Hong Kong – Breakfasts 27Mar09
There’s several different types of Hong Kong breakfasts. 1 – traditional congee with various other savory dishes like Chinese donuts, rice noodles things, and turnip cake. 2 – sweet buns, pineapple buns with a huge slab of butter, milk tea, milk coffee or both milk coffee and tea. 3 – yum cha or dim sum. I’m sure a 4th includes McDonald’s. They love McDonald’s in Asia – not just HK, all of Asia! More on McD’s later!
Congee
Why is it called congee? I have no effing idea. I know it in Cantonese as jook or chook. It’s basically rice porridge. It is often served plain with pickled vegetables or salted meat. It’s a pretty common dish around Asia, some even cooked with meat or vegetables. We had it plain but in Hong Kong most of the time you order other things to go with it like these:
Vegetarian Rice Noodles
Chinese Donut Wrapped with Rice Noodles
Tea Cafés
I’m actually not sure what to call them, they are little shops found all over Hong Kong that serve traditional Hong Kong style milk tea with sweet buns, pineapple buns with butter, omelets, french toast, and egg tarts. We didn’t exactly go for breakfast, it was more like 3pm when we went to our first one but it’s often eaten for breakfast.
Hong Kong style milk tea isn’t your normal British black tea with milk. Most shops will have their own blend or mix of black tea, brewed to perfection. And then they add sugar and evaporated milk or condensed milk. It’s got a very silky consistency… I’ve even heard some places add egg to it?! Not sure about that.
Yum Cha/Dim Sum
Depending on where you’re from, you call it Yum Cha or Dim Sum. It’s Cantonese style brunch filled with dumplings, steamed buns, fried things, sweets, savory dishes, you name it!
I’m used to the ones where they have carts coming around and you can kind of just point to the things you like, but in Hong Kong, most of the places now just have a piece of paper you mark all the ones you like and they bring it to you. You’re shit out of luck if you don’t read Chinese! Just kidding, everyone speaks English enough for you to order some delicious dishes.
There’s always a chef trying new things, like these almond crusted shrimp balls. First time I’ve ever seen this dish at yum cha!
