evenly. The egg becomes soft and creamy, the pork adds texture and flavor, and the tangerine peel is a bit bitter and has a good smell. The ingredients are similar to the previous dish; only the technique differs, which is very typical in Cantonese cuisine.
In Hong Kong, many dishes are made to let the ingredients shine rather than forcing flavors. This is the case with the steamed eel with fermented black beans, which was very smooth and almost creamy, melting in your mouth while the fermented black beans, garlic, and chili added extra umami and gentle heat. The steamed fish was perhaps the clearest example of Cantonese subtlety, staying juicy with mild flavors of ginger and scallions that preserve its freshness. The stir-fried bitter melon with pork surprised me; its initial bitterness was softened by the black bean paste and garlic—I couldn’t stop eating! And what about the soy sauce chicken and crispy pork belly? Juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, creating a delicious contrast of texture and flavor.
Western influence is especially noticeable in everyday meals, such as breakfast. Ingredients like cow’s milk, bread, ham, and eggs began to be combined with rice, soy sauce, and light broths. On our next stop, we went to check this out in a cha chaan teng, cafés that serve traditional Hong Kong breakfasts, where everything is simple and comforting. On this occasion, the menu included instant noodles with beef, ham and egg with rice and soy sauce, toast with fried egg, and cow’s milk with almond powder. These simple breakfasts have Western roots, but rather than merely copying, Hong Kong locals reinvented them. They mix East and West in each dish.—perfect for days when you need a strong start.
Another example is the pineapple bun, showing Western influence through its inspiration from European baking techniques, with a sweet, crunchy topping that reminds you of powdered sugar. Although it contains no pineapple, it has become a local icon in the city.
Beyond traditional dishes and breakfasts with Western influence, Hong Kong also features recipes brought from other regions of China, such as Pekingese, made with glazed pork, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce, adapted to local tastes. However, despite these external influences, the city has managed to keep Cantonese cuisine alive, preserving flavors and techniques that remain an integral part of Hong Kong’s daily identity, a city truly worth experiencing.
