A Visual Guide to the Types of Foods in China (with 80 dishes to try!)

A Visual Guide to the Types of Foods in China (with 80 dishes to try!)

In this intro to the broad range of authentic Chinese foods, we’ll cover the top food categories with the popular dishes to try for each one, plus, their Chinese names so you can order with ease.

Chinese cuisine is one of the world’s top cuisines featuring a diverse range of dishes from various regions and ethnic groups in China. It has a long history, exquisite technology, rich variety, numerous genres, and unique styles. It is also the crystallization of thousands of years of culinary activity.

There are many varieties of Chinese dishes, so so many, and generally, they are best classified firstly by region and ethnic group, such as the Eight Major Cuisines of China, each having unique characteristics in cooking styles, ingredients, and final texture, look, and taste. Continue reading about the cuisines of China.

To introduce Chinese foods we can also categorize by type of dish of which there and numerous variants, so let’s explore.

Types of Chinese Food

With a brief intro, and top dishes to try, the categories are Soup, Noodles, Stir fry dishes, Hot pot, Roast meats, Fish and Seafood, Vegetable dishes, Tofu dishes, Bing (flatbreads), Mantou & Baozi (steamed bread), Pastry, and Desserts.

Soup (汤 – Tang)

Soups are an essential and large part of overall Chinese cuisine. They are highly regarded not only for taste but also for nutrition along with soup (decoctions) widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Most Chinese soups are meat-based broths, many are slow-cooked bone broths, with varied end taste profiles covering sweet, sour, spicy.

Popular Chinese soup dishes

Noodles

Noodles can be made from numerous starches with the most common being wheat noodles aka miantiao (面条) and the next being rice, aka fen (粉). Noodles have a history in China of over 4000 years and the variations of noodle and broth are immense, to say the least. Wheat noodles are historically common to northern China and rice noodles to southern China.

Stir fry dishes (炒菜)

In Chinese cooking stir-frying reigns supreme and whilst simple it has several styles and utilizes time-learned skills to bring out the flavors in different ingredients without nutrient loss.

Hot Pot (火锅)

Hot pot, or huǒ guō, is an ancient Chinese practice that is wildly popular today in Chinese society with hot pot restaurants everywhere you’ll go. Region to region, there are unique styles and ingredients according to the character of the area.

Roast meats

Roast meats are especially popular in southern China having their own category, Siu Mei. Xinjiang BBQ stalls are popular nationwide and especially so in western China.

River fish and Seafood Dishes (河鲜与海鲜菜)

Seafood is, as you’d expect, hugely popular in the coastal provinces. Fish is popular, and symbolic nationwide. Techniques and dishes vary from province to province.

Vegetable Dishes (蔬菜)

Super fresh vegetables are at the core of the Chinese cuisine experience and play a role in almost every dish whether combined with a starch or protein along or solely as a vegetable only dish. The range of daily fresh vegetables available at markets across China is large and diverse mating well with cooking techniques that retain nutrients and reveal flavors. More about vegetables in China.

Popular dishes

Tofu Dishes (豆腐)

Tofu, or dòu fǔ, is Chinese creation dating back to the Han Dynasty and is widely used in its three forms of silken, soft and hard.

Bing (餅)

China, especially northern China, has a large array of wheat flour products with a famous one being Bing (餅) and its numerous variants. More on Bing.

Mantou (饅頭) and Bao (包子)

Mantou is a steamed bun made from a leaved flour dough and when a filling is added it becomes a Bao, or Baozi, of which there are numerous variants from savory to sweet.

Pastry (糕点)

Surprisingly, China has an extensive range of pastries in eight categories by method and under 12 genres by region.

Desserts (中式甜点)

Chinese desserts do a superb job of combining natural ingredients with sweetness while retaining nutritional elements.

Regional classification

The flavor genre within China is diverse due to being a multi-ethnic country. Due to differences in geography, climate, property, culture, beliefs, etc., the flavors of the dishes vary greatly. Within Chinese cuisine, there is what’s known as the Eight Major Cuisines which are the most popular and influential. They include Lu cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Su cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Hunan cuisine, and Anhui cuisine.

Beyond those, there are perhaps hundreds of smaller regional and even village specific cuisine styles and dishes. Read more about the cuisines of China.

Chinese Cooking characteristics

Chinese cuisine emphasizes color, aroma, taste, shape, and nutrition. Symbolism also plays a role.

Color: color can make a dish pop and reflect its nutritional appeal. Sometimes it is set off with some vegetables, tomatoes, onions, etc., in order to achieve better visual effects.

Fragrance: aroma is important but is also acquired. An example being stinky tofu.

Taste: the soul of the dish. It is the product of the combination of the main ingredients and seasonings of the dishes and skill.

Meaning: People have associations or meaningful dishes. Certain dishes are very symbolic may that be representing reunion, such as dumplings.

Shape: paying attention to the chef’s skills of presentation.

Nurturing: its the belief of many Chinese that medicine is not as good as food, and the nutritional elements of a dish are highly considered.

 

The Complete Guide to Authentic Chinese Dumplings

The Complete Guide to Authentic Chinese Dumplings

Everything you wanted to know about Chinese dumplings including the different types, how to make authentic Chinese dumplings, filling recipes, dipping sauces, and more.

The humble Chinese dumpling, or jiaozi (餃子) has a history of more than 1,800 years being a traditional specialty food and a staple food and local snack with so many regional variants. They are also symbolic of Chinese New Year.

