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Cantonese Double-Boiled Soup (Dun Tang)
Guangdong Province — the dun tang technique is central to Cantonese medicinal-food cooking; it reflects the Cantonese belief that the slow, sealed extraction preserves the most healing properties
Dun tang (double-boiled soup): the Cantonese technique of placing a sealed vessel inside a larger pot of simmering water — the gentle, indirect heat extracts maximum flavour and nutrients without agitation. The result is an exceptionally clear, concentrated soup. Used for medicinal tonics, premium ingredient soups (bird's nest, black-bone chicken, sea cucumber), and elaborate Cantonese banquet soups.
Cantonese Double-Boiled Soup (Dun Tang) — Patient Nourishment
Guangdong Province
Dun tang (炖汤) — double-boiled soup — uses an inner ceramic vessel suspended in an outer pot of boiling water, similar to a bain marie but sealed. The indirect heat gently extracts collagen, minerals, and flavour from bones and tonic ingredients over 3–4 hours, producing a crystal-clear, intensely flavoured broth without clouding from agitation. Used for medicinal and restorative soups.
Cantonese Dried Seafood (Hai Wei) Traditions
Guangdong Province — the Cantonese dried seafood tradition developed as a preservation and trade culture; Hong Kong's Sheung Wan district remains the global centre
Hai wei (dried seafood): the cornerstone of Cantonese luxury cooking — dried scallops (gan bei/conpoy), dried abalone, dried oysters (hao si), dried shrimp (xia mi), fish maw (yu piao), dried squid (you yu gan), dried sea cucumber. Each ingredient requires specific reconstitution times and methods; each adds concentrated umami depth unavailable from fresh equivalents. The Cantonese dried seafood market (Sheung Wan, Hong Kong) is a world unto itself.
Cantonese Egg Tart (Dan Tat)
Hong Kong — influenced by the Portuguese pastel de nata via Macau; developed into a distinct Cantonese style in the 1940s
Dan tat: custard tart — a cornerstone of Cantonese dim sum and Hong Kong bakery culture. Two styles: short pastry (su pi) with a crumbly, buttery crust (British influence); and flaky pastry (peng pi) with a laminated dough. The custard filling is eggs, sugar, milk, and sometimes evaporated milk — smooth, barely set, with a slight wobble. A perfect dan tat has burnished golden top, silky custard, and pastry that barely holds together.
Cantonese Fish Paste (Yu Rong) Technique
Guangdong Province — fish ball culture is central to Cantonese street food and dim sum; the most prized fish balls are made from hand-processed pike (gou zui yu)
Yu rong (fish paste): a fine, springy paste made by processing fresh fish (typically pike, sole, or grass carp) with salt and ice until the myosin proteins form an elastic gel. Used in: fish balls (yu wan), steamed fish cakes, stuffed bell peppers, fish maw fillings. The key technical challenge is achieving the right protein extraction and 'bounce' (tan ya) without overworking.
Cantonese Ginger and Scallion Lobster — Prestige Wok Preparation
Guangdong Province
Ginger-scallion lobster (jiang cong lung ha) is the canonical Cantonese lobster preparation — live lobster killed at the wok, cut into pieces, then wok-fried at maximum heat with ginger, scallion, and fermented black bean. The technique is designed to showcase the freshness and sweetness of live lobster through the cleanest possible cooking method. One of the most demanding wok preparations.
Cantonese Ginger-Scallion Oil Sauce
Guangdong Province — the essential pairing for white-cut chicken (bai qie ji)
Jiang cong you: the simplest and most fundamental Cantonese finishing sauce. Minced ginger and sliced spring onion placed in a heatproof bowl, then doused with smoking-hot oil. The oil blooms the aromatics, creating an intensely fragrant condiment served with poached chicken, white-cut meats, seafood, and plain rice.
Cantonese Har Gau (Crystal Shrimp Dumpling)
Guangdong Province — har gau is considered the most technically demanding Cantonese dim sum preparation; its mastery signals a trained dim sum chef
Har gau (shrimp dumpling): considered the pinnacle of Cantonese dim sum technique — a translucent wrapper of wheat starch and tapioca starch encasing a filling of whole shrimp. The benchmark of a dim sum chef's skill: the wrapper should be translucent (revealing the pink shrimp inside), have 7 or more pleats on the top, be firm enough to pick up without breaking, and the shrimp filling should have a definitive bouncing snap.
