Florence Yu hits the road to find out what's cooking.

Street food is an all-time favorite worldwide, a great way to taste the flavors of local life. But how often have you stopped to sample our own street offerings? Hawker stalls serving cheap and tasty food became popular in the 1950s and 60s, following the influx of immigrants from China. They were part of the warp and weave of the city, places to meet and interact with neighbors, to linger and chat. But regulations introduced by the government in the 70s turned hawkers into an increasingly rare breed, with most cooked-food carts these days being run illegally, stopping on a street corner long enough to serve a few customers before packing up and scooting off to dodge inspectors. Today, you’re most likely to find them in Sheung Wan, Causeway Bay, Mongkok, Kowloon City and Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This seasonal favorite is cooked among chunks of charcoal in what look like giant metal oil drums, and you can smell them in the winter air long before you spot them. Choose from the sweet yellow-centered variety or the less common, purple-centered variety, both served steaming hot. Be careful not to burn your fingers when you peel the char-grilled skin.

Where: Wing Wo Street, Sheung Wan, near the side entrance to the Sincere department store.

Roasted Chestnuts

Another popular seasonal item, these chestnuts are cooked in a wok full of charcoal granules, usually by an old man wearing blackened workmen’s gloves. The shells are also blackened by the coals, making them messy to peel and eat – but the sweet flesh is worth the effort.

Where: Des Voeux Road in Sheung Wan and Central.

Coconut Candy Wraps

Popular with children and adults alike, these candy wraps are made with slices of wafers, coconut flakes and granulated sugar wrapped in a thin flour pancake. Watch them being made while you wait and make sure to scoop up the last delicious flakes in the little paper bag they come in – shame to waste them.

Where: Outside Mitsukoshi, Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay.

Noodle Carts

Choose from vermicelli, flat rice noodles, thin wheat noodles, thick wheat noodles and a choice of up to five different fillings, usually fish balls, meat balls, dumplings, chicken wings, beef brisket, octopus legs, pig’s belly, turnips and stem vegetables among others.  Delicious.

Where: Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei; Mongkok; Wah Fu Estate near Aberdeen.

Fish Ball Stalls

Available in spicy or non-spicy flavors, fish balls usually come six to a skewer, cooked in homemade curry sauce. As well as fish balls, these stalls often offer octopus slices, sausages, pig’s intestine and “siu mei” – dough, starch and food-coloring imitations of the pork and shrimp dumplings served in dim sum restaurants. However, with a bit of soy and chili sauce, you will have forgotten what they are meant to be in the first place. Be sure to load your skewers with a variety of sauces.

Where: Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok; Prince Edward Road West, Prince Edward; Cannon Street, Causeway Bay.

Smelly Tofu

Perhaps the most infamous of all Hong Kong street foods, this snack is made of bean curd fermented with various ingredients and deep-fried to produce a distinctive and – to some noses - offensive smell. If you are not deterred by the smell (as singular as durian or Stilton cheese), this is a tasty, crispy snack served with chili and sweet sauce. A rare find for the adventurous.

Where: Outside the Chai Wan MTR Station.

“Shark’s Fin” Soup

An alternative to the political minefield, this economical and PC-friendly version to the pricy soup substitutes rice flour noodles for the shark’s fin. The soup base, however, seems to be made from the same ingredients as the real McCoy, which means you get the flavor without the guilty conscience and assault on the wallet.

Where: Des Voeux Road West and Belcher’s Street, Kennedy Town.

Cow’s Intestine Stew

This stew contains more than just cow’s intestine. It usually also includes a multitude of other cow body parts: colon, lungs, liver, tripe, brisket and more. Cooked with spices such as peppercorn and aniseed, the stew is simmered for long hours to “traditional family recipes” to ensure the meat is tender and the flavor strong and rather heavy. Winter is the time to try it.

Where: Temple Street, Mong Kok.

Bowl-shaped Pudding

With a texture like stiff jelly, these puddings are made with coconut- or brown sugar-flavored paste, scattered with red beans and left to set in little rice bowls before being lifted from the bowl and served on a bamboo stick.

Where: Stanley Street, Central.

Hot Waffles

Just like mama makes. A batter of flour, milk, egg and water is poured into a hot waffle iron then served with butter, condensed milk and peanut butter. Guaranteed to sweeten you up. A popular variation is made with the same dough but shaped like bubble wrap with a gooey, egg-based center, sweet and crunchy.

Where: Prince Edward Road West, Prince Edward.