Joanna James
Hong Kong is the undisputed champion of the world's best weird and wonderful cuisine. Here is your essential guide to its top bizarre, sometimes smelly, but undeniably divine street snacks.
Balls of fish are deep-fried in hot oil and then soaked and boiled in rich, spicy, curry sauce to make the deliciously flavoursome, and Curry Fish Balls. The dish has been around since the 1950s and is perhaps the most traditional street snack available. Food stalls selling curry fish balls and countless other street foods are abundantly available in busy, commercial streets where you find most hotels, B&Bs and places like Dorsett Wanchai Hong Kong, which provide many restaurants in Wan Chai at close quarters, Mong Kok and other major shopping areas are also packed with fantastic food stalls.
This snack may not look all too appetising but, if the crowds outside stalls are any indication, looks can be deceiving. Squid or Octopus tentacles are grilled giving them a rubbery texture and served with Teriyaki, Barbeque, honey or chilli sauce. The dish is a great respite from the other oilier street snacks.
Again, doesn't seem to be all too appealing, but like in the case of grilled tentacles, fried pig intestines are a surprisingly delectable treat. The soft and tender parts of the intestine are wrapped in a crispy layer made of deep-fried entrails that taste a lot like bacon (that's really all the proof you need on how delicious this snack is) and skewered onto a wooden stick. You can dip the snack into a sauce or sauces of your choice to add some extra flavour.
If you think you love how it looks, wait until you try it. This divine, sweet dish, with its flaky golden crust and fluffy, custard filling is a staple of Hong Kong's street food scene. The simple but genius recipe of flour, milk, eggs, sugar, and butter baked to a soft, moist consistency will leave you with an unquenchable thirst for more.
As the name suggests, this dish is simply a pot of entrails, innards, offal and another animal (usually pig or cow) organs mixed with radish, pepper, and a lot of sweet-salty sauce. Contrary to how it looks, it is quite a delicious snack and a worthwhile experience to be had! The best thing about this dish is that it ensures that no part of an animal goes to waste.
The epithet 'Stinky' is not a light quip, but refers, fondly, to the pungent smell given off by this kind of street foods. The smell results from the tofu being soaked, for anywhere between a few hours to a few months, in a brine of vegetables, meat variations and milk. It is then deep-fried, giving the snack a crispy skin and creamy interior, and served with a delicious, spicy sauce. The taste is worth the smell, really.
Bor Lor Bao, or Pineapple buns, have been around for more than 70 years and, contrary to what the name might suggest, do not have any pineapple in them. The name is derived instead from the crisscrossing pattern made on the top of these sweet buns, which resemble pineapples. Bor Lor Bao is simply a soft and sugary bun with a slab of melted butter in the middle, but simplicity is no account of taste, and these tastes incredible!
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