Cantonese Jook (White Congee) — The Plain Version as Benchmark
Guangdong Province
Bai zhou (白粥) — plain white congee — is the purest expression of Cantonese congee philosophy: short-grain rice simmered in an enormous volume of water until the grains break down into a smooth, velvety porridge. No seasoning, no protein — just rice and water. This is the benchmark from which all flavoured congees depart, and the best plain congee reveals the quality of both the rice and the technique.
Cantonese Live Seafood Selection
Guangdong coastal culture — the Cantonese obsession with freshness (xin xian) is the foundation of their culinary philosophy
The Cantonese philosophy of seafood: always buy live, cook immediately, use minimal seasoning. Cantonese restaurants maintain live seafood tanks (fish, crab, lobster, shellfish) and the guest selects their meal alive. The preparation respects the natural sweetness and texture of the freshest possible ingredient — elaborate saucing is unnecessary.
Cantonese Lobster Preparation (Long Xia)
Guangdong Province — the Cantonese treatment of live lobster is considered the world's most refined approach to this luxury ingredient
Cantonese lobster preparations: live lobster dispatched and prepared in multiple styles — ginger-scallion stir-fry (jiang cong chao long xia), steamed with garlic and vermicelli (suan rong fen si zheng long xia), lobster congee from the shells (long xia zhou). The ginger-scallion wok preparation is the Cantonese standard — the lobster cut live into pieces and stir-fried at maximum heat.
Cantonese Lotus Leaf Fish (He Ye Zheng Yu / 荷叶蒸鱼)
Guangdong Province — Cantonese aromatic cooking tradition
A more elaborate version of the Cantonese steamed fish tradition: the whole fish (or large fillet) is dressed with ginger, spring onion, soy, and sesame, wrapped in a lotus leaf, and steamed. The lotus leaf imparts its distinctive herbal, grassy fragrance throughout the fish during steaming. The leaf acts as both a flavouring and a moisture-retention vessel, creating an extraordinarily fragrant result.
Cantonese Master Stock (Lou Shui) — Maintenance Tradition
Guangdong Province — Cantonese and Teochew traditions
Lou shui (卤水) — master stock — is a living culture maintained by Hong Kong and Cantonese restaurants sometimes for decades. The stock, seasoned with soy, spices, Shaoxing wine, and rock sugar, is used to braise successive generations of meats (goose, duck, pork, chicken, tofu, eggs), accumulating complexity from each cooking session. Some legendary lou shui are claimed to be 50+ years old.
Cantonese Moon Cake (Snow Skin) Technique
Hong Kong — snowskin mooncakes were developed in Hong Kong in the 1960s–70s as a cooler, lighter alternative to baked mooncakes
Snowskin mooncake (bing pi yue bing): the modern, refrigerated mooncake with a raw glutinous rice flour skin — no baking required. The skin is made from bing pi fen (cooked glutinous rice flour/tang fen), mixed with icing sugar, lard, and cool water. Pressed in a mooncake mould to create the pattern, then refrigerated and served cold. Allows for modern delicate fillings: mango, strawberry, matcha, champagne truffle.
Cantonese Oyster Sauce Applications
Nanshui, Guangdong — invented 1888; now exported worldwide as a cornerstone of Chinese cooking
Hao you: invented in Guangdong in 1888 by Lee Kum Sheung when oysters being cooked for soup were forgotten and reduced to a dark, rich concentrate. Oyster sauce is now the defining condiment of Cantonese cuisine — used in stir-fries, braising sauces, as a finishing glaze, and as a dipping base. Made from concentrated oyster extraction, soy, and sugar.
Cantonese Paper-Wrapped Chicken (Zhi Bao Ji)
Guangdong Province
Zhi bao ji (纸包鸡) — paper-wrapped chicken — is a Cantonese technique where marinated chicken pieces are individually wrapped in oiled parchment or cellophane, then deep-fried. The sealed package steams in the hot oil, protecting the delicate marinated meat from direct heat while allowing some caramelisation where the package contacts the oil. The presentation is theatrical; the result is remarkably tender and aromatic.
Cantonese Pineapple Bun (Bo Lo Bao)
Hong Kong — created in the cha chaan teng (Hong Kong-style cafe) culture of the post-war period; now a global icon of Hong Kong food
Bo lo bao: the iconic Hong Kong bakery bun — a sweet enriched milk bread dough with a crunchy golden sugar-egg topping that cracks like a pineapple skin (but contains no pineapple). When sliced and filled with cold salted butter (bo lo yau), it becomes Hong Kong's definitive cha chaan teng snack.