Dumplings originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD), and at that time, the dumplings were medicinal and created by the famed Chinese pharmacologist, physician, inventor, and writer of the Eastern Han dynasty, Zhang Zhongjing (張仲景; 150—219 AD). He created dumplings with mutton and medicinal herb fillings to help ‘warm’ people who were experiencing frostbitten ears during northern winters.

Dumpling Types

Dumpling is actually a fairly broad category in China and here I will introduce the key types although most of this article will be focused solely on jiaozi.

Jiǎozi (餃子)

is the most common Chinese dumpling. They have numerous filling variants and can be boiled, steamed or fried. They are also symbolic of Chinese New Year and the Winter solstice.

Potsickers, guotie (鍋貼)

simply Jiaozi that are wrapped differently and cooked in a pan instead of being boiled to create a distinctly different product.

Wonton (雲呑/餛飩)

popular throughout southern China they are wrapped differently and made with a meat or shrimp filling and served in a chicken broth. Wonton can also be deep fried. They use a different skin to jiaozi.

Cantonese dim sum (點心)

Dim sum features numerous dumpling variations including har gow, siew mai, lo mai gai and crystal dumplings. They all use different skin to jiaozi.

Zongzi (粽子)

are triangle or cone shaped, glutinous rice dumplings that can be filled with red bean paste, Chinese dates or cured meat depending on region. Glutinous rice dumplings are traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (端午節).

Xiaolongbao (小籠包)

are a soup dumpling. They use a similar but larger and thicker skin than jioazi and contain a ground pork and soup mixture.

Tangyuan (湯圓)

are smaller dumplings made with glutinous rice flour and filled with sweet sesame, peanut, red bean paste. Tangyuan may also be served without a filling. Tangyuan are eaten on the 15th day of Chinese New Year, or the Lantern Festival.

Momo (饃饃)

is a Tibetan dumpling and popular through southern Asia. It is very similar to jiaozi although sometimes much larger with unique fillings such as cheese, pork, chicken, goat meat and buffalo meat. Dipping sauces are also unique using tomato-based chutney.

Yao Gok 油角

Yao Gok is a Cantonese speciality that is popular during Chinese New Year. It is deep fried and has a peanut, sesame and sugar filling.

Making Authentic Chinese Dumplings

There are four simple steps packed with complexity, a) making the filling, b) make the dumpling wrappers or skins, c) fill and wrap the dumpling, and d) boiling/frying.

A. Dumpling fillings

There are endless recipes for dumpling fillings and every household will undoubtedly have it’s own passed down from family member to family member. Dumpling stuffing is mainly divided into meat filling, meat and vegetable filling, and vegetarian filling.

Pork is the most popular filling ingredient. Rather than ground pork it is hand-chopped which creates a more even consistency to take on the flavors of the seasoning and improved mouthfeel. A small amount of water is added to the meat so it doesn’t dry out during cooking, along with chopped green onion, ginger, pepper or allspice, salt, a small amount of soy sauce, and cooking wine. Note water is added after the seasonings. If the meat is very lean you may add some oil then stir evenly in one direction, then adjust the saltiness. You can also use this method to make beef and mutton filling.

The typical Pork dumpling stuffing recipe

Ingredients: pork 500 g; cabbage 1000 g; ginger powder 15 g; diced green onion 30 g; salt 15 g; pepper 5 g; cooking wine 25 g; MSG 15 g; sesame oil 25 g; vegetable oil 25 g;

1. wash the cabbage and cut into fine slices, and mix well with vegetable oil.
2. Cut the pork into fine granules and with ginger, diced green onion, salt, pepper, cooking wine, msg, sesame oil, and then add the cabbage. Stir together.
3. refrigerate for 20 mins

note:
1. The ratio of fat to lean meat of pork is 4:6.
2. Some people like to add some vinegar to the chopped cabbage, wait, and then squeeze out any excess water

B. Dumpling skins

Dumpling wrappers are readily available in most supermarkets and Asian supermarkets. Alternatively, you can make your own

Ingredients

  • 420g all-purpose flour. The most common is wheat flour, and some places use buckwheat flour.
  • 210ml water. Use cool water.
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

After kneading the dough for a few minutes, shape into a ball and let it rest 20 minutes so the flour can absorb the water. Knead again for 5 or so minutes until it is smooth and elastic, shape into a ball.

Place the kneaded dough on the chopping board and knead it into a cylindrical strip with a diameter of 2-3 cm. Cut into small pieces of about 1.5 cm. Squash by hand and then use a rolling pin to form a dumpling skin with a moderate diameter (4-7 cm) and a thickness of about 0.5-1 mm.

C. Stuffing the dumpling and pinching

Add a heaped teaspoon of the filling to the wrapper and be careful not to spread the filling too close to the edge. In a bowl, add a little water and cornstarch. Moisten the outer edge of the dumpling wrapper with the cornstarch mix and fold the edges over the meat and pinch to seal. It’s important to not have any filling on the edges so as to get a good seal, thus, in many cases less filling is better, noting that the seal is critical.

For the various ways to fold/pinch dumplings, here’s a great video

D. Cooking the dumpling

Four ways to cook your fresh dumplings

1. Boiling

Boil enough water in the pot, add the dumplings, stir and stir in the pan to prevent the pan from sticking. After returning to the boil, pour in a cup of cold water, cover the lid, boil again and then pour a cup of cold water again. After a total of three cups of cold water, turn off the heat. And they are ready.

2. Frying

In a pot or wok, heat the oil to 160 °C and deep-fry the dumplings about 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper or rack.

