Dish Family Guide
Chinese Dessert Guide
Chinese desserts include bakery items, sweet soups, sesame balls, egg tarts, tofu pudding, mooncakes, shaved ice, fruit, and Hong Kong cafe sweets.
Category map
| Category | What it means | Common signals |
|---|---|---|
| Egg tarts | Custard tart with pastry shell. | Egg, dairy, wheat. |
| Sesame balls | Fried glutinous rice balls with filling. | Sesame, shared fryer. |
| Sweet soups | Red bean, black sesame, almond, tofu pudding. | Nuts, sesame, soy, sugar. |
| Bakery buns | Pineapple bun, custard bun, coconut bun. | Wheat, egg, dairy. |
| Mooncakes | Filled pastry for Mid-Autumn Festival. | Egg, nuts, wheat, sugar. |
| Cafe desserts | Mango pudding, shaved ice, red bean ice. | Dairy, sugar, fruit, gelatin. |
Ordering strategy
Treat the dish family as a clue, not a complete answer. The restaurant format, sauce, wrapper, broth, and filling usually matter more than the English category name.