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    Home » Recipe Round-ups

    Published: Jul 17, 2022 · Modified: Jul 30, 2022 by Zen · This post may contain affiliate links.

    30 Easy Cantonese recipes (Hong Kong)

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    A list of the 30 best easy Cantonese recipes (Hong Kong) that you can cook at home!

    Chee chew fan and char siew bao on a pink dim sum lunch table.
    Jump to:
    • What is Cantonese cuisine?
    • Soups
    • Congee (Jook)
    • Seafood
    • Meat
    • Veggies & tofu
    • Carbs
    • Dim sum
    • Home cooking
    • Desserts
    • Delicacies
    • Drinks
    • 💬 Comments

    What is Cantonese cuisine?

    Cantonese cuisine, also known as Yue cuisine (粤菜 yuè cài), is 1 of the cuisines of China's Guangdong province. It is specific to the Cantonese speaking parts along the Pearl Delta River: Guangzhou (its capital), Hong Kong and Macau. (Guangdong has 2 other groups- Hakka and Chao Zhou- which have their own cuisines, but Cantonese cuisine is the most famous of the 3.)

    Fun fact: If you've ever eaten in a Chinese restaurant in America, Canada or UK, it's 99.9% likely that you're eating Cantonese food. (The majority of Chinese restaurants outside Asia are Cantonese.)

    Chinese culture is big on food and Cantonese cuisine is considered 1 of its 4 great traditions (in addition to Chuan, Lu, and Huaiyang i.e. the cuisines of West, North, South & East China.) It is also 1 of its 8 modern culinary treasures:

    • Anhui (徽菜; Huīcài)
    • Guang Dong/ Cantonese (粤菜; Yuècài)
    • Fujian (闽菜; Mǐncài)- where my family is from!
    • Hunan (湘菜; Xiāngcài)
    • Jiangsu (苏菜; Sūcài)
    • Shandong (鲁菜; Lǔcài)
    • Sichuan (川菜; Chuāncài)
    • Zhejiang(浙菜; Zhècài).

    Note: if you're wondering why I'm sharing a post on Cantonese recipes when my ancestors are from Fujian, that's because the dominant Chinese cuisine in Singapore is Cantonese!

    Characteristics

    Various types of dried Chinese seafood
    Dried seafood is a big part of Cantonese recipes. Pre-2020, my family used to fly to Hong Kong to stock up on our dried seafood!

    How do you tell if the food is Cantonese?

    • Scallion, ginger and garlic are considered the Holy Trinity of Cantonese recipes, similar to mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery) in French food
    • Emphasis on preserving the taste of the ingredients (a little like Italian cooking): the flavor is from the freshness and quality of the food used, so there is little application of spices
    • It's all about the "wok hei" or breath of the wok- a somewhat smoky flavor that the best Cantonese dishes have thanks to the super hot fire
      • This is why it can be hard to cook restaurant quality Cantonese food at home- our fires just aren't hot enough!
    • Herbs are used in moderation, mostly as garnishes
    • Preserved ingredients are used to add flavour. Some examples are:
      • salted egg
      • dried shrimps
      • dried scallops
      • Mei cai (pickled cabbage)
      • La Chang (dried sausage)
    • The Cantonese are known for its soups, such as old fire soup/ lao huo tang, silky congee and dim sum.
    • As Guangdong has a coastal location, seafood is another key ingredient of Cantonese recipes
      • ordering steamed fish is a great way to tell if the restaurant is worth its salt!
    • You sometime see "weird" ingredients, such as chicken feet, entrails, frogs and snakes, in Cantonese recipes
      • Frogs meat is delicious! It's like a really tender chicken
      • Lamb and goat are uncommon though

    Sauces

    Some sauces you often see in Cantonese food recipes include:

    • soy sauce
    • oyster sauce (or a lux version- abalone sauce)
    • XO sauce
    • sesame oil
    • salted egg yolk sauce
    • rice vinegar
    • hoisin sauce
    • plum sauce
    • shrimp paste
    • douchi/ dried black beans

    Soups

    A pot of Asian silkie chicken non-herbal soup in a Dutch oven.