3. Steam

Bring the pot water to the boil. Add a slice of carrot under each dumpling and place it in the steamer basket (or use parchment). Place onto pot and steam for around ten minutes.

4. Potstickers

Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of oil. Add 10 or so dumplings and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the bottoms are browned. Add 1/3 cup water and cover with a lid. In about 5 minutes the water should be gone and they are ready.

Dumpling dipping sauces

In the supermarket look for naturally brewed, light soy sauce. Lee Kum Kee is a solid brand. Sichuan pepper oil (prickly ash) is also a nice addition to soy if you can find it along with chili oils.

Simple spicy sauce
Ingredients: Chili powder 4tsp, toasted white sesame seeds 4tsp, garlic 4 cloves, green onion 5, rice wine vinegar 4 tsp, soy sauce 4tsp, vegetable oil 3 tbsp
Process: finely chop garlic, onions, and place in a heatproof bowl with paprika and sesame seeds. Heat oil, pour into the bowl and add soy, vinegar, and stir.

Simple Sesame
Ingredients: 1 tbsp sesame oil, 4 tbsp soy sauce – combine

Simple ginger garlic
Ingredients: 1 tbsp sesame oil, 4 tbsp soy sauce, finely chopped garlic 1tsp, finely chopped ginger 1 tsp – combine all

Xiuying’s dumpling sauce
Ingredients: amounts as desired – Green onions, garlic, ginger, chopped chili or chili powder, rice wine vinegar, salt, chicken powder (or chicken stock powder), soy sauce
Process: add garlic and ginger to a heatproof bowl. Heat some oil, and add to bowl. Add other ingredients and stir.

Mama Zhang’s  sauce
Ingredients: sesame seeds 1tsp, soy sauce 1tbsp, Laoganma sauce 1tbsp, rice wine vinegar 1tbsp, sugar 1tbsp, Sesame oil 1/2 tsp, garlic 1 clove finely chopped
Process: mix all together

More dumpling filling recipes

These are all authentic Chinese dumplings filling recipes. You can safely exclude the MSG should you wish.

Coriander dumplings
Ingredients: 250 grams of coriander, 150 grams of minced/chopped pork, soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, msg, sesame oil
Process: 1. wash the coriander and chop, mix with a little sesame oil. 2. combine pork with a dash of cooking wine, soy, msg, and salt, and mix well. 3. Finally, add the coriander and stir well.

Fennel dumplings
Ingredients: 1 fennel, 1 ounce of pork, 375 grams of seasoning wine, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, half a teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of water, sesame oil 4 tablespoons
Process: Wash the fennel and chop, chop the minced meat and mix thoroughly with all the seasonings, and then mix with the fennel to make the filling.

Tomato egg dumplings
Ingredients: 300 grams of cooked eggs (fried) and 300 grams of tomatoes; 8 grams of onion, 5 grams of ginger, 6 grams of salt, 5 grams of sugar, 10 grams of sesame oil.
Process:  1, the egg into the oil pan stir fry (to be tender) 2, tomato diced 3, add seasoning, mix well clockwise

Leek and shrimp dumplings
Ingredients: 150 grams of shrimp, 150 grams of lean pork, 150 grams of fresh amaranth; ginger, leek
Process: Cut the lean pork to about 0.4 cm, add the wine and soy sauce for more than 20 minutes, and take the shrimp and cut to the same size as pork, add a small amount of soy sauce and cooking wine and marinate for 20 minutes. Chop the leek, add finely chopped ginger, salt, msg, a pinch of five spice, a dash of peanut oil, a dash of sesame oil, and stir the meat and shrimp evenly.

Fish dumplings
Ingredients: 700 grams of peeled fish, 50 grams of pork fat, 200 grams of garlic chives, 50 grams of green onion, cooking wine, ginger, salt, msg, broth.
Process:
1. Chop/mash the fish. Cut the pork fat meat into fine pieces. Chop the chives.
2. Combine the fish, wine, onion, ginger, MSG, salt, and stir, and finally, add fat meat, and chives. Mix until elastic, and add a little water if necessary.

Pork mushroom dumplings
Ingredients: Pork 400 grams, Dried shiitake mushrooms 15, green onion 50 gm, salt, Oyster sauce  10 gm, soy sauce 15 gm, vegetable oil
Process: Soak the mushrooms with warm water for about an hour, drain while saving the water, slice then dice into small cubes. Chop the onions. Chop the pork finely and add a little of the mushroom water. Keep stirring the meat until it becomes gooey. Add everything together, stir again.

Folk customs surrounding dumplings

Chinese New Year
Eating dumplings is also a folk tradition unique to the Chinese during the Spring Festival/CNY. The custom of eating dumplings varies from place to place with some places eating dumplings on New Year’s Eve, and some places eat dumplings on the first day of the new year. In Chinese, the word for dumplings 饺子 sounds like 交子 with 交 (Jiāo) meaning “exchange” and 子(zi) meaning midnight hours.

Eating dumplings during the Spring Festival means good luck. In addition, dumplings are shaped like ingots, and dumplings mean that they are wrapped in good fortune.

Winter solstice
In the northern region, there is the Winter Solstice Festival (冬至) and dumplings are again an integral feature of traditional customs at this time.

Symbolic meaning
Dumplings are not just a kind of food, but also a representative of Chinese cuisine, and an integral feature of the culture. They are also used symbolically echoing aspirations.

