Chinese New Year (CNY) in Hong Kong is synonymous with the sights of blossoms, fai chuns and copious amounts of CNY puddings, from the traditional turnip cake to taro, water chestnut, ginger and more. Most of us will have our own preferences when it comes to the type of pudding and the way it’s cooked, but have you ever stopped to think about their environmental impact?
From an eco perspective, we may not be able to fully control the packaging of CNY puddings and/or poon choi during the festive season, but choosing a plant-based version is still a step in the right direction to lighten your carbon footprint! To help you out, here’s a list of eight places where you can find plant- based CNY puddings and poon choi in Hong Kong.
1. Green Common
Green Common never ceases to impress with their innovative vegan alternatives to Hong Kong staples. This year, they’ve used superfoods such as quinoa to produce two unique CNY cakes.
The Pumpkin Rice Cake with Red Quinoa, Turmeric & Oatmilk is perfectly smooth and just the right amount of sweet. Using oat milk instead of traditional coconut milk also means that it’s much lower in fat and cholesterol.
The plant-based ingredients in their Omni Pork Vegan XO Sauce Red Quinoa Turnip Cake make for a turnip cake supercharged with nutrients. Green Common’s unique XO sauce blend, made of lion’s mane mushrooms, chilli and natural spices also gives it a spicy kick.
Prices:
- Pumpkin Rice Cake with Red Quinoa, Turmeric & Oatmilk: Promotional price: HK$128 (Original price: HK$138)
- OmniPork Vegan XO Sauce Red Quinoa Turnip Cake: Promotional price: HK$138 (Original price: HK$158)
2. Ahimsa Buffet
Known for their amazing (not to mention affordable) vegan buffet spread, Ahimsa’s CNY puddings are also among Hong Kong’s best. Apart from the traditional turnip cake, they also offer a refreshing, Osmanthus Chestnut Cake and a Red Bean Cake that is perfectly soft and chewy.
As for poon choi, Ahimsa uses vegan substitutes such as vegan abalone, duck and shrimp for an equally decadent version. Topped with a vegan oyster sauce, it’s an impressive rendition of the real thing.
Prices:
CNY Puddings
- Vegan Turnip Cake: HK$138
- Golden Osmanthus Water Chestnut Cake: HK$128
- Red Bean Cake: HK$128
Poon Choi
- For 4 to 6 people: HK$788
- For 10 to 12 people: HK$1,488
3. Royal Plaza Hotel
Royal Plaza’s Dee King Heen restaurant is a crowd favourite for traditional Cantonese cuisine. Their Deluxe Vegetarian Poon Choi is packed with delectable, auspicious delicacies, including the Monkey Head Mushroom and Pineapple with Sweet and Sour Sauce to Braised Bean Curd with Morel Mushroom.
Prices:
The Deluxe Vegetarian Poon Choi is priced at:
- For 2 people: HK$438
- For 4 people: HK$868
- For 6 people: HK$1,288
- For 12 people, HK$2,488
4. Soil to Soul
Vegan contemporary Korean restaurant Soil to Soul is an ode to the culinary approach in Buddhist monasteries. The restaurant offers a Vegetarian Poon Choi with a Korean twist that’s filled with Soil to Soul’s signatures, such as tofu skin pockets and radish dumplings. Compared to traditional poon choi, Soil to Soul’s version is a lighter option that uses sweet potato and zucchini noodles as its base.
Prices:
- For 4 people: HK$888
- For 8 people: HK$1,688
5. Jouer
For Chinese New Year, Jouer has collaborated with Black Garlic Eatery to create two creative reinterpretations of classic CNY puddings. The two layered Vegan CNY pudding is made of locally sourced ingredients, with a ginger coconut top layer and bottom layer made with purple sweet potato. For something more savoury, Jouer’s vegan turnip cake is crafted from locally sourced turnips, Japanese Kibu soup and Chinese mushrooms. Both puddings boast natural ingredients with no added preservatives, MSG or artificial colouring.
Prices:
- Vegan CNY Pudding: HK$200
- Black Garlic Vegan Turnip Cake: HK$200
6. Dong Lai Shun 東來順 (Royal Garden Hotel, Kowloon)
Royal Garden’s famed 1 Michelin-starred restaurant Dong Lai Shun offers many variations of poon choi. However, our top pick has to be the Golden Vegetarian Poon Choi – a decadent platter of vegetarian abalone, vegetarian meatball, lotus root, bean curd sheets and more.
Price:
Golden Vegetarian Poon Choi: Promotional price: HK$1,488 (Original price: HK$1,888)
7. The Cakery
The Cakery always manages to dream up healthier and equally delicious versions of our much-loved desserts. For Chinese New Year, they’re offering three types of pudding options for those who love CNY pudding but want to keep their sugar intake low. Both their Red Date Goji Pudding and Red Sugar Rice Pudding are free of refined sugars!
They’ve also elevated the traditional turnip cake by adding truffle and topping it off with some vegan caviar and gold foil.
Prices:
- Red Date Goji Pudding: HK$205
- Vegan Truffle Turnip Cake: HK$205
- Vegan Red Sugar Rice Pudding: HK$178
8. Taste of Veg HK
Launched by a community of people who want to promote greener lifestyles and vegetarian food, Taste of Veg offers vegetarian and organic food and lifestyle products on its platform.
Taste of Veg has a big assortment of CNY Chinese puddings. For those who want something traditional, they have turnip and taro cakes, the Golden Pumpkin Pudding and Coconut Glutinous Rice Cake are made for those who want something more unique.
Prices:
- Vegan Turnip Cake: HK$148
- Vegan Taro Cake: HK$148
- Veggie Coconut Glutinous Rice Cake: HK$148
- Veggie Water Chestnut Cake: HK$148
- Golden Pumpkin Pudding: HK$122
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See also: Veganuary: Where To Eat Plant-Based & Vegan Food In Hong Kong
