I want to eat like a local. Where can I start?
Start with the classics, which include street food at licensed vendors, pastries and the local favourites at Hong Kong-style cafés, better known as cha chaan tengs.
Local classics include:
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Curry fish balls
Arguably Hong Kong’s best-loved nibble, fish balls come in many flavours: regular, fried, spicy. The favourite by far, though, is the curried variety. Succulent fish balls drenched in hot curry sauce, hmm…you can’t call yourself a local if you don’t have an occasional craving for these.
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Egg tarts
Round, wafer-like cups of baked dough filled with a bright-yellow egg custard. The best times of the day to buy them from bakery are when they are fresh out of the oven and piping hot.
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Pineapple buns
Fluffy bread rolls with a sweet, pineapplelike top crust. Eat it straight, or try a favourite local variation: a hot pineapple bun sandwiching a chunky wedge of butter. Yum!
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Stir-fried beef noodle
A local favourite at any cha chaan teng, this dish is made with flat, white noodles mixed with tender slices of marinated beef. Flavour aside, good stir-fried beef noodles must have waves of heat rising from the whole plate, thanks to the fiery stove on which it was cooked!
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Cart noodles
Mix-and-match soup noodles. Choose your noodles and “toppings” – beef brisket, curried fish balls, Chinese radish, and squid are always popular. Comfort food for the locals.
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Hotpot
This is a year-round favourite. You dunk a variety of fresh, raw ingredients into a pot of boiling soup stock, then dip the steaming morsels in the sauce of your choice and enjoy.