Published : 16/03/2025
Cha Chaan Teng, also known as Hong Kong-style Café, can be considered the dining hall of Hong Kong residents. According to data from the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong, as of 2023, there are a total of 2,410 Cha Chaan Teng in this city, making it the most numerous category of eateries.
As a regular at Cha Chaan Teng, besides drinking milk tea and coffee, have you ever tried "Monk Jumps into the Sea"? And do you know the difference between "Cocoa" and chocolate?
At a Cha Chaan Teng, you can enjoy a bowl of noodle with spam and egg in the morning, or a plate of Braised Tofu and Roast Pork Belly with Rice (豆腐火腩飯) for lunch; a cup of Hong Kong-style milk tea with an egg tart for afternoon tea or a hearty steak dinner in the evening would be a good choice as well.
Cha Chaan Teng serves as a microcosm of Hong Kong—small yet comprehensive, blending Chinese and Western cuisine, offering a wide variety of dishes. Some Cha Chaan Teng are renowned for their "lightning-fast service", which reflects the rapid pace of life in Hong Kong.
The humble tonic "Monk Jumps into the Sea"
"Monk Jumps into the Sea" (和尚跳海) actually refers to a drink made with a poached egg in hot water.
The intriguing name comes from the appearance and transformation of the egg in the water: the round egg yolk resembles a monk's bald head, and the egg white poached in boiling water slowly disperses like the monk's cassock.
In the past, when society was not so affluent, the general public often lacked nutrition, and boiling water egg was considered a "people's tonic." To neutralise the raw eggy strong taste, sugar was usually added.
Later, evolved versions like "milk water egg" (奶水蛋) in Cha Chaan Teng emerged, where condensed milk or milk is added, enhancing both the flavour and nutritional value.
Beef juice without beef
Speaking of nutritious beverages in Cha Chaan Teng, there's also the once-popular "Beef Tea". Beef tea is a drink made by diluting beef extract with hot water, most notably the British brand "Bovril" (保衛爾).
During times of scarcity, beef was considered a luxury, so affordable concentrated beef broth emerged. Many who did labour-intensive work loved to order a cup of beef tea at Cha Chaan Teng to replenish their energy.
Additionally, it became common for families to keep beef extract at home to add it to rice or congee to boost nutrition for their children.
It is said that beef extract was invented during the Franco-Prussian War in the late 19th century by a businessman to meet the food and nutritional needs of Napoleon III's army. However, due to the outbreak of mad cow disease in Britain, most Bovril products have since transitioned to a yeast extract formula, eliminating any beef content.
What is the difference between Cocoa and chocolate?
In an old-style Cha Chaan Teng, if you ordered a "Dutch cocoa" (荷蘭唂咕), and what came was a drink that looked like chocolate. Are cocoa and chocolate the same thing?
The cocoa in Cha Chaan Teng and chocolate are not exactly the same. Cocoa is made from pure cocoa powder mixed with water, which gives it a more bitter taste. As for chocolate, it is made from cocoa powder, sugar, and creamer, making it smoother and more aromatic.
However, since many restaurants add milk or evaporated milk when making cocoa, diners may not notice the difference.
Read more: Hong Kong Cha Chaan Teng｜Making Yuenyeung is more difficult than milk tea
Is the "silk-stocking milk tea" really made with silk stockings?
Many people refer to Hong Kong-style milk tea in Cha Chaan Teng as "silk-stocking milk tea" (絲襪奶茶) leading some to misunderstand that authentic Hong Kong-style milk tea is made with actual silk stockings.
In fact, the nickname "silk-stocking milk tea" comes from the white filter bags used to brew tea, which turn coffee-coloured after prolonged use, resembling silk stockings, hence the name. There is no direct relation to silk stockings.
Hong Kong-style milk tea originated from English milk tea and can be seen as a creative way to repurpose ingredients. In the past, common people could not afford the expensive ingredients of English milk tea. Some chefs working in Western restaurants saw that the tea leaves used to make English milk tea were discarded after a single use.
To avoid waste, they began to save the tea leaves and steep them again in cloth bags, gradually developing the rich flavour characteristic of Cha Chaan Teng milk tea.
Read more: Hong Kong Cha Chaan Teng｜Interview with "Father of Milk Tea" Wong Ka Wo