    Cantonese soup is so good, I can have 2-3 bowls (of different soups) when I go to a restaurant. They're particularly good at slow-cooked soups and double-boiled soups, but I've focused on easier soup recipes below.

    Easy Chinese black chicken & red date soup recipe (Silkie Chicken)
    This easy Chinese Silkie chicken soup requires only 5-ingredients and is mostly passive cooking.
    Click here for the black chicken soup recipe.
    A bowl of Chinese black chicken soup with red dates, goji berries, scallops and dried shiitake mushrooms.
    Easy Vegan Wonton Soup for Colds
    Done in 20 minute vegan Chinese wonton soup that tastes as good as the traditional version. Gluten-free and made without commercially bought stock/ bouillon cube OR hours of making homemade stock! A great flu fighter thanks to the ginger and garlic!
    Click here for the meatless wonton soup recipe.
    Chinese wontons in a bowl of clear chicken soup.

    Congee (Jook)

    A spoon scooping a fresh scallop out of a bowl of seafood congee.

    Jook or congee is the ultimate Cantonese comfort food- if you grew up in a Chinese home, you've definitely had this one time or another! It can be eaten plain- and spiced up with toppings and small plates- or flavoured with seafood, chicken etc

    Easy Chinese Seafood congee with shrimp/ prawn
    This Easy Chinese Seafood congee with shrimps or prawns is a delicious seafood rice porridge that is easy to cook but still silky and rich. Chicken stock/ broth optional!
    Click here for the seafood shrimp congee recipe.
    A bowl of seafood congee with prawns and ginger.
    Easy Chinese Canned Abalone Porridge
    A no-fuss, easy Chinese Canned Abalone Porridge recipe, also known as jook or congee, which can be made using store cupboard ingredients. So easy there's only 1 photo for the step-by-step instructions, it's the perfect comfort food and a delicious recipe for a weekday dinner.
    Click here for the abalone congee recipe.
    Close-up of a bowl of chicken porridge with a huge abalone on top.
    Dried scallop congee recipe
    A comforting jook recipe that uses both dried and fresh scallops.
    Click here for the scallop jook recipe.
    A spoon scooping a fresh scallop out of a bowl of seafood congee.

    Some less traditional jook recipes include this Chicken Rice-inspired recipe and this leftover rotisserie chicken congee. Don't forget these congee garnishes and sides!

    Seafood

    Steamed fish

    If you've ever eaten in a Cantonese restaurant, you'll know that a steamed whole fish is a can't-be-missed item on the menu. In fact, good Cantonese restaurants are so big on their fish, they cook live ones (and not frozen/ dead fish.)

    Fun fact: if you know how to eat it, the fish head is considered a delicacy- the meat in the cheek is super tender! If you eat the head, you need to take responsibility for the tail too as, for every beginning (head), there's an end (tail.) In Chinese, this translates to "有头有尾 you tou you wei."

    Eggs & Shrimp

    Eggs are often scrambled with shrimp for an easy weeknight dish- click here for a 5-star recipe from Omnivore's Cookbook!

    Meat

    Soy sauce chicken

    This is a famous Cantonese dish that is often served as a trio with "siu Mei" (roasted meats) such as "siu yuk" (roast pork belly) and "char siu" (BBQ pork.)

    Best Poached One Pot Chinatown Soy Sauce Chicken Recipe
    This Cantonese classic chicken is an easy-to-recreate-restaurant dish that can be made in 1 pot! It's also the gift that keeps giving as the leftover poaching liquid can be used for so many things (see post above). (Inspired by 4 recipes: Woks Of Life, SCMP, Burning Kitchen and Red House Spice)
    Click here for the classic Cantonese chicken recipe.
    A plate of Cantonese soy sauce with white rice and green onions.
    Easy Chinese Braised Soy Sauce Chicken Thighs
    A simplified but still delicious version of the most popular recipe on my website (Chinatown soya sauce chicken): this easy Chinese braised soy sauce chicken thighs recipe is simple to make in one pot and done in ⅓ the time!
    Click here for an easy weeknight version of Cantonese soy sauce chicken.
    A plate of soy sauce chicken with hard boiled egg and spicy sambal

    Note: Roasted goose is a little more difficult to make at home- not many supermarkets sell goose, for one!- but if you're ever in Hong Kong, you should try the famous roasted goose- my family used to stop by Yung Kee every time we were in town to eat, but some people say the quality's gone down in recent years.

