We all know eating with chopsticks is the most typical way to eat Chinese food. But for street, in Hong Kong, it’s all skewers. The thin bamboo sticks have paired with each and every one of the street foods we grew up with: Fishballs, Sam Bo, Cheung Fan, satay, beef offal, squids, stinky tofu and many more.
Fishballs has to be the most iconic skewer food in Hong Kong. With a series of quick, skillful work, fresh fish meat is made into fine paste and then shaped into balls for steaming. A good fishball is firm, bouncy, and has a snap as you bite into it. Thanks to the Indian influence introduced by the British colonial government, curry sauce has incorporated by local street food scene as a must for fishballs alongside with simple brim and sometimes super spicy chilli sauce.
Sam Bo a.k.a the three stuffed treasures is another classic Hong Kong street goodie.Sliced bell pepper, eggplant and tofu stuffed with seasoned dace fish paste are deep fried until golden brown. Absolutely flavourful. The best part is you can pick and choose which combinations that you want, and feel free to drizzle them with soy sauce, chilli oil, and sweet sauce to your liking.
Despite its plain outlook, Cheung Fan a.k.a rice rolls is surprisingly tasty and flavourful. The anytime-snack has been a loyal companion through our school days and work life. Many locals love having it for breakfast as it’s cheap, fast, and satisfying. Simply order couple rolls and top it with fishballs or any other street food available, pour loads of soy sauce, sweet sauce, chilli sauce, peanut sauce to dress it up- Don’t forget to sprinkle some roasted white sesame on it.There you have it, a small aroma bomb that is powerful enough to distract everyone in the room.
You surely know Siu Mai, but you would be surprised when you bite into the yellow snack under the same name. The street version of the classic Dim Sum is far from meaty dumplings. It is glutinous balls mainly made of fish paste, starch, and lard, definitely a grassroots invention. However, we locals love them for the magical aroma, especially when hot and drizzled with sweet soy sauce and chilli oil. Fun fact: there is even a “Siu Mai concern group” that gains so much attention on Facebook.
We can’t finish a list without beef offals. As you might have guessed, it is a food that answered to the scarcity of meat in the old days. Now it remains a special flavour that many Hong Konger miss. In fact, when handled right, beef offals can make an excellent, flavourful dish. Whenever you see dark brown marinade boiling and a honeycomb tripe, that’s where you find it.
Last but not least, sticky rice pudding. This starchy dessert has rooted deep in the local memory that it is associates with the laughters echoing on the street back in the good old days. No fancy food at all, but it does have a nice fragrance of rice and brown sugar to it which is surely nice.
“Poking stuff on the street” literally describes what Hong Kong street food experience is like, garnished with all the fun mood and nostalgia behind the expression. Of course, there are more street food to add into the category, new or old, sweet or savoury. Explore yourself, and dance with skewer sticks in the world of local street food.
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