Cantonese Pineapple Bun (Bo Lo Bao) — Soft Bread Tradition
Hong Kong — Cantonese bakery tradition
Bo lo bao (菠蘿包) — pineapple bun — is a Hong Kong bakery staple, containing no pineapple whatsoever. The name refers to the golden, crackled sugar-egg topping that resembles a pineapple's skin texture. The bun itself is a soft, slightly sweet milk bread (like Japanese shokupan). Served warm with a slab of cold salted butter inserted in the split bun is the classic preparation.
Cantonese Poached Silken Tofu with Soy Dressing
Guangdong Province
A deceptively simple Cantonese dish: silken tofu, gently warmed or served at room temperature, dressed with a soy-based sauce containing sesame oil, light soy, and finished with crispy shallots, scallion, and a drizzle of hot oil. The dish appears effortless but reveals quality of tofu — the finest Japanese or Cantonese silken tofu has a sweetness and delicacy that inferior varieties cannot match.
Cantonese Pork and Preserved Egg Congee — Master Technique
Guangdong Province — considered by many the definitive test of a Cantonese kitchen's technique; the simplest dishes are often the most demanding
A master technique breakdown for the canonical Cantonese pi dan shou rou zhou: the interplay between the silky rice base, the sharp-sulphurous century egg, and the barely-cooked thin pork requires precision timing and specific ratios. The congee must be 70°C minimum when served to cook the raw pork; the century egg must be added warm to avoid the 'cold egg' effect that hardens and dulls the flavour.
Cantonese Pork Ribs in Black Bean Sauce (Dou Chi Zheng Pai Gu / 豉汁蒸排骨)
Guangdong Province — Cantonese dim sum cornerstone
Steamed spare ribs with fermented black bean (douchi) and garlic is a dim sum cornerstone — small pieces of pork rib steamed in a bowl with douchi, garlic, ginger, soy, sesame oil, and a small amount of fermented chilli. The rendered pork fat combines with the douchi to create an intensely savoury cooking liquid pooled at the bottom of the bowl. A benchmark dish for evaluating any dim sum restaurant.
Cantonese Preserved Duck Egg Congee (Pi Dan Zhou)
Guangdong Province — Cantonese breakfast tradition
The benchmark Cantonese congee: pi dan shou rou zhou — century egg and minced pork congee. Century eggs (pi dan) are cut into pieces and stirred in at the last moment along with minced pork that has been marinated in soy and sesame oil. The eggs bleed inky purple colour through the congee, the whites are translucent with black tea aroma, and the yolk is creamy-soft.
Cantonese Preserved Mustard Greens (Mei Cai) — Drying and Applications
Hakka people — Meixian, Guangdong Province
Mei cai (梅菜) — preserved mustard greens — is a Hakka and Cantonese pantry staple: mustard greens are salted, sun-dried, and then fermented slightly to produce a savoury, slightly sweet, deeply umami preserved vegetable. Inky dark in colour. Primary use: mei cai kou rou (steamed pork belly with mei cai) — the osmotic relationship between pork fat and dried vegetable creates extraordinary flavour exchange.
Cantonese Radish Cake (Lo Bak Go)
Guangdong Province — lo bak go is served year-round in dim sum but is especially associated with Chinese New Year celebrations
Lo bak go: radish (turnip) cake of Cantonese dim sum. Shredded daikon mixed with rice flour batter, dried shrimp, Chinese sausage, and spring onion, steamed in a mould until set, then pan-fried in slices until golden and crispy. A dim sum staple that doubles as a Chinese New Year festival food.
Cantonese Rice Noodle Roll (Cheung Fun)
Guangdong Province — a dim sum classic; variations of steamed rice sheet are found across Guangdong and into Vietnam (banh cuon)
Cheung fun (intestine noodle — named for its tubular shape): delicate steamed rice noodle sheets rolled around shrimp, pork, or beef, or served plain with sweet soy, sesame paste, and peanut butter sauces. The technique requires a very hot steamer, a specially oiled flat tray or cloth, and thin rice flour batter poured and steamed to translucency in under 2 minutes.
