In a previous article, I shared how Hong Kong occupies a special place in my heart and in my stomach! With all the abundant mouth-watering dim sum selections that you can sample and enjoy in Hong Kong, this place has every right to be referred to as dim sum heaven.

But aside from dim sum restaurants, there are literally thousands of other places in Hong Kong where you can dine and satisfy all your food cravings. You can choose from open-air street stalls, also called dai pai dong, to high-end foreign dining areas. Hong Kong is truly a melting pot of so many types of cuisines given that all the world’s finest cuisines are available here. You can sample French dishes, Italian pastas, traditional Japanese cuisine, spicy and hot Thai variants and, of course, Chinese cuisine. Plus, when it comes to Chinese cuisine, you are not only limited to the typical bowl or steamed rice or stir-fried noodles. Anyone in Hong Kong can try dishes that are known in China’s major regions like Peking Duck or a Cantonese, which is a crowd favourite.

Before digging into that delectable dish, it would be interesting to watch how Chinese food is prepared. In open-air water front restaurants, you can view how the artful way they prepare different kinds of seafood from glass panels. The kitchen is only separated from the main dining area with huge glass panels so guests are entertained while waiting for their orders. As preparation of seafood is considered an art form in Hong Kong, you will surely enjoy the way your peppered prawns, steamed fish, crabs and squid are presented even before taking a bite.

But even before you get to take that succulent bite and before you decide what you would like to eat, the first challenge would be deciding where to eat. Of course, you can simply say, Chinese food! But Hong Kong visitors will realize at one point or another that there is really no such thing as “Chinese” food. All the various cuisines from the different regions of China are distinct and different from each other. The following descriptions will give you an idea of the assortment of cuisines that you can enjoy in Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong:

CANTONESE – This is the top-of-mind type of Chinese cooking as most residents in Hong Kong were from China’s Guangdong (Canton) province. Cooking is pretty basic given that the ultimate goal of Cantonese cooking is to bring out the food’s natural flavours. Fresh ingredients including pork, beef, seafood and vegetables are delivered from Guangdong (Canton) province daily to be freshly prepared and served in all major Hong Kong Cantonese restaurants. You will also notice that fish is a very important part of any Cantonese dish because “Yu,” the Cantonese word for fish, sounds similar to the world “prosperity.”

CHIU CHOW – Chiu Chow cuisine came from the port of Swatow in the eastern part of Guangdong. Because of the geographic location, one can expect the food to have some sort of Cantonese influence but with Fukienese flavours. A Chiu Chow menu usually includes shark’s fin soup, sliced sauced goose and fried chicken in thick sauces. Chiu Chow people are also known to enjoy eating late which is why restaurants that serve this kind of food stay open until the wee hours of the morning.

HAKKA – Hakkas are from Northern China and are known to carry their food with them wherever they go. They loved salted food and included innards in almost all of their dishes. You can try their baked salted chicken, pork preserved in cabbage and steamed bean curd stuffed with minced shrimps.

HUNAN – Hunan almost ties with the Szechuan province when it comes to serving the spiciest Chinese dishes. The famous national hero of this province is Mao Tse-Tung. Locals would tell you that Mao Tse-Tung used to say that the more chillies you ate, the more revolutionary you are. This will give you an idea on how liberally they include chillies to their dishes. Sample Hunan dishes include duck tongues served with mustard sauce, fish coated with preserved bean paste and their ultimate hot dish which is the friend chicken with chili.

PEKING – The most famous in this type of cuisine is Peking duck, which originated in the Imperial capital of Peking. It is a feast that is fit for emperors. Preparation is meticulously done and needs a lot of preparation. The process starts with the air drying of the duck. Then it is based in soy-based glaze and then roasted. After which, the duck is beautifully carved at the table and served in front of the diners. It is eaten by placing slices of duck meat or skin together with pieces of cucumber and spring onions on thin pancakes. Hoisin or sweet plum sauce is added before the pancake is rolled and eaten.

Another kind of Peking dish is called Beggar’s Chicken. It is one whole chicken stuffed with mushrooms, cabbage, onions, sticky rice, dried shrimp, sausages, and different herbs then wrapped in lotus leaves and bamboo leaves. It is then encased in bread crust to seal in all the wonderful flavours and aroma. The roasting will last for a total of twenty two hours.

But these are not the only kinds of cuisines that you’ll enjoy in Hong Kong. There are also dishes that originated from Shanghai, Szechuan, Taiwan and those with Western influence. I’ll be sharing those with you in my next article. Remember, more to come!

Posted in Food, Hong Kong

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