If there’s one thing that defines Hong Kong’s food culture, then it’s got to be dim sum. Visitors to this little slice of the Orient will not find a sojourn complete unless they try these delightful mini-meals and snacks.

Dim sum, which literally means to “touch the heart,” is composed of an assortment of food choices served in steaming bamboo baskets and normally accompanied by Chinese tea. Dim sum is usually eaten from morning till lunchtime, although there are many dim sum restaurants and eateries that offer round-the-clock specialties.

Eating dim sum at a teahouse is also an established social norm in Hong Kong, where the entire dining experience is known as yum cha. In addition, teahouses have a wide range of affordable snacks aside from dim sum such as noodles, cake and desserts. Some specialties, such as daan tart, are unique to the territory.

Below are the best dim sum and teahouse choices that any first-time visitor should try:

Har gow – These are shrimp dumplings wrapped in translucent flour-based skin. The dumplings are filled with cooked pork, bamboo shoots, scallions, cornstarch, sesame oil, soy sauce, and seasonings.

Siu mai – Steamed pork dumplings popular in southeastern China and best accompanied with tea. The pork is usually mixed with whole and/or chopped shrimp, black mushrooms and seasonings.

Char siu bau – Also known as baozi, these are barbecued pork buns. The steamed version is milky white, while the baked version has a brownish glaze. Many regional variations can also be found throughout Southeast Asia.

Chuk – Commonly known as congee, this is rice porridge sprinkled with garnishings like scallions and eaten with deep-fried dough  or yau char gwai.

Yu daan fan – Another Hong Kong favorite, this is a hot pot noodle soup brimming with balls made from fish meat.  Variations include noodles with beef balls and cuttlefish balls.

Wonton noodles – Dumplings filled with shrimps and usually served in a hot bowl of noodles and known as wonton soup. The broth is flavored by boiled shrimp shells, pork bones and dried flounder.

Lo mai gai - A specially-made rice mix wrapped and cooked in a lotus leaf along with some other ingredients like Chinese mushroom, pork, chicken and shrimps. Although it is not eaten, the leaf imparts a special flavor to the whole mix.

Chun guen – Commonly known as spring rolls, these are generous servings of ground pork and shrimps wrapped in rolled-up glutinous rice wrappers. Crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside.

Bor law yau - a hot sweet bun stuffed with melted butter,  a favorite city snack best accompanied with a glass of Hong Kong-style milk tea.

Daan tart – One of Hong Kong’s best-known sweets, a dainty egg custard with a crisp pastry shell. Variations include custards with layered, croissant-like crust while others have a crushed crumb-type crust. (Miles T)

Source: Discover Hong kong and Wikipedia