    Pork trotters

    A classic Cantonese dish, often eaten during confinement (the period after a woman gives birth), is vinegar pig trotters as it's considered to be a very warming and nourishing food.

    Pork ribs

    An easy version of "tang chu pai gu" (sweet vinegar pork ribs, literally but usually called "sweet and sour pork" in the West), once you've made these 12345 ribs you'll never look back!

    12345 Chinese Spare Ribs (5-ingredients)
    These Chinese Spare Ribs are delicious, finger-licking Asian-style pork spare ribs that are as simple to cook as 12345 (a mnemonic device that will also help you recall the recipe.) Using only the Asian pantry staples of wine, dark soy sauce, vinegar and sugar to braise the meat, with only a few minutes of active cooking, this is the best easy sticky Chinese Spare Ribs for a lazy food lover.
    Click here for these life-changing braised pork ribs!
    Close-up of a pork rib with fingerlicking sticky sauce and caramelised bits.

    Veggies & tofu

    Stir-fried vegetables

    A classic veg would be Choy Sum in Oyster sauce (here's a 10-minutes, easy recipe from Ohmyfoodrecipes.)

    Salted ducks' egg yolk tofu

    Close up of a salted egg tofu with chilli and curry leaves dish.
    Cantonese food can sometimes be thought of as "bland" if the chef isn't skilled enough (because of its emphasis on light natural flavours) but salted egg tofu is anything but that!
    Salted Egg Tofu (Fried tofu & salted egg yolk sauce)
    This salted egg tofu is an easy but delicious recipe- the fried tofu is crispy and smothered with a creamy and buttery salted egg yolk sauce that has hints of the citrusy curry leaf and the spice of the chilli. Yum!
    Click here for the salted egg beancurd recipe.
    Salted egg yolk tofu with a box of tea.

    P.S. The same sauce is used to coat deep-fried prawns or chicken and pork too!

    Carbs

    Noodles

    Lobster noodles is a classic Cantonese dish- my family used to eat it every time we visited Chinatown in London- but, for something easier to cook at home, try these stir-fried noodles by Woon Heng.

    Fun fact: (uncut) long noodles are a must-have dish for a Chinese birthday or Cantonese New Year as they symbolise long life!

    Fried Rice

    Rice is a staple at any Chinese table- if you end up with too much, overnight white rice is the secret ingredient to a good plate of fried rice, such as this Cantonese salted fish fried rice by The Woks of Life.

    Click here for more Chinese fried rice recipes.

    Claypot rice is another delicious Cantonese dish but it's not exactly for beginners- you need to buy a claypot for one (although these days there are hacks such as using a rice cooker, you don't get the same flavor) and, if you don't know what you're doing, your claypot may crack!

    Dim sum

    Chee chew fan and char siew bao on a pink dim sum lunch table.

    My favourites include:

    • char siu bao
      • Click here for a RasaMalaysia recipe (If you're wondering why I'm choosing a Malaysian recipe- there are lots of Cantonese in Malaysia. In fact, most Chinese people in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, speak Cantonese!)
    • lo bak gao (savoury carrot cake)
      • Here's a RedHouseSpice recipe
    • sio mai
      • A RecipeTinEats recipe for you!
      • In Philippines, they eat their siomai with calamansi dipping sauce!
    • egg tarts
      • Click here for a recipe from 1 of my favorite food sites, Serious Eats
    • dumplings
      • If you're wondering what side dishes to serve at a dumpling party, click here

    Home cooking

    There are some Cantonese foods that we make at home but you seldom see at fancy restaurants:

    • tomato omelette
      • A recipe from Chinasichuanfood
    • ABC soup
      • Here's a NyonyaCooking recipe
    • Coca Cola wings
      • Here's a Noobcook recipe for beginners!
      • make sure your soda doesn't contain aspartame as when aspartame is heated to above 86F/ 30C, the wood acid in it converts to formaldehyde and then formic acid which leads to metabolic acidosis (and mimics Multiple Sclerosis.) (Aspartame also loses its sweetness when heated.)