CANTONESE ROAST DUCK (SHAO YA)
Shao ya is a Cantonese *siu mei* tradition emerging from the professional roast-meat kitchens of Guangdong province. The hanging, whole-roasted style dates to at least the Song dynasty, when Hangzhou (then the capital) developed an elaborate roasted duck culture. The migration of Cantonese *siu mei* masters throughout Southeast Asia, the UK, and North America in the 20th century made Cantonese roast duck one of the most globally distributed expressions of Chinese culinary tradition.
Cantonese roast duck — shao ya — hangs suspended in a blazing oven until the skin achieves a paper-thin, crackling lacquer over interior flesh that has been basted from within by a spiced liquid injected into the cavity. The technique requires a combination of air-drying, external glazing, and internal basting that produces results structurally impossible through any other method. It is the most technically demanding of the Cantonese roast meats, and its mastery defines the *siu mei* specialist.
Cantonese Roast Duck (Shao Ya / 烧鸭)
Guangdong Province — Cantonese roasting tradition
Cantonese roast duck differs from Peking duck in glaze composition and technique: the cavity is sewn shut and filled with a liquid marinade of soy sauce, five-spice, Shaoxing wine, sugar, and shrimp paste. The duck roasts while basting from within. The skin is less papery and crisp than Peking but more intensely flavoured with the interior marinade seeping through.
Cantonese Roast Goose (Shao E)
Guangdong Province — roast goose is a Cantonese siu mei (BBQ) specialty; Yuen Long (New Territories, HK) is considered the world capital of roast goose
Shao e (roast goose): Cantonese roast goose is considered even more technically demanding than Peking duck — the goose's higher fat content and thicker skin require specific preparation. The goose is air-dried for 24 hours, then inflated between skin and fat via a metal tube to separate layers, marinated internally with five spice and soy, then hung in a furnace oven at 200–230°C.
Cantonese Roast Goose (Shao E) — Hong Kong Institution
Guangdong Province — particularly Chaozhou/Teochew and New Territories tradition
Cantonese roast goose is considered technically superior to Peking duck by many aficionados — the fat layer of a goose produces even more extraordinary lacquered skin. Whole goose is marinated internally with five spice, soy, sugar, and wine, the cavity sealed, then the bird is air-dried overnight before roasting over a live fire. The Shek Kei Mei variant from the New Territories is the canonical standard.
Cantonese Roast Goose (Shao E / 烧鹅)
Guangdong Province — Hong Kong elevated the tradition
Cantonese roast goose is arguably the pinnacle of Chinese roasting technique — goose's higher fat content creates extraordinary crackling skin and rich dripping. The Siu Ying Goose Specialist restaurants of Hong Kong (particularly Yat Lok, Kam's Roast Goose) are UNESCO-recognised. The preparation is similar to roast duck but requires more precision due to larger size and higher fat content.
Cantonese Salt and Pepper Squid (Jiao Yan Xian You)
Guangdong Province
Jiao yan xian you (椒盐鲜鱿) — salt and pepper squid — is a Cantonese high-heat deep-fry preparation where fresh squid is dusted in a light cornstarch coating, fried until crispy, then tossed briefly in a very hot wok with chopped chili, garlic, and Sichuan peppercorn salt. The stir-fry step after frying is essential — it transforms the crispy squid into an aromatic experience.
Cantonese Shrimp Paste Stir-Fry (Ha Jeung) Applications
Guangdong Province — coastal Cantonese tradition
Ha jeung (虾酱) — Cantonese shrimp paste — is a pungent fermented condiment made from tiny shrimp or krill dried and fermented with salt. Used as both a seasoning in stir-fries (morning glory, pork belly) and as a condiment. Distinct from Thai belacan (drier) and Malaysian shrimp paste in fermentation method. The Cantonese version is wetter and more deeply saline.
Cantonese Silken Tofu with Century Egg
Guangdong Province — a ubiquitous Cantonese restaurant cold dish and home preparation; the pairing of century egg with tofu is a foundational Cantonese flavour combination
Pi dan dou fu (century egg tofu): cold silken tofu layered with century egg wedges, dressed with light soy, sesame oil, chili oil, and garnished with crispy shallots, spring onion, and dried shrimp. One of the most widely eaten cold dishes in Cantonese cuisine — requires no cooking, relies entirely on ingredient quality and the balance of the dressing.
