🥟 Why are siu mai mostly filled with fish? Hong Kong street food secrets revealed!

Hello everyone~ Today I want to share with you a little bit about the heart of Hong Kong street food: siu mai ! 😍
Visit a tea restaurant, a school tavern, or a street food stall, and you're bound to see baskets of piping hot, golden siomai. When Hong Kongers refer to "siomai," they often mean fish , not the pork and shrimp dim sum you find at restaurants. So, the question is: Why are fish the most common fillings in Hong Kong's street food? Let's unpack the historical, cultural, economic, and flavorful secrets behind these fillings.

📖 Siu Mai: Two Worlds

Restaurant Dim Sum Siu Mai

• Filled with pork or shrimp and topped with crab roe or diced carrots.
• It is a Cantonese dim sum that emphasizes delicacy and freshness. 🍤

Street food siu mai

• Most of them are filled with fish meat, with yellow skin and small grains.
• Affordable and popular, usually a few pieces are strung together with bamboo sticks. 🍢

When Hong Kong people talk about "eating siu mai" in daily life, they often mean the latter - fish siu mai.

🐟 Why are most street siu mai filled with fish?

1. History of Hong Kong's fishing industry

In the 1950s and 1960s, Hong Kong had a thriving fishing industry and an abundant supply of fish. Fish meat was relatively inexpensive compared to pork and shrimp, so street vendors naturally used fish meat as stuffing to reduce costs. 💰

2. Affordable

Street food emphasizes "cheap, delicious, and authentic." Fish and meat siu mai are low-cost to make, so the price can be kept very affordable, making it easy for students and working people to eat every day. 📚💼

3. Easy to process

The fish meat can be beaten into fish paste and seasoned with a small amount of starch, which makes it easier to shape. The resulting siu mai has a chewy texture and is easy to mass-produce. 👩🍳

4. Friendly taste

The fish siu mai has a nice, chewy texture and a light flavor that's easy to swallow. It's highly acceptable to both adults and children, and you won't get sick of it at all. 😋

5. Street culture stereotypes

Because fish siu mai has been popular for decades, it has become the standard image of "siu mai" in the minds of Hong Kong people. Even though there are pork, beef, and chicken versions of siu mai today, "fish siu mai" is still the king of street food. 👑

🍴 Fish Siu Mai’s special features

• Yellow crust : Most are made of flour and pigment, with a golden color, which makes it more attractive when you see it falling. 🌟
• Fish filling : mostly use dace meat or other fish paste, mixed with starch and seasoning.
• Steaming method : Usually steamed in a large steamer to keep it hot and spicy. ♨️
• How to eat : String 4 pieces on bamboo sticks, add sweet soy sauce or hot sauce, and eat while walking.

🌍 Fish Siu Mai and Hong Kong Culture

Representative of common snacks

Fish and meat dumplings are only priced at a few dollars and have become a must-have "happy snack" for students after school.

Campus Memories

Many Hong Kong people recall that eating a skewer of siu mai for a few dollars at the school snack bar, paired with a cup of lemon tea, was the happiest afternoon tea time. 📚💛

Street Style

Fish and meat siu mai stalls are everywhere on the streets and have become an integral part of Hong Kong's streetscape. Visitors to Hong Kong must try the curry fish balls + fish and meat siu mai to experience the authentic flavor. 🌏

🤔 What do you think?

The author believes that the reason why fish dumplings are so popular is not only because they are cheap and delicious, but also because they are part of our collective memories .
A tiny, diced fish dumpling carries the childhood flavors of generations of Hong Kong people. Although it's not made with premium ingredients, it's this familiarity and down-to-earthness that makes it a classic of Hong Kong's snack culture. ✨

🎉 Editor’s Summary

Most of the siu mai sold on Hong Kong streets are made with fish. The reasons for this are:

• Fish is in sufficient supply and at low cost
• Easy to process, chewy texture
• Popular, suitable for street food positioning
• It has become a cultural symbol and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

👉 Next time you eat fish siu mai, take a closer look at it. That "ordinary yet familiar" taste is actually the epitome of Hong Kong street culture! 🥟🐟