Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Hong Kong part 2

In this part I will show you pastries I "picked up" on the way while sightseeing (I was always looking for bakeries). I knew about some products I tried while I was still in NYC, but this was as authentic as it can get.
Hong Kong has many bakeries with amazing and unusual pastries and breads I have seen so far. What I've noticed, all the breads and super white and extremely light and fluffy. Yes, they do contain high levels of food additives which gives that particular texture, but that's what makes them so delicious :) 

On the inside of this bun there was a layer of glutinous rice dough and the middle was completely liquid! I am not quite sure what it was but to me it seemed like sweetened egg yolk that just oozed out (trust me, I tried taking a picture, but it went all over the place).


This was my favorite while I was still in NY. Pineapple bun or with it's original name Bolo Bao literally means Pineapple bread (also the only and most important word I know in Cantonese besides thank you). It has a fluffy texture with a sugary, crispy, buttery top, mmmm. You can get it plain or with many different fillings, but the most common and traditional one in HK is plain (still warm), with a chunk of cold butter inside. Holy Bao! I didn't know what to do with myself how good it was.


Egg tart is the most traditional Cantonese dessert. They are made everywhere, but it is very hard to find a perfect one, which I was lucky enough to experience. Some have shortcrust, some kind of puff pastry. The one above was quite unusual because as I was told, most people only eat the filling not the crust, and this particular one was cup shaped because of how much filling it had. It was very good until I tried the one below. This place specializes in egg tarts that are served still warm with the custard center still partially liquid. The crust, custard, flavor, texture, everything was perfect. 




Here we have a small tapioca and rice flour bun, more salty then sweet, flavored with black sesame.


HK is also the king of sago or tapioca pearls. I remember when I first came to the States I was served a tapioca pudding, boy I hated it. It was the first time for me to experience that kind of texture which I adore now. I went to this place by recommendation from my fellow and absolutely amazing coworker and friend who is from HK. In this cup from the bottom are small tapioca pearls, mango puree and chunks united with smooth coconut milk. Slightly sweet, perfect dessert. 


This was some type of laminated dough, but layered with a chocolate paste. Texture was quite good, but the flavor of chocolate or coco powder wasn't as good. Still, very nice idea and definitely eye catching!


I will do another post on Hong Kong, because there are a few more things I'd like to share with you! 

4 comments:

  1. Tamara - Hvala što me pratiš, uvijek rado pročitam tvoj komentar! :)

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  2. Moram priznati da me baš i ne mame njihove poslastice (za razliku od slanog dela) ali bi uvek rado probala nešto novo! Ovo je toliko drugačije kao da je pola planete od nas! :)

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  3. Just wanted to say hi on your new blog - I'm glad you're still writing, I've always enoyed your stories and your fantastic photos.

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