  • Celery stuffing – that is, the meaning of diligence and wealth. Diligence: diligence, hard work; often, diligent (frequent) continuous, that is, diligent. It is a blessing for a steady stream of material wealth; it is a blessing for hard work and pragmatism.
  • Leek stuffing – that is, the meaning of long-term wealth. It is a material wealth that prays for a blessing for a long time, and hope that people will last forever – health, harmony, happiness.
  • Cabbage stuffing – that is, the meaning of Baicai. Pray for a hundred kinds of wealth; or a good wish for the newlyweds.
  • Mushroom stuffing – that is, the meaning of the drums. Drum: It rises and bulges. The shape of the mushroom is like an upward arrow or the momentum of the stock market. It is upward and full of drums, which means that it is a good thing; or it is a good wish for the younger generation to express their hopes.
  • Rapeseed stuffing – that is, there is a fortune. It is rich; you are blessed with wealth, and you are more blessed.
  • Fish stuffing – that is, the meaning of Yucai. Yu: That is, the rest, more, bless you more than a year, that is, the surplus. The hard work is to get wealth, and the rest is health.
  • Beef stuffing – It means the meaning of bullishness, the favorite of the stock market friends, every day in the bull market, the cow is the cow’s wealth; more wish friends are healthy and bullish.
  • Mutton stuffing – that is, the meaning of foreign wealth.
  • Jujube stuffing – symbolic of lucky money is the lucky dumplings.
  • Sweet stuffing –  It is a sweet food or a dumpling, a moon cake, etc.; it is more homogenous with the genius, which means that it is rich.
An Introduction to the 8 Famous Chinese Cuisines

An Introduction to the 8 Famous Chinese Cuisines

This guide will provide an easy to digest intro to China’s famous cuisines with dish suggestions. I truly believe that the more knowledge you have about the local cuisine, the more rewarding your food experiences in China will surely be.

It’s fair to say that one of the key experiences in China is the diverse food cultures and cuisines. They are quite proud of their culinary abilities, and rightly so. Perhaps born from doing a lot with a little, they have mastered the use of natural ingredients, balancing tastes and bringing out amazing flavors.

The most famous Chinese cuisines are the “Four Major Cuisines (四大菜系)” which are Sichuan (川菜; Chuāncài), Shandong (鲁菜; Lǔcài), Cantonese (粤菜; Yuècài) and Huaiyang (淮揚菜; Huái yáng cài).

Expanding on the Four Major Cuisines is the modern “Eight Major Cuisines (八大菜系)” of China which is perhaps more representative of the diversity in techniques, ingredients, and dishes found across the nation. The Eight Cuisines are Anhui (徽菜 Huīcài), Cantonese (粤菜; Yuècài), Fujian (闽菜; Mǐncài), Hunan (湘菜; Xiāngcài), Jiangsu (苏菜; Sūcài), Shandong (鲁菜; Lǔcài), Sichuan (川菜; Chuāncài), and Zhejiang (浙菜; Zhècài) cuisines.

Whether you are in China for a long stay or short, it’s useful to have a basic knowledge of the key eight great cuisines.

The Eight Major Chinese Cuisines

Yue (Cantonese Cuisine) (粤菜)

Overall, the cuisine is famed for lightly cooked fresh vegetables, medicinal soups, bbq meats, and dim sum. It is one of the most popular cuisines with foreign visitors. Dim sum is perhaps the most well-known product under Cantonese cuisine, it is incredibly popular throughout Guangdong and Hong Kong, and an important feature on local culture.

Popular dishes include

Chuan (Sichuan Cuisine) (川菜)

Originating in the Sichuan Province this cuisine is well known for its mouth burning and lip numbing qualities! Featuring bold flavors and spiciness via the use of lots of garlic and chili peppers, along with Sichuan peppercorn. Peanuts, sesame paste, and ginger are also prominent ingredients in this style.

Popular dishes include

Hui (Anhui Cuisine) (徽菜)

Derived from the native cooking styles of the Huangshan Mountains region in China and is similar to Jiangsu cuisine, but with less emphasis on seafood and more on a wide variety of local herbs and vegetables.

Popular dishes include

Lu (Shandong Cuisine)  (魯菜)

With a long history, Shandong Cuisine once formed an important part of the imperial cuisine and was widely promoted in North China. Some consider it the most influential of all the cuisines. However, it isn’t so popular in South China (including Shanghai). Shandong Cuisine features a variety of cooking techniques and the wide use of seafood.

The typical dishes on the local menu are braised abalone, braised trepang, sweet and sour carp, Jiuzhuan Dachang, Dezhou Chicken.

Min (Fujian Cuisine) (闽菜)

 
Fujian cuisine consists of four styles, which are

  • Fuzhou: the taste is light, often with a mixed sweet and sour taste. Fuzhou is famous for its soups.
  • Western Fujian: there are often slight spicy tastes from mustard and pepper and the cooking methods are often steam, fry and stir-fry.
  • Southern Fujian: spicy and sweet tastes are often found and the selection of sauces used is elaborate.
  • Quanzhou: the least oily but with the strongest taste/flavor of Fujian cuisine.

Popular dishes include

Su (Jiangsu Cuisine) (蘇菜)

Known for its soft texture and use of ingredients according to the seasons. Jiangsu cuisine consists of many styles with Huaiyang cuisine being the main type. Other styles include:

  • Nanjing: its dishes feature a balanced taste and matching colour, with river fish/shrimps and duck being popular ingredients, Jinling salted dried duck is one of the most popular dishes.
  • Suzhou: emphasis on the selection of material, stronger taste than Nanjing cuisine, and a little on the sweeter side.
  • Wuxi: fresh water produce is common. Other notable dishes include Yangzhou steamed Jerky strips (dried tofu, chicken, ham and pea leaves), triple combo duck, dried duck, and Farewell My Concubine (soft-shelled turtle stewed with many other ingredients such as chicken, mushrooms, and wine).

