{"id":48546,"date":"2026-04-30T08:50:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T00:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=48546"},"modified":"2026-04-30T08:50:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T00:50:35","slug":"on-the-menu-chinese-desserts-like-red-bean-black-sesame-and-sago-soups-are-having-their-moment-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=48546","title":{"rendered":"On the Menu | Chinese desserts like red bean, black sesame and sago soups are having their moment again"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Several years ago, I opined about the misguided hate towards Chinese desserts<\/span>, and how a subset of Hongkongers were attempting to buck the stereotype of sweet soups and puddings as boring, one-dimensional, or too sweet.<\/div>\n
In the time since, the usual wave of sugary trends has waxed and waned: from croffle madness<\/span> to the rise and fall of doughnut shops to the dominance of Dubai chocolate<\/span> and all of its iterations.<\/div>\n
Now, we are seeing a resurgence of dessert specialists that are honing in on more classic local flavours and techniques, while some are playing with the blueprints a little. Meanwhile, dessert soup stalwarts such as Kai Kai Dessert \u2013 so popular it inspired post-punk rockers NYPD<\/span> to pen a song about it \u2013 are expanding quickly with new branches on both sides of the harbour.<\/div>\n
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<\/div>Stewed papaya with snow fungus (left) and black sesame soup (right) served at Kai Kai Dessert. Photo: Alexander Mak<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Similarly, Prince Edward\u2019s Yup Moment, which specialises in Chinese dessert soups with a modern touch, opened a new branch in Kowloon City. It serves signature desserts such as coconut and pistachio cream sweet soup, longan shaved ice and mango sweet soup with mini mochi \u2013 the last a bit of a hat-tip to the item popularised by now-defunct mango dessert chain Hui Lau Shan<\/span>.<\/div>\n
Most recently, Oi Man Sang, the popular dai pai dong in Sham Shui Po on Kowloon side, unveiled Oi Sweets<\/span>, its own desserts parlour that is distinct from its visual DNA. Instead of serving the expected sweet endings, the team have dreamed up a series of fashionable desserts that are old favourites with a nip-tuck and a new stylist.<\/div>\n
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<\/div>Sweet dessert soups at Yup Moment. Photo: Instagram\/caedf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Classic dragonbeard candy is pulled and wrapped around chocolate-coated pistachio gelato, while nostalgic baked sago pudding gets a fresh presentation with a clay pot vessel and a quenelle of ice cream.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![\"Stewed](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/04\/29\/91c293d7-ba31-462b-86bb-95b95515cf3e_b64a0fd1.jpg\" "\\"Stewed")
<\/div>![\"Sweet](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2026\/04\/29\/26cc45e0-2c87-4bc3-9fe4-bc5a23a88d76_68143f92.jpg\" "\\"Sweet")
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