Roast chestnuts are a beloved winter tradition that ‘evoke a special Hong Kong feeling’, says Wong. But the association with the cooler months is rooted primarily in practical reasons: that’s when they are in season, explains Wong. ‘[The best chestnuts] come from China’s Shandong province. The soil there is good, and the climate suits the growing of chestnuts’, he says.

Working with a supplier based at the Yau Ma Tei fruit market in Hong Kong, he receives 110 catties – 66 kilograms – of chestnuts every day, preparing them at a small warehouse he owns at San Hing Tsuen village in Tuen Mun. The process includes submerging the chestnuts in water to check for quality – the ones that float are discarded.

But it’s back on the street where the magic happens. Wong heats up coarse sugar in his wok ‘so the chestnuts don’t dry out as easily’. Using the sugar also gives the chestnuts a ‘shiny exterior’ and ‘crispy bite’, he explains. Others don’t necessarily do it this way: ‘Not many people know how to cook with coarse sugar,’ Wong confides. ‘Others use sand from the beach to fry their chestnuts, which doesn’t taste as good. It’s tough to the bite.’ The chestnuts are moved continuously in the wok for about 40 minutes until they’re ready to eat: HK$25 for half a catty (300 grams) or HK$48 for a whole catty (600 grams).

When the season is over – around the Ching Ming Festival, which usually lands in April – the roast chestnut hawkers close up shop. In the warmer months, Wong switches to his summer job as a renovation worker.