Popular dishes are

Zhe (Zhejiang Cuisine) (浙菜)

  The dishes are not greasy, having but instead a fresh, soft flavor with a mellow fragrance. The cuisine consists of at least four styles, each of which originates from different cities in the province.

  • Hangzhou: characterized by rich variations and the use of bamboo shoots.
  • Shaoxing: specializes in poultry and freshwater fish.
  • Ningbo: emphasizes freshness and salty dishes and specializes in seafood.
  • Wenzhou: a source of seafood and poultry and livestock.

Popular dishes are

Xiang (Hunan Cuisine) (湘菜)

 Hunan cuisine, sometimes called Xiang cuisine, consists of the cuisines of the Xiang River region, Dongting Lake and western Hunan Province, in China Hunan cuisine is well known for its hot spicy flavor, fresh aroma and deep color making it similar to Chuan cuisine. Hunan Cuisine is often spicier using a lot more chili, contains a larger variety of fresh ingredients, and tends to be oilier. Hunan cuisine often uses smoked and cured goods in its dishes.

Popular dishes are

Cuisine Map

chinafoodmap

Other cuisines of China

Tibetan Cuisine (西藏美食) – Dishes include Roast mutton chops, Yak meat, Pickled Radish, Shapale which is like a meat pie and momos which are a dumpling available with either meat or vegetable filling. Drinks include Barley Wine and Buttered Tea.

Hakka cuisine (客家菜) – is the cooking style of the Hakka people, who originated in the southeastern Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, but may also be found in other parts of China and in countries with significant overseas Chinese communities. Dishes include salt-baked chicken, duck stuffed with rice, Yong Tao Foo which are noodles in clear consume with all sorts of bits and bobs like tofu, fish balls, meat etc.

Mongolian cuisine (蒙古美食) – With Mongolia itself having an extreme continental climate and the people traditionally having a nomadic lifestyle the cuisine primarily consists of dairy products, meat, and animal fats and the use of vegetables is perhaps limited by lifestyle and conditions. Mongolian cuisine is also influenced by Chinese and Russian cuisine.

Dongbei (东北菜美食) – the region has a cuisine which has been influenced by it’s history and the interactions between neighboring countries including Korea, Mongolia, Russia and even Japan. Noticeably missing is rice and you’ll see lots more dumplings or potatoes as the staple. Popular dishes include dao shao mian (wheat noodles), shui jiao (dumplings), liang mian (cold noodles), Dongbei dala pi (cold rice and noodles), Guo bao rou (sweet & sour pork), Chinese saurkraut and pickled foods are also popular.

HK cuisine (香港美食) – Hong Kong cuisine has Cantonese cuisine (Yue) at its core with history having played a role in its cuisine expansion to become a melting pot of global food culture. Along with Cantonese cuisine, in HK you’ll find western foods, many types of cuisines from mainland China, Japanese, Korean, Indian are all easy to find, there’s also lots of fusion between European, Western and Asian food cultures which is a fantastic thing. A few unique Hong Kong specialties include Pineapple buns, Lap Cheong (sausage),  Hong Kong Milk Tea and Yin Yang (coffee and tea), Hong Kong-style French toast.

Hubei cuisine (湖北菜) – Hubei cuisine is known for it’s attention to detail in presentation and use of steaming techniques. Hubei cuisine also uses various peppers and spices to boost the taste. There are three distinct styles: Wuhan style, which specialises in soups and noodle dishes. Huangzhou style, which is more oily and tastes saltier. Jingzhou style, which specialises in fish dishes and the use of steaming. Popular dishes include Wuhan Hot Dry Noodles, Minyang Three Steamed Dishes and Shaomei (dumpling).

Jiangxi cuisine (赣菜) – Jiangxi Cuisine (Gan Cuisine), it, like neighboring regions makes liberal use of chili and tea oil for cooking. Most of the dishes are served hot and fish, tofu and black beans feature prominently. Popular dishes include Xunyang Yupian ( Braised Shredded Herring), san bei jiao yu (fish with three sauces), lu shan shi jī (braised frog).

Jing cuisine (京菜) – being the capital city of China it’s cuisine has had influences from all over the country, especially Shandong, along with cuisines that grew from the days of the “Emperor’s Kitchen” inside the Forbidden City. It’s very snack orientated such as Beijing yogurt served in stalls or Xian Bing which is a wheat-based dough that can have a variety of fillings. Popular dishes include the well known Beijing Duck or Peking Duck, Zha Jiang Noodles, Mongolian Hot Pot.

Qingzhen cuisine (清镇美食) – Northern Chinese Islamic cuisine originated in China and is heavily influenced by Beijing cuisine, with nearly all cooking methods identical, and differs only in material due to religious restrictions. Key ingredients are beef, lamb and mutton, with noodle soups being popular. Popular dishes include Lamian, Yang rou chuan (lamb kebabs), Nang (bread).

Shanxi cuisine (山西美食) –  or Jin cuisine, is derived from the native cooking styles of Shanxi province in China, and it is famed for noodles, its fried flatbread and its vinegar production. he methods of cooking include deep-frying, stir-frying, quick-frying, grilling and braising. Dishes include Guo Shao Yang Rou (Braised Mutton), Fu Ru Rou (Braised Pork with Pickled Bean Curd Sauce) and Tang Cu Yu (Sweet and Sour Fish), Daxiaomian (hand shaven noodles) and Tou-nao Lamb Soup.

