Asian Desserts + Sweets | Our Favorites
Asian sweets are quite different than traditional American desserts- bakery items are usually less sweet and ingredients differ as well, less chocolate and more fruit, red bean and cream. Below are some of our favorite desserts and sweets.
- Almond Float- this dessert pairs almond flavored gelatin, fruit cocktail and a sweet syrup concoction. You can usually find a push cart dishing out this treat at dim sum.
- Sweet Rice Balls (tang yuan) – these boiled sticky rice balls can be filled with red bean, peanut or sesame and are served hot and sometimes in a sweet soup or syrup. These warm chewy balls are absolutely delicious.
- Dragon Beard Candy- these candies are made from sugar and maltose syrup which are hand pulled and twisted into fine threads and then shaped and filled with different ingredients such as peanut and sesame seeds. It is also quite a show to see these candies made live in person.
- Shaved Ice- these flaky ice layers are topped with a wide variety of toppings including condensed milk, fruit, jellies, and red beans. Fancier shaved ice can also come flavored (chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, green tea) and is more like an ice cream. My son’s favorite toppings are mango with condensed milk!
- Bakery- we love all sweet bakery items! Our top picks are dan tat, bolo bao, swiss rolls and sponge cake.
- Sesame Balls- these deep-fried sticky rice wonders are filled with a sweet filling (red bean, sesame, mung bean) and coated in sesame seeds. Definitely a must have at dim sum to finish your meal.
- Cake – usually Asian cakes are light, fluffy and a little more like a sponge cake and are less sweet than a traditional American cake. Icing is the same, creamier, less sweet and fluffier like cool whip. Cakes are sometimes decorated with fruit toppings and fruit can also be included inside the cake. Pickup a swiss roll at the bakery as a sweet treat!
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