Hong Kong

A Hong Kong noodle dish of long-braised beef brisket and tendon in a spiced master-sauce broth, served over springy egg noodles or lai fun in a portion of the cooking liquid.

A Hong Kong cha chaan teng adaptation of borscht built on beef, tomatoes, cabbage, and root vegetables in a sweet, mild broth — conspicuously and definitionally without beetroot.

Cantonese fork-roasted pork marinated in a honey-maltose-hoisin-soy-five-spice glaze and hung on hooks in a high-heat oven until lacquered, caramelized, and deeply reddish-mahogany.

A leavened Cantonese wheat-dough bun filled with sweet-savory char siu (Chinese barbecued pork) bound in a glossy oyster-sauce-thickened glaze, made in two canonical forms: steamed (soft white with a split crown) and baked (golden, lacquered, slightly denser).

A Cantonese steamed rice-noodle roll made from a thin sheet of rice-flour batter, rolled while hot around a filling of prawns, beef, char siu, or egg, and served with soy-based sauces.

A Cantonese dish of long-grain rice cooked to order in an individual earthenware clay pot over direct flame, with toppings such as lap cheong, chicken, or salted fish placed mid-cook to steam through, and finished table-side with a drizzle of dark soy sauce over a pot that holds a golden, smoky scorched-bottom crust.

A long-simmered rice porridge in which grains are cooked at a high liquid-to-rice ratio until fully broken down into a silky, cohesive, neutral base, served hot with savoury toppings applied at the bowl.

A Cantonese communal tradition of sharing many small, bite-sized steamed, fried, and baked dishes — dumplings, buns, rolls, and sweets — paired with continuously replenished hot Chinese tea at a leisurely weekend teahouse meal.

A delicate steamed milk custard, traditionally water-buffalo milk, set with egg white beneath two thin milk skins for a silky, lightly sweet pudding.

A Hong Kong individual-portion pastry of either flaky-laminated or buttery shortcrust shell encasing a smooth, lightly sweetened, silky baked egg custard.

A Cantonese dim sum dumpling of translucent wheat-starch skin, pleated on one side, enclosing a filling of whole or coarsely chopped seasoned prawns, steamed to order and served in threes.

A Hong Kong cha chaan teng staple of thick bread sandwiched with peanut butter (or kaya), dipped in egg and deep-fried, then topped with butter and sweet syrup.

A strong blended Ceylon black tea brewed at high concentration, combined with evaporated and condensed milk, and strained through a fine silk-cloth filter to produce an exceptionally smooth, richly creamy beverage that is the signature drink of Hong Kong's cha chaan teng culture.

A savoury steamed cake of grated daikon bound with rice flour and studded with cured meats, then sliced and pan-fried until the exterior is crisp and golden.

A Hong Kong sweet bun made of soft, enriched milk-bread dough topped with a crackly sugar-and-lard crust that crazes into a pineapple-skin pattern during baking, despite containing no pineapple.

Siu mai is an open‑topped, steamed wheat‑flour dumpling filled with a seasoned mixture of pork and prawns, traditionally topped with fish roe or a carrot slice.

Siu Mei is a Hong Kong rice bowl of steamed white rice topped with sliced, caramelized roast meat—most commonly char siu, roast goose, or duck—finished with a drizzle of soy sauce or gravy.

A dim sum parcel of seasoned glutinous rice enclosing chicken, mushroom, and Chinese sausage, wrapped in a dried lotus leaf and steamed so the leaf perfumes the rice.

Bite-sized pork spare-rib pieces marinated and steamed with fermented black beans, garlic, and a little chili until tender and glistening, served as a Cantonese dim sum dish.

A Cantonese noodle soup of thin, springy alkaline egg noodles served in a clear shrimp-roe-enriched pork-and-dried-seafood broth, crowned with plump wontons filled with whole fresh shrimp and seasoned ground pork.

A Hong Kong cha chaan teng drink blending strong Hong Kong-style milk tea with brewed coffee in roughly a three-to-two ratio.