The best way to experience the local food culture is to dine in places where only the local visit. While there are many restaurants and cafes and Cha Chan Teng around Hong Kong where you can find many locals, I really love visiting Sham Shui Po area where you can catch the locals in action buying their fish or vegetables from the local markets. There are also street stores selling everyday wares as well as clothes and bags at a price affordable to the group of lower income locals.
Kung Wo is located in a row of shophouses amongst the humble butcher and vegetable seller. Most locals visit the store to buy their fresh bean curd, tofu and all soy products as the store not only sells freshly made sweet bean curd desserts but also all soy products many Chinese family uses in their cooking.
Kung Wo has been around for 50 odd years and it started first as a soy bean produce factory store selling beans products. It only started selling sweet bean curd later. The store is very small and there is limited seats and table for dine in.
For those who wish to buy an entire bucket of sweet bean curd pudding for parties can also order in advance at HDK 200 only. Feel transported into the 80s once you step into the store as the décor is authentic from the olden days.
For those who wants to eat breakfast like a local, you can try the rice rolls. Unlike the rice rolls in dim sum restaurants, these are plain rolls tightly rolled together and slathered with a generous serving of soy sauce, sesame creamy sauce as well as the red sweet sauce. The taste is very different from the ones in Singapore as the overall sauce is very light but with strong sesame flavours. The rolls are also very springy with a smooth texture. The rice roll cost only HKD 11 per plate. The rice rolls are sold at the stall just outside and sells a variety of other dishes like curry fish ball, siew mai and chicken wing.
You can also try their soy bean products on the spot as the sell a variety of pan fried fish cake and bean curd filled with pork. The fish cake is full of umami flavours and you can choose to dip it into the sauces provided as well. The bean curd itself is extremely fragrant and you can taste the deep taste of the soy even though the bean curd was only lightly fried. The mixed selection which is as above is only HKD 13.
The main highlight is the sweet bean curd pudding which is about HKD 10 per bowl. The pudding itself is very smooth and bland without any additional sugar and sweet syrup added. Having it on its own, you can taste the pure and natural taste of the soy beans and the smoothness and softness of the pudding.
For those who wish to have their pudding sweet can choose to sprinkle the sweet ginger sugar provided at the side. With the sugar added, there is an additional crunchy texture and a subtle sweet flavour to the pudding. Personally, I like the version with the sugar added.
One of the highlight for me is to actually buy some of their soy products for cooking some of the dishes at home. 2 of the items which I have bought and would recommend chefs to purchase would be the fermented bean curd and the red fermented bean curd. Different from the ones we see from supermarkets or even our market provision stalls, these are really good grade fermented bean curd. The fragrance and the strong natural taste in the bean curd really comes through and bring out the taste in the food. The white fermented bean curd can be used as a side dish for porridge for the sick or used as a sauce for vegetables. The red fermented bean curd is used more for the marinating of meats or the making of vegetarian dishes. Do be careful bringing them home as the bottles may leak since it is not factory produced air tight but with a simple screw cap.
Address: G/F, 118 Pei Ho Street, Sham Shui Po
Operating hours: 7 am to 9 pm
Nearest Station: Sham Shui Po MTR Exit B2
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