Where to find the best Cantonese desserts in Hong Kong

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Mulberry mistletoe tea is probably one of the best-tasting traditional Chinese herbal remedies out there—this sweet tea, which is made from a parasitic plant that grows on mulberry trees, is often accompanied with slow-cooked lotus seeds, red dates, and a hard-boiled egg. Given the seemingly discordant combination of ingredients, this isn’t exactly a beginner’s tong sui—but according to traditional Chinese medicine, mulberry mistletoe tea can boost iron, reduce blood pressure, and ease joint pain—which is why pregnant women are often encouraged to consume it as a healthy, nourishing dessert.

The lotus seeds, red dates, and egg are also believed to have balancing, soothing effects on the body, like relieving heartburn, alleviating excessive bleeding, and reducing stress, to name a few.

Try one of the most famous mulberry mistletoe teas in town at Yuen Kee Dessert, an old-school dessert shop in Sai Ying Pun that has been around for more than a century. The lotus seeds here are especially famous for being perfectly tender, rather than grainy—and the tea itself is also beloved for its subtle herbal sweetness.

If you’ve been shopping around the Ladies’ Market in Mong Kok, another excellent option is Ho Kee Dessert on Fa Yuen Street.

Yuen Kee Dessert, 32 Centre Street, Sai Ying Pun | (+852) 2548 8687

Ho Kee Dessert, G/F, 119 Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok | (+852) 2394 1494

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We’ll admit it: sweet almond soup with egg whites isn’t the most visually appealing thing in the world—boiled egg whites bobbing around in a white soup just don’t pop the way that cute glutinous rice balls or vibrant mango sago do. But those who love it really love it. This soup, which is often also referred to as a tea, has a thinner consistency than most other nut and seed pastes (露; lou6)—such as the famous black sesame soup or walnut soup—and is said to be beneficial to maintaining a radiant complexion.

One of the most refined examples around can be found at upscale Cantonese eatery The Chairman. The soup here has a sweet, intoxicating almond fragrance, silky-smooth egg whites, and absolutely no trace of bitterness.

Another good rendition can be found at a congee chain, of all places—Sun Kee Chicken Congee, which hails from Yuen Long, is famed for its rice porridge, but regulars often like to end a meal with a complexion-boosting egg white and sweet almond tea ($19)

The Chairman, G/F, 18 Kau U Fong, Central | (+852) 2555 2202

Sun Kee Chicken Congee, locations across Hong Kong

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Black sesame soup is a polarising dessert, but you’ll quickly learn to not judge it on its dark appearance. A rich and velvety soup made with both white and black sesame seeds, black sesame soup is super beneficial for nourishing your body inside and out as well as promoting hair growth.

Dai Leung Hung Fai Kee is a bit off the beaten path but famous for their hand-ground seeds and nuts soups. Batches are made fresh daily inside the cosy shop and the rich pastes can be made from black sesame, sweet almond, walnut, and peanut.

Dai Leung Hung Fai Kee, 8 Chuen Lung Street, Tsuen Wan | (+852) 2419 7711

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Glutinous rice balls are typically eaten during Chinese New Year or Mid-Autumn Festival as a symbol of familial reunion and love. These soft and chewy morsels of goodness are usually packed with black sesame paste, red bean paste, or peanut paste, then wrapped in a layer of glutinous rice flour. You can indulge in the rice balls plain or have them added to Chinese dessert soups like black sesame soup or sweet potato soup. Careful not to burn your tongue, as the perfect rice ball should have the fillings spilling out when you bite into them.

Fook Yuen in North Point is famous for their homemade glutinous rice balls. Handrolled fresh every day with all of your favourite fillings, Fook Yuen’s rice balls come in portions of four or five and are served in your choice of base (we like the almond milk, which doesn’t overpower the sweet dumplings). Fook Yuen also offers a dry version of the dumplings, where you toss them in ground peanut, coconut shavings, and sugar. The crowds brave the cold to sit in the makeshift open-air dining area outside Fook Yuen just to get their fill of these moreish glutinous rice balls, so you might want to get take-out.

Fook Yuen, Shop I-1, G/F, Lei Do Building, 7 Fuk Yuen Street, North Point | (+852) 3106 0129

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Those with lactose intolerance will never know the simple joy of steamed milk or egg custards. Like most Chinese desserts, it’s made with humble ingredients and can be whipped up in a jiffy. These sweet steamed custards have the same base: milk, eggs, sugar. The ratio is adjusted depending on what the end product is, and in the case of steamed milk custard, ginger syrup is often added for a spicy kick. Served hot or cold, steamed egg and steamed milk custards are a simple comfort.

We can’t mention steamed custards without talking about the two iconic restaurants that are on every foodie’s Hong Kong must-eat list: Australia Dairy Company (not actually Australian) and Yee Shun Dairy Company. Both serve up a mean Hong Kong-style breakfast (ADC has some of the best scrambled eggs in town) and their own styles of steamed custards.

If you’re going to get one thing from either dairy company, go for the double skin milk egg custard, a silky curd concoction made with buffalo milk, egg whites, and sugar. The double skin comes from the layers that form during the cooling of the boiled milk then the cooling of the cooked custard.

Australia Dairy Company, 47 Parkes Street, Jordan | (+852) 2730 1356

Yee Shun Dairy Company, locations across Hong Kong