Yu cuisine (俞美食) – The Yu cuisine, typical of Zhengzhou and Henan, takes as its inspiration the flavors and textures of the grains and animals of the region. A popular local dish is He Ji Hui Mian, the hand-stretched wide noodles in a mutton broth that includes goji berries, cilantro, and tofu skin. Also popular are Zhengzhou roast duck,  Hu La Tang (foreign spicy soup) and Guo Guo Yang Rou Tang (Guo country mutton soup), Liyu Sanchi (fish).

Dian cuisine (滇美食) – Yunnan cuisine. Popular dishes include Crossing Bridge Noodles whose common ingredients include thin slices of ham, chunks of chicken, chicken skin, strips of bean curd sheets, chives, sprouts and rice noodles. Other popular dishes include Steam Pot Chicken, and the area is also of course famous for Pu’er tea.

Qian Cuisine (黔菜) Guizhou cuisine is known for its spiciness and sourness, popular dishes include Fish in Sour Soup, Crackling Fish with Zao Pepper, Huaxi Beef Rice Noodles.

Macanese cuisine (澳门美食) – is unique to Macau and is a fusion of southern Chinese and Portuguese cuisines. Common cooking techniques include baking, grilling and roasting. Typically, Macanese food is seasoned with various spices including turmeric, coconut milk, cinnamon and bacalhau. Famous dishes include Galinha à Portuguesa (Portuguese-style chicken), Galinha à Africana (African chicken), Bacalhau (dried and salted cod), Macanese Chili Shrimps and Stir-fry Curry Crab. The most popular snack is Pork Chop Bun. The most popular dessert is Ginger Milk and of course Egg Tarts.

Guide to Authentic Dim Sum Dishes for Yum Cha & Zao Cha

Guide to Authentic Dim Sum Dishes for Yum Cha & Zao Cha

In this guide, I am going to introduce a legendary part of Cantonese cuisine and culture that is dim sum, yum cha, and zao cha. Including all the top dim sum dishes you need to be trying, plus their Chinese names and pics for easy ordering at any dim sum restaurant near you.

To go for Morning Tea, or Zao Cha, is common in southern China and is a highlight of the traditional culture of Guangdong and Hong Kong. Families will gather in the mornings, especially on weekends, and head to the nearest restaurant to enjoy a banquet of snacks known collectively as dim sum (点心 – Dian Xin).

Dim Sum is a highlight of Cantonese Cuisine and is popular across the country and ubiquitous across southern China. The Xiguan area of Guangzhou is considered to be the birthplace of the most authentic Cantonese dim sum. History wise, it dates back to the period of the Xianfeng Emperor of the Qing dynasty (1831 – 1861).

To clear up some terminology

  • Dim sum (点心 – diǎn xīn) – literally means dessert or snack and in this context refers to all the menu items, savory and sweet.
  • Zao Cha (早茶 – zǎo chá) literally means ‘morning tea’ and refers to going for breakfast at a dim sum restaurant.
  • Yum Cha (飲茶 – yǐn chá) literally means drink tea and refers to going to eat at a dim sum restaurant.

So, you will often see Dim Sum restaurants, Yum Cha restaurants, and maybe have someone ask you to go for Zao Cha, or if its after morning time, go for Yum Cha. The end result is the same, eating delicious bite-sized snacks (Dim Sum) with tea to wash it down.

Whilst going for morning tea with the family or group to eat dim sum at the favored restaurant is still a strong tradition, it is also easy to find small cafes and restaurants serving Cantonese dim sum at any time of day especially in Guangdong and Hong Kong. It is also fairly easy to find a Cantonese dim sum restaurant in any major city in China.

You’ll be able to easily spot a good Yum Cha restaurant, it will be full in the mornings, with people waiting, and on Sundays, forget about it, it will be packed all day! It’s a favorite of all Cantonese people and especially the older generation who like to get together with family, talk, eat, and drink tea.

Here is a guide to the different menu items you’ll commonly find at a Dim Sum (点心 – diǎn xīn) restaurant

Dumpling (饺子- jiǎo zi)

Shrimp dumpling (蝦餃; xiā jiǎo; hā gáau)

Steamed dumpling with shrimp filling

Teochew dumpling (潮州粉粿; cháozhōu fěnguǒ; Chìu jāu fán gwó)

Steamed dumpling with peanuts, garlic, Chinese chives, pork, dried shrimp, and Chinese mushrooms.

Chive dumpling (韭菜餃)

Steamed dumpling with Chinese chives.

Xiao long bao (小笼包; 小籠包; xiǎolóngbāo; síu lùhng bāau)

Dumplings are filled with meat or seafood with a rich broth inside.

Guotie (鍋貼; guōtiē; wōtip)

Pan-fried dumpling, usually with meat and cabbage filling.

Shaomai (烧卖; 燒賣; shāomài; sīu máai)

Steamed dumplings with pork and prawns. Usually topped off with crab roe and mushroom.

Taro dumpling (芋角; yù jiǎo; wuh gok)

Deep fried dumpling made with mashed taro, stuffed with diced mushrooms, shrimp and pork.

Haam Seui Gok (鹹水角; xiánshuǐ jiǎo; hàahm séui gok)

Deep fried dumpling with pork and chopped vegetables. The wrapping is sweet and sticky, while the filling is slightly salty and savoury.

Dumpling soup (灌湯餃; guàntāng jiǎo; guntōng gáau)

Soup with one or two big dumplings.