Cantonese Siu Mai (Steamed Pork Dumplings)
Guangdong Province — siu mai is documented in Chinese texts from the Song Dynasty; it spread to Japan as shumai via Chinese traders in the early 20th century
Siu mai: open-topped dim sum dumpling — the archetypal Cantonese dim sum item alongside har gau. The wrapper is gathered around a pork-shrimp filling into an open-topped cylinder. Top garnished with orange crab roe, green peas, or a single goji berry. The wrapper must be thin enough to be translucent, the filling moist and bouncy. One of the four 'Heavenly Kings' of Cantonese dim sum.
Cantonese Soy Chicken (Bai Qie Ji)
Guangdong Province — possibly the defining test of a Cantonese cook's skill; every Cantonese family has a version
Bai qie ji (white-cut chicken): the most technically demanding of simple Cantonese preparations. A free-range chicken poached at sub-boiling temperature (70–80°C) until just cooked through, then plunged immediately into iced water to contract the skin and stop cooking. The result: impossibly silky flesh with translucent jelly under the skin — served simply with ginger-scallion oil.
Cantonese Soy Sauce Chicken (Si You Ji)
Guangdong Province
Si you ji (豉油鸡) — soy sauce chicken — is made by poaching a whole chicken in a master soy sauce liquid (dark soy, light soy, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, star anise, ginger, cinnamon). The chicken is submerged and cooked at just below simmering for 30–40 minutes, turned occasionally, then rested in the liquid until the surface takes on a deep mahogany lacquer. The master liquid is maintained and reused indefinitely.
Cantonese Steamed Egg Custard (Zheng Shui Dan)
Guangdong Province — silken steamed egg is found across East and Southeast Asia; the Cantonese version is among the most refined
Zheng shui dan: silken steamed egg custard — the Cantonese answer to Japan's chawanmushi. Eggs beaten with warm chicken stock at a 1:2 ratio, strained until smooth, covered with film or a plate, and steamed over very gentle heat until set. The surface should be smooth as silk, not pocked or bubbled.
CANTONESE STEAMED FISH (ZHENG YU)
Zheng yu belongs to the Cantonese culinary tradition of Guangdong province, where proximity to the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea made fish the centrepiece of the table rather than a supporting element. In Cantonese cooking, the quality of the fish is the message — technique exists only to protect and reveal it.
Cantonese steamed whole fish is the supreme expression of freshness-first cooking — a technique that refuses to compete with the ingredient and instead demands perfection of it. The fish is steamed over fiercely boiling water until just cooked, then finished with a cascade of hot oil that blooms the aromatics and briefly sears the surface without cooking it further. The result is the cleanest possible declaration of what the fish was.
Cantonese Steamed Scallop with Glass Noodles
Guangdong/Hong Kong — a restaurant showpiece of Cantonese seafood cooking; the dish arrived with the fresh seafood restaurant boom of 1970s–80s Hong Kong
Zheng dai zi (steamed scallops with glass noodles): live scallops on the half shell, topped with glass noodles, minced garlic, and spring onion, steamed for 4–5 minutes, then finished with soy sauce and sizzling hot oil. A restaurant showpiece that demonstrates Cantonese seafood philosophy — fresh live ingredient, minimal preparation, maximum natural flavour.
Cantonese Steamed Silken Tofu with Preserved Egg (Pi Dan Dou Fu Advanced / 皮蛋豆腐进阶)
Guangdong Province — Cantonese restaurant refinement
Advanced analysis of what separates a restaurant-level pi dan dou fu from a home preparation: using house-drained silken tofu, sliced premium century egg with snowflake crystalline patterns, a precisely calibrated dressing of soy and sesame oil with a drizzle of aged black vinegar, and garnishes of toasted sesame, fried garlic chips, and spring onion — served chilled.
Cantonese Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Bean (Dou Chi Zheng Pai Gu)
Guangdong Province — dim sum tradition
Steamed spare ribs with black bean and chili are one of the most ordered dim sum items globally. Small pork spare rib pieces are marinated with fermented black beans (dou chi), garlic, chili, soy, and sesame oil, then steamed in a dish. The ribs must be cut small (3–4cm pieces), marinated at least 30 minutes, and steamed until the fat renders and the meat is tender but not falling apart.
