This item
Cornstarch
- Original food label states 粟粉 or Cornstarch
- Usually a fine white powder, but appearance is non-diagnostic
- Not interchangeable with wheat flour, baking powder or other white powders
Dry goods & condiments
Cornstarch
Hong Kong 粟粉 is Cornstarch, a white starch powder that cannot be distinguished reliably from flour or other powders by sight.
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3 identity clues
- Original food label states 粟粉 or Cornstarch
- Usually a fine white powder, but appearance is non-diagnostic
- Not interchangeable with wheat flour, baking powder or other white powders
Names in other languages
- 繁體中文
- 粟粉
- English
- Cornstarch
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Tepung maizena
- Tagalog
- Cornstarch (粟粉; starch mula sa mais)
Name in Cantonese (Jyutping): suk1 fan2 No Cantonese voice on this device
What is it?
FEHD lists 粟粉 as Cornstarch. It is not coarse cornmeal or general wheat flour, and the original food label must confirm it.
How to identify it
Accept only a food package clearly identified as 粟粉 or Cornstarch. Do not guess from white colour, fineness or feel.
Common confusion
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Wheat Flour
- this entry is scoped to wheat flour
- white-to-off-white powder has no reliable visual identity
- type and allergens are confirmed by the label
How to identify it
Cornstarch and wheat flour can both be fine white powders; only the original food label distinguishes them reliably.
Common Hong Kong household uses
Use as a thickener only where a recipe specifies it, following the stated amount and method.
Choosing & preparing
Read the original label and recipe and measure only the stated amount. This page gives no universal mixing directions.
Storage
Follow the storage conditions on the original food label. Do not guess if the label is missing or unclear.
Helper tip
Many white powders look alike. Do not use an unlabelled powder as Cornstarch.
What Ma’am or Sir may say
攞一湯匙粟粉，跟食譜落。The employer wants one tablespoon of label-confirmed Cornstarch used according to the recipe.
Useful market phrase
唔該要一包食用粟粉。Meaning: One pack of food-grade corn starch, please.
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Sources (6)
- Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department — Public Market Items Multilingual Booklet
- Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department — Public Market Items - Other Foods
- Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department — Other foods Cantonese pinyin
- Hong Kong FEHD / Centre for Food Safety — FEHB 247 Appendix I food classifications and examples
- Hong Kong Department of Health, Centre for Health Protection — Recommendations on Diabetic Diet
- Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety — Food Safety Bulletin 104th Issue - Decoding Food Labels