Roll (捲 – gyún)

Spring roll (春卷; 春捲; chūnjuǎn; chēun gyún)

A deep fried roll consisting of various sliced vegetables (such as carrot, cabbage, mushroom and wood ear fungus) and sometimes meat.

Tofu skin roll (腐皮捲; fǔpíjuǎn; fuh pèih gyún)

A roll made of tofu skin filled with various meat and sliced vegetables.

Fresh bamboo roll (鮮竹卷)

A roll made of tofu skin filled with minced pork and bamboo shoot. Typically served in an oyster sauce broth.

Four-treasure chicken roll (四寶雞扎)

A roll made of tofu skin filled with chicken, Jinhua ham, fish maw (花膠) and Chinese mushroom.

Rice noodle roll (腸粉; chángfěn; chéungfán)

Steamed rice noodles, rolled and filled with meats or vegetables inside but can be served plain. Popular fillings include beef, dough fritter, shrimp, and barbecued pork. Often served with a sweetened soy sauce.

Zhaliang (炸兩; jaléung)

Steamed rice noodles, rolled around youjagwai (油炸鬼). Typically doused in soy sauce, hoisin sauce or sesame paste and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Bun (包子 – bāau)

Barbecued pork bun (叉燒包; chāshāo bāo; chāsīu bāau)

Buns with barbecued pork filling. They can either be steamed to be white and fluffy or glazed and baked to golden. The baked variant are called (叉燒餐包; chāshāo cān bāo; chāsīu chāan bāau).

Sweet cream bun (奶黃包; nǎihuáng bāo; náaih wòhng bāau)

Steamed buns with milk custard filling.

Lotus paste bun (蓮蓉包)

Steamed buns with lotus seed paste filling.

Pineapple bun (菠蘿包; bōluó bāo; bōlòh bāau)

a bread roll with a topping textured like pineapple skin, usually sweet. Does not contain pineapple.

Cake (糕 – gōu)

Turnip cake (蘿蔔糕; luóbo gāo; lòh baahk gōu)

puddings made from shredded white radish, mixed with bits of dried shrimp, Chinese sausage and mushroom. They are steamed, then cut into slices and pan-fried.

Taro cake (芋頭糕; yùtou gāo; wuh táu gōu)

puddings made of taro.

Water chestnut cake (馬蹄糕; mǎtí gāo; máh tàih gōu)

puddings made of crispy water chestnut. Some restaurants also serve a variation made with bamboo juice.

Meat (肉 – ròu)

Steamed meatball (山竹牛肉丸; niúròu wán; ngàuh yuhk yún)

Steamed meatballs served on top of a thin tofu skin.

Phoenix claws (鳳爪; fèngzhuǎ; fuhng jáau)

Deep fried, boiled and then steamed chicken feet with douchi. A plain steamed version is known as “White Cloud Phoenix Claws” (白雲鳳爪; báiyún fèngzhuǎ; baahk wàhn fuhng jáau).

Spare ribs (排骨; páigǔ; pàaih gwāt)

Steamed pork spare ribs with douchi and sometimes garlic and chili.

Beef tripe (金錢肚)

Is a popular Cantonese dish where the beef stomach (reticulam) is brined and then lightly fried giving a crispness and fresh taste.

Beef entrails (牛什; 牛雜)

Pieces of beef entrails such as tripe, pancreas, intestine, spleen, and lung; served in a bowl of master stock

Siu mei (烧味; 燒味; shāowèi; sīuméi)

Cantonese style barbecue meat, Siu Mei, has many types including BBQ pork (燒鵝 char siu), roasted goose (燒鴨 siu aap), marinated steamed chicken (白切雞), soy sauce chicken (豉油雞), and roast pork with crisp skin (燒肉 siu yuk).

Chicken wing (雞翼)

deep fried (炸雞翼) or marinated in soy sauce and spices (瑞士雞翼)

Seafood (海鲜 – hǎi xiān)

Deep fried squid (炸鱿鱼须; 炸魷魚鬚; zhàyóuyúxū; ja yàuh yùh sōu)

Similar to fried calamari, the battered squid is deep-fried.

Curry squid (咖哩鱿鱼; 咖哩魷魚)

Squid served in a curry broth.

Vegetable (菜 – cài)

Steamed vegetables (油菜; yóucài; yáu choi)

Popular varieties include lettuce (生菜; shēngcài; sāang choi), choy sum (菜心; càixīn; choi sām), gai lan (芥兰; 芥蘭; jièlán; gaailàahn) or water spinach (蕹菜; wèngcài; ung choi). Served with oyster sauce.

Fried tofu (炸豆腐)

Deep fried tofu with salt and pepper

Rice (米 – mǐ)

Lotus leaf rice (糯米雞; nuòmǐ jī; noh máih gāi)

Glutinous rice wrapped in a lotus leaf. Typically contains egg yolk, dried scallop, mushroom, and meat (usually pork and chicken). A lighter variant is known as “pearl chicken” (珍珠雞; zhēnzhū jī; jānjyū gāi).

Chinese sticky rice (糯米飯; nuòmǐ fàn; noh máih faahn)

Stir fried (or steamed) glutinous rice with savoury Chinese sausage, soy sauce steeped mushrooms, sweet spring onions, and sometimes chicken marinated with a mixture of spices including five-spice powder.

