Hanna Hussein tries duck rice, dim sum and Xinjiang Muslim cuisine
TASTING local delicacies is a must when I visit a new destination but I can’t expect new halal options every time. My visit to Hong Kong is enjoyable as halal restaurants are not a problem here.
There is a small Muslim population in Hong Kong, and Islam has been practised in Hong Kong for more than 175 years.
The following are three of my favourite local eateries that serve halal Hong Kong food.
QUACK, QUACK
Let’s start with the most popular yet very simple Chinese dish — duck rice. You can try it at Wai Kee, one of the best places in Hong Kong which serves halal duck rice.
Located at Bowrington Market Cooked Food Market, Wai Kee’s stall can be easily spotted from the entrance of the food court on the first floor. You can sit anywhere but thereareacoupleofspecialtablesprovided with clean and halal-compliant cutlery for Wai Kee customers.
The menu is quite basic and available in English. There’s a choice of roast duck, soy sauce or steamed chicken, curry dishes and more.You can even pair them with rice.
I am no fan of duck, but I don’t want to misstryingit! So I opt for the recommended roast duck thigh with rice set for HK$48 (RM24) and add a plate of cooked fresh vegetables (HK$10).
However, unlike our local chicken rice that comes with soup and sauce, you can add soup of the day at HK$8.
The set menu comes with a generous portion of rice, a huge duck thigh and green vegetables on the side. Plus, the glazed brownish crispy duck skin really looks tempting.
The taste is as good as it looks. Theduck meat is succulent and tender. It’s so good, I eat everything on my plate.
DIM SUM
Another must-try Chinese food in Hong Kong is dim sum. Where to get halal ones? Head to the Islamic Centre Canteen at Masjid Ammar and Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Centre on Oi Kwan Road in Wan
Chai.
The restaurant is on the fifth floor of the building. Oh, don’t worry, there’s an elevator. The dining hall is really big, and almost crowded during lunch. My advice, book a table in advance or come after peak
lunch hour.
The menu is quite extensive. There’s a variety of dim sum, both deep-fried and steamed. There are also other Cantonese dishes and fried rice, fish, meat and vegetarian dishes.
Those who like spicy food like myself, try pan-fried chicken with red and green pepper and pan-fried sliced beef with spicy sauce Szechuan style.
A FEAST
Ma’s Restaurant on Cheung Sha Wan Road in Sham Shui Po is where one can feast on Xinjiang Muslim cuisine. Take a peek at the menu, and you’ll probably want to order everything!
My friends and I order a few dishes including steamed fish, kung pao chicken and shrimp omelette.
Our verdict - so good we are completely satisfied!
LOCAL DESSERTS
1) TOFU SWEETNESS
IF you like tau fu fah, head to the A1 Tofu Company, the bean curd pudding specialist located in the shopping district of Mong Kok. However, the bean curd pudding is slightly different from what we have in Malaysia.
Here, you can choose to have it cold or hot, and you can select the syrup to go with it — simple orange crystal sugar, ginger sugar syrup, red bean paste, sesame paste, almond paste, evaporated milk, barley and ginko paste and green bean paste.
A packet of crystal sugar comes with takeaways!
2) RICE PUDDING
NOT too far from the tofu dessert shop is Kwan Kee which offers assorted signature Chinese rice pudding, white sugar cake, red bean pudding and more, made fresh daily.
This Michelin Guide store is crowded with customers.
3) EGG TART
THE egg tart is one of Hong Kong’s popular desserts. Get a taste of it at Chrisly Inn at Nice Garden on Queen’s Road.
It’s a quirky cafe where you can get halal-certified desserts including egg tarts, pineapple buns, wife cakes and more!