Cantonese Steamed Spare Ribs with Taro (Wu Tao Pai Gu / 芋頭排骨)
Guangdong Province — Cantonese dim sum
Variation on the classic steamed ribs dim sum: small pork rib pieces steamed with cubed taro (wu tou — the starchy, earthy variety, not the waxy Japanese kaimo), black bean sauce, and fermented chilli. The taro absorbs the rendered pork fat and the black bean sauce during steaming, becoming creamy and deeply savoury. One of the most satisfying textural combinations in dim sum.
Cantonese Steamed Spare Ribs with Taro (Yu Tou Zheng Pai Gu)
Guangdong Province — steamed taro with pork is a classic Cantonese dim sum and home-cooking preparation; taro is one of the most versatile Cantonese ingredients
Yu tou zheng pai gu: taro and spare ribs steamed together — the taro absorbs the pork fat and seasoning sauce during steaming, becoming creamy and deeply flavoured. A Cantonese home and dim sum preparation that shows the Cantonese mastery of taro as an ingredient. Differs from the braised version in texture — steam produces a silkier taro.
Cantonese Steamed Whole Fish Technique — Zheng Yu
Guangdong Province
Cantonese steamed whole fish (zheng yu) is considered the ultimate test of kitchen freshness and steaming skill. A live fish is killed moments before cooking, steamed for exactly 7–9 minutes depending on size, then doused with hot oil and soy sauce. The oil hits the aromatics (ginger, scallion) and creates an audible sizzle — a sensory moment that encapsulates Cantonese culinary philosophy.
Cantonese Steaming — Live Seafood (清蒸活鱼)
Guangdong — Cantonese foundational technique
The apex of Cantonese cooking philosophy: live fish (garoupa, sea bass, turbot) steamed over high heat for precisely 8–10 minutes, dressed with hot oil poured over julienned ginger and spring onion. The quality of the fish is paramount — the technique is transparent, hiding nothing. Soy sauce poured on just before service.
Cantonese Stir-Fried Beef with Ginger and Scallion (Jiang Cong Chao Niurou)
Guangdong Province
Jiang cong chao niu rou (姜葱炒牛肉) — ginger-scallion beef stir-fry — is a foundational Cantonese wok technique demonstrating how high heat and aromatics transform simple ingredients. Thinly sliced flank steak, velveted and marinated in soy, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and bicarbonate, is flash-fried with ginger slices and scallion in a smoking-hot wok. The beef should be barely cooked — still slightly pink inside.
Cantonese Stir-Fried Water Spinach with Fermented Tofu (Fu Ru Tong Cai)
Guangdong Province
One of the most beloved Cantonese vegetable preparations: water spinach (tong cai/ong choy) stir-fried at maximum heat with white fermented tofu (bai fu ru), garlic, and chili. The fermented tofu melts into a creamy, savoury sauce that clings to the leafy stems. Considered a test of a Cantonese wok cook's skill — requires timing, heat, and restraint.
Cantonese Suckling Pig (Kao Ru Zhu) Roast Tradition
Guangdong Province — ceremonial tradition
Roasted suckling pig is the centrepiece of Cantonese ceremonies — weddings, business openings, festival banquets, grave-sweeping (Qingming). The whole pig, 3–5 kg, is marinated with five spice, fermented tofu, hoisin, and Shaoxing wine, then roasted in a dedicated oven over lychee wood for 2+ hours, basted constantly. The skin blisters into cracking 'glass skin' (jou pei) or 'milk skin' (nai you pei).
Cantonese Superior Stock (Shang Tang) — The Foundation
Guangdong Province
Shang tang (上汤) — superior stock — is the foundation of all Cantonese cooking. Made from old hen, pork bones (blanched), Jinhua ham, and dried seafood, it is simmered for 6+ hours to produce a clear, intensely flavoured golden stock. Distinguished from inferior stocks (er tang) by its crystal clarity, which requires careful heat management throughout cooking — never boiling hard.
Cantonese Tong Sui (Sweet Soups) Tradition
Guangdong Province — the tong sui tradition is a cornerstone of Cantonese food culture; dedicated tong sui shops operate across Hong Kong
Tong sui (sugar water): the Cantonese tradition of warm sweet soups served as dessert — encompassing both light, clear sweet broths and thicker, starchier versions. Classics include: red bean soup, mung bean soup, black sesame soup, white fungus and goji berry, papaya with snow ear, tofu fa (silken tofu in syrup). Each tong sui has TCM medicinal properties — cooling (mung bean), blood nourishing (red bean), yin-nourishing (tremella).