Local Dishes

1. 點心

   dim2 sam1

   Dim sum

   Usage

   The umbrella word on teahouse signs and menu headings; individual items follow below

   Grammar Note

   Going for dim sum is "飲茶 jam2 caa4"; 飲茶 is the meal, 點心 dim2 sam1 the food itself

2. 蝦餃

   haa1 gaau2

   Har gow (steamed shrimp dumpling)

   Usage

   The flagship dim sum item: whole shrimp visible through a translucent wrapper. Ordered by the basket

3. 燒賣

   siu1 maai2

   Siu mai (open-topped pork dumpling)

   Usage

   Paired with har gow as the classic order; in Hong Kong usually pork and shrimp in a yellow wrapper

   Grammar Note

   賣 is maai6 in isolation, but takes the high-rising changed tone maai2 in this word

4. 叉燒

   caa1 siu1

   Char siu (barbecued pork)

   Usage

   The red glazed pork hanging in roast-meat shop windows; over rice it becomes 叉燒飯

5. 叉燒包

   caa1 siu1 baau1

   Char siu bao (barbecued pork bun)

   Usage

   Steamed white bun filled with char siu; the baked pastry version is 叉燒酥

6. 腸粉

   coeng2 fan2

   Cheung fun (steamed rice noodle roll)

   Usage

   Filled with char siu, shrimp or beef, or plain (齋腸) with sweet soy sauce poured over

   Grammar Note

   腸 is coeng4 on its own but takes the changed tone coeng2 in this word

7. 鳳爪

   fung6 zaau2

   Steamed chicken feet

   Usage

   A dim sum staple steamed with black bean sauce; menus may write 豉汁蒸鳳爪

8. 蘿蔔糕

   lo4 baak6 gou1

   Turnip cake (radish cake)

   Usage

   Steamed daikon and rice flour, sliced and pan-fried; also a Lunar New Year staple

9. 糯米雞

   no6 mai5 gai1

   Lo mai gai (sticky rice with chicken in lotus leaf)

   Usage

   Steamed inside the lotus leaf, which perfumes the rice; a smaller version is 珍珠雞

10. 燒鵝

    siu1 ngo2

    Roast goose

    Usage

    A Hong Kong signature; some shops let you choose the cut, e.g. 上莊 (upper body) or 髀 (leg)

    Grammar Note

    鵝 is ngo4 on its own but takes the changed tone ngo2 here

11. 燒臘

    siu1 laap6

    Siu laap (Cantonese roast and cured meats)

    Usage

    A shop signed 燒臘 sells char siu, roast pork, roast goose and soy chicken; usually served over rice

    Grammar Note

    Shops may also write 燒味 siu1 mei2, which covers the roasted meats only

12. 白切雞

    baak6 cit3 gai1

    White cut chicken (poached chicken)

    Usage

    Poached, chilled chicken chopped bone-in and eaten with ginger-scallion oil

13. 煲仔飯

    bou1 zai2 faan6

    Clay pot rice

    Usage

    A winter specialty cooked in a clay pot with cured sausage, chicken or spare ribs; the crust at the bottom is the point

    Grammar Note

    煲 and 仔 are everyday Cantonese characters; 仔 recurs in 車仔麵, 雞蛋仔 and many other dish names

14. 雲吞麵

    wan4 tan1 min6

    Wonton noodles

    Usage

    Thin egg noodles with shrimp wontons; a small bowl is traditionally called 細蓉

15. 車仔麵

    ce1 zai2 min6

    Cart noodles

    Usage

    You pick the noodle type and toppings (fish balls, pork skin, radish); named after the hawker carts it came from

16. 乾炒牛河

    gon1 caau2 ngau4 ho2

    Beef chow fun (dry-fried flat rice noodles with beef)

    Usage

    Regarded as the test of a Cantonese kitchen; 濕炒 is the gravy-sauced version

    Grammar Note

    河 is short for 河粉 ho4 fan2 and takes the changed tone ho2 in this position

17. 星洲炒米

    sing1 zau1 caau2 mai5

    Singapore-style curry fried rice vermicelli

    Usage

    Despite the name it is not from Singapore; it is a Hong Kong cha chaan teng and Cantonese restaurant standard

18. 皮蛋瘦肉粥

    pei4 daan2 sau3 juk6 zuk1

    Century egg and pork congee

    Usage

    A congee-shop standard; in Hong Kong it is topped with spring onion and crisp fried wonton skin (薄脆)

19. 咕嚕肉

    gu1 lou1 juk6

    Sweet-and-sour pork

    Usage

    The Cantonese version comes with pineapple and bell pepper

20. 咖喱魚蛋

    gaa3 lei1 jyu4 daan2

    Curry fish balls

    Usage

    The classic Hong Kong street snack, sold on a skewer; the stall may ask how spicy you want it

    Grammar Note

    Hong Kong writes 魚蛋; Mandarin-speaking regions write 魚丸 / 鱼丸

21. 雞蛋仔

    gai1 daan2 zai2

    Egg waffle (egg puffs)

    Usage

    Street snack baked in a honeycomb-shaped iron; one sheet has 20–35 puffs

22. 菠蘿油

    bo1 lo4 jau4

    Pineapple bun with a slab of butter

    Usage

    Contains no pineapple; the name comes from the cracked top. Without butter it is 菠蘿包

23. 蛋撻

    daan6 taat1

    Egg tart

    Usage

    Comes with flaky puff pastry (酥皮) or a shortcrust cookie base (牛油皮)

24. 西多士

    sai1 do1 si2

    Hong Kong French toast

    Usage

    A cha chaan teng standard: deep-fried, then topped with butter and syrup

    Grammar Note

    多士 is the Cantonese transliteration of English "toast" and is the general word for toast in Hong Kong

25. 楊枝甘露

    joeng4 zi1 gam1 lou6

    Mango pomelo sago

    Usage

    A Hong Kong dessert soup (糖水) created in the 1980s and served chilled

Browse all TravelPhrases languages