Congee (粥; zhōu; jūk)

Rice porridge such as the “Preserved Egg and Pork Porridge” (皮蛋瘦肉粥; pídàn shòuròu zhōu; pèihdáan sauyuhk jūk)

Dessert (甜点 – tián diǎn)

Egg tart (Chinese 蛋撻; pinyin daahn tāat)

Baked tart with egg custard filling.

Tofu pudding (豆腐花; dòufuhuā; dauh fuh fā)

Soft tofu served with a sweet ginger or jasmine flavored syrup.

Sesame ball (煎堆; jiānduī; jīn dēui)

Deep fried chewy dough with red bean paste filling, coated in sesame seeds.

Thousand-layer cake (千層糕; qiāncéng gāo; chīnchàhng gōu)

A dessert made up of many layers of sweet egg dough.

White sugar sponge cake (白糖糕; báitáng gāo; baahk tòng gōu)

It is made from rice flour, white sugar, water, and a leavening agent.

Coconut pudding (椰汁糕; yēzhī gāo; yèh jāp gōu)

Light and spongy but creamy puddings made with coconut milk, with a thin clear jelly layer made with coconut water on top.

Tong sui (糖水)

Popular varieties include black sesame soup (芝麻糊), red bean soup (红豆汤; 紅豆沙), mung bean soup (绿豆汤; 綠豆沙), sai mai lo (西米露), guilinggao (龟苓膏; 龜苓膏), peanut paste soup (花生糊), and walnut soup (核桃糊).

 

Dim Sum is very western palate friendly, there are chicken feet and offal which some may dodge at first, but I really recommend even giving those a try. In general, Guangdong cuisine is one of the most palatable to foreign visitors and Yum Cha is definitely an experience not to miss.

Ordering at a Yum Cha Restaurant in China

When ordering you’ll probably get a pencil and sheet of paper with tick boxes, if you are lucky it will have pictures, otherwise, just show the waiter pictures of your picks and they’ll fill the menu in for you. Some modern restaurants now use iPads which makes life easy.

Also note, the Chinese used on this page is Mandarin (and simplified Chinese), some in southern China and Hong Kong may not understand it as they speak Cantonese and use traditional Chinese script. Regardless, the pictures should get your order underway.

On weekends when things get really busy you can order with the waiter or they may have trolleys coming buy and you simply pick what you like from it. At some larger restaurants, everything is ready and you simply go and chose what you like, the waiter stamps your card, and you return to the table with your choices or the waiter will bring it over.

You’ll also get given a card, on which the waiter will note down what you have received. At the end of the feast, simply call the waiter over and they’ll go and tally things up and give you the bill.

In southern China, most dim sum is found at morning tea restaurants. There may be small shops selling dim sum all day but it can often be a lesser version. In Hong Kong, there are high-end restaurants and smaller mom and pop restaurants selling dim sum and the distinction on quality is not so clear, both can be great or average. Fortunately in HK, you can use Open Rice or Google reviews to find a good option near you.

At most places in China, expect to pay around 100RMB for two people and be disgustingly full, in HK can be quite a bit more.

Authentic Chinese Food: The Top 20 Foreigner Friendly Dishes

Authentic Chinese Food: The Top 20 Foreigner Friendly Dishes

Here is a list of super delicious dishes in China that can be found in most cities and that visitors to China will love at first bite.

For the new visitor, Chinese cuisine can seem a little intimidating and even altogether scary when not well understood, it can take a little while to adapt and for some, it may be a bridge too far. Dishes such as fried duck head (鸭头), fertilized eggs (活珠子), pigs blood jelly (血豆腐), or even steamed chicken feet (豉汁蒸凤爪) may turn off many a new visitors stomach. But, don’t fear, there are plenty of foreigner-friendly foods to start your China journey with.

Here is a list of some of the dishes from various cuisines of China that are readily available in most major cities across China, and best of all, they are delicious. What’s not listed, as many lists do, is Americanised Chinese food, these are all authentic dishes of China.

If you are traveling in China, keep this list handy as I have included the Chinese names so you can show it to anyone and get directed to the nearest restaurant or street stall.

Sweet and Sour Pork (咕噜肉 – gū lū ròu)
Cuisine: Cantonese
Sweet and sour pork is one of Guangdong’s traditional feature dishes. This dish began in the Qing Dynasty and was very popular with Europeans and Americans in China at that time whose first contact with China was Guangdong province and Cantonese cuisine.
Dumplings (饺子 – Jiǎozǐ)
Cuisine: no specific cuisine but originates from Nanyang, Henan
The humble dumpling has a history of more than 1,800 years and is a traditional specialty food that is popular among the Chinese people and especially so with foreigners. It is also the must-prepare dish during the Spring Festival which are eaten on the eve of Chinese New Year. There are inumerate variants using all kinds of combinations of vegetables, pork, prawns etc and can be steamed or steamed and fried.
Potsticker (锅贴 – guōtiē)
Cuisine: no specific cuisine but originates from Henan or Guangdong or Liaoning according to three differing legends.
The cause of many debate, but Pot stickers and fried dumplings can not be confused. The two are not the same. The difference is the cooking technique also filling recipes differ along with origin. Potstickers are cooked in the pan, fried dumplings are boiled and later fried. Shapes also differ. Regardless, they are equally delicious!
Xiaolongbao (小笼包 xiǎolóngbāo)
Cuisine: Jiangnan Cuisine/Jiangsu Cuisine
This soup style dumpling dates back to the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127) and the ancient capital Kaifeng. It was refined during the Song and Qing eras to become what we know today as the Xiaolongbao (that originates from Changzhou). It is a famous traditional snack in Jiangnan area and especially popular with foreigners visiting