HKDictionary

Cantonese Desserts (Tong Sui)

Dessert in Hong Kong usually means 糖水 (tong4 seoi2) — literally sugar water, a warm or chilled sweet soup eaten after dinner. Every dessert shop has the same core menu, so these words will carry you through almost any of them.

tongˎ₄糖seoiˊ²水
sweet Chinese dessert soup -- typical examples include 紅豆沙 (red bean soup), 杏仁糊 (almond paste soup), and 芝麻糊 (sesame paste soup), Written Chinese 國: 甜湯
ziˉ¹芝maaˎ₄麻wuˊ²糊
sesame paste soup -- a sweet Chinese dessert soup (糖水) made from sesame seeds
joengˎ₄楊ziˉ¹枝gamˉ¹甘louˍ₆露
a type of drink made of mango sago with pomelo
dauˍ₆豆fuˍ₆腐faaˉ¹花
soybean/beancurd dessert - a dessert made of beancurd, served either hot or cold, and generally sweet, although it can be savoury
hungˎ₄紅dauˊ²豆saaˉ¹沙
red bean soup -- a sweet Chinese dessert soup (糖水) made from red beans
loengˎ₄涼fanˊ²粉
grass jelly (also 仙草)
gwaiˉ¹龜lingˎ₄苓gouˉ¹膏
herbal turtle jelly
saiˉ¹西maiˏ₅米louˍ₆露
dessert of sago and coconuts milk
soengˉ¹雙pei2/4皮naaiˏ₅奶
double skin milk, sweet cheese
syut˗₃雪gouˉ¹糕
ice-cream | Mand.: 冰淇淋

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Frequently asked questions

What does tong sui mean in Cantonese?

糖水 (tong4 seoi2) means sugar water — the catch-all name for Cantonese sweet soups served hot or cold at the end of a meal.

What is 楊枝甘露 (joeng4 zi1 gam1 lou6)?

Mango pomelo sago: chilled mango purée with sago pearls and pomelo segments. It was invented in Hong Kong in the 1980s and is now on every dessert menu.

How do you say ice cream in Cantonese?

雪糕 (syut3 gou1), literally snow cake. Standard Mandarin uses 冰淇淋 instead.

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