    Desserts

    A plate of peanut coated tang yuan with sesame filling next to a bowl of tang yuan in soup.
    Do you prefer your glutinous rice dumplings dry or in ginger soup? I like mine dry with LOTS of roasted ground peanuts!

    These are some popular tong sui (the Cantonese word for dessert- literally "sugar water."

    Sea Coconut dessert with longan sweet soup recipe
    A Cooling Sea Coconut dessert with longan sweet soup, the perfect tong sui for hot days.
    Click here for Asian sea coconut tong sui.
    A bowl of Asian sea coconut cooling dessert.
    2 bowls of black sesame soup, 1 with glutinous rice flour and 1 without.
    Easy Black Sesame Soup Dessert
    A sweet and creamy Chinese recipe, with nutty overtones giving this easy black sesame soup dessert a complex depth of flavour. Moreover, this 3-ingredient traditional Chinese Tong Sui is naturally vegan, gluten-free, delicious & very nutritious!
    Click here for this nourishing and warming sesame dessert.
    2 bowls of Chinese black sesame tong sui next to pink flowers.
    Tang Yuan (With Filling and Plain)
    Tang yuan, or Chinese glutinous rice balls, are a 2 to 3-ingredient chewy snack that can be served in soup (sweet or savoury) or fried. Served at Chinese family gatherings, especially the Winter Solstice, they also come plain or with filling inside so, as you can see, this is a very versatile and easy dish! 
    Click here for the sweet rice dessert.
    A bowl of colourful tang yuan and a plate of dry glutinous rice dumplings.

    Delicacies

    There are several luxurious and sometimes controversial Cantonese dishes, such as bird's nest and shark's fin soup.

    Easy Swallow Nest Soup (Bird's Nest Dessert)
    The easiest Chinese bird's nest dessert you could ever make!
    Click here for a super easy Chinese birds' nest dessert recipe.
    Close-up of a spoonful of steamed bird's nest sweet soup.

    Drinks

    2 cups of Hong Kong yuan yang tea drink,
    A staple at Hong Kong Cha chan tengs and dai pai dongs, Hong Kong coffee milk tea is a classic!
    Hong Kong Coffee milk tea recipe
    Also known as Yuanyang, Yun Yeung or Yuenyueng tea, Hong Kong Coffee milk tea is a simple 4-ingredient, 3-step recipe that anyone can easily make at home. Tastes great both as a hot drink or cold- warming in winter and refreshing in summer!
    Click here for the traditional cha chan teng drink recipe.
    Overhead shot of a cup of Hong Kong coffee milk tea.

    What are your favourite easy Cantonese recipes? If you've enjoyed this list, please pin it or share it on Twitter/ Facebook. Alternatively, if I've left out a must-try-Cantonese-dish, do let me know in the comments below!

    I have other recipes you may like here! :)

    • A spoonful of Chinese black vinegar up close.
      Black Vinegar Substitutes (12 Best + Worst)
    • A bowl of shrimp congee toped with fresh green onions.
      Best Congee Toppings
    • Close-up of a bowl of green Palak Khichdi with a red garnish.
      31 Asian Green Foods for St. Patricks Day
    • Close-up of gochujang butternut squash baked fries.
      24 Asian Side Dishes for Chicken Tenders

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Angie says

      July 31, 2022 at 11:46 pm

      lo bak gao (savoury carrot cake). Do they call it carrot in Singapore? It's white turnips based upon my experience and other recipes.

      Reply
      • Zen says

        August 01, 2022 at 2:28 pm

        Yep we call it carrot cake in Singapore, Angie, but some people also call it turnip cake or radish cake. I just made some for lunch today actually! (My Mom's fave dish!)

        Reply

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    Greedygirlgourmet eating 2 sandwiches in Scotland

    Hi I'm Zhen also known as GGG! I couldn't boil water till I was 18 but after living abroad (in St. Andrews then London) for 11 years and having to cook for myself, I now love cooking for friends and family. Learning to cook late, I make sure my recipes go into enough detail for those new to Asian cuisine or who love a test kitchen approach to cooking!

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