Stay warm this winter with our favourite hot and hearty Hong Kong meals.
Anything cooked in a clay pot is sure to keep you – and the food – warm. Photo: Jonathan WongWinter usually means a festive feeling, family time and – the best part – a break from school! It also means a temperature drop and a scurry to our wardrobes to dig out a winter coat or two.
While you’re all bundled up outside or inside, another cosy way to keep warm is through delicious hot food. Naturally, you’ll want something wholesome and hearty, so here are our favourite Hong Kong warming foods for winter.
5 traditional holiday recipes with a healthy twist
1. Hotpot
One of the most popular dishes in the city on chilly days, hotpot is guaranteed to warm you up. The best part? The simmering soup is easy enough to make at home if you don’t feel like braving the brisk weather to visit a restaurant.
2. Congee
This breakfast staple is also perfect for colder weather. Congee – or jook – is warming and easy on the stomach, making it popular as a comfort meal when you’re sick. Plus, there are many ways to customise this dish, including adding as many meats, vegetables, toppings and sauces as you like.
3. Clay pot rice
Another delicious, warm, hearty and customisable winter food is clay pot rice. This traditional southern Chinese dish stays hot and is commonly served with chicken, Chinese sausage, vegetables and a thick, sweetened soy sauce.
Stay warm during the Hong Kong winter with this healthier version of clay pot rice
4. Hot sweet soup
We love tong sui, sweet Chinese dessert soups. You can enjoy them throughout the year, but opt for a hot version in winter. Typically served at the end of your meal, let this hot and sweet treat warm you up from the inside. Varieties include – but are not limited to – red bean, sweet almond, black sesame, mung bean and sweet potato.
Stay cool with a Hong Kong nutritionist’s recipe for hot mung bean soup
5. Stews
Many cultures worldwide turn to hearty stews during the winter months owing to their rich and deep flavours and warming quality. Hong Kong is no exception, with incredible staples like lamb stew.
6. Barbecue
Whether you want to head outdoors and grill with friends or visit a nearby Korean barbecue restaurant, you cannot go wrong with a juicy, savoury meal in the chilly winter months!
7. Poon choi
If you are craving meat and seafood this winter, poon choi is definitely the way to go. Meaning “big bowl feast”, this traditional Cantonese festival meal adds many ingredients, including pork, lamb, abalone, duck, chicken, squid, beef, prawn and more. It all sits together in a big metal bowl heated on a gas stove to keep the food nice and hot.
Hong Kong nutritionist’s recipe for healthier, home-made typhoon shelter crab
8. Roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes
This list would be incomplete without roasted chestnuts and sweet potatoes. When you start to see vendors roasting chestnuts and sweet potatoes in busy parts of Hong Kong, you know winter is right around the corner! The smell and taste are nostalgic and seasonal, and they are great snacks to grab on the go.