Why Kopitiam Staff Put Red Or Green Dots On Their Paus
Paus are fluffy, cheap, and easy to grab from a hawker for a quick bite.
By Tamara Jayne — 24 Jan 2020, 12:19 PM
I love paus. Every type of pau.
Whether it's filled with char siew, red bean, or even the occasional kaya – paus are great.
They're fluffy, they're cheap, and they're easy to grab from a hawker for a quick bite.
If you eat paus regularly, you might have noticed tiny, coloured dots on their white 'skin'
The dots are there so that pau makers and sellers can differentiate between the flavours.
Depending on where the paus come from, these are generally what the different coloured dots represent
Based on a Reddit thread and online forum, the dots can represent multiple flavours. For example:
- Small green dots - lotus paste
- Regular-sized green dots - kaya
- Orange dots - curry
- Red dot or no dot - char siew, red bean, or tau sar pau
And a crowd favourite - the white or yellow steamed custard buns found in dim sum shops are usually filled with salted egg yolk.
Of course, at the end of the day, it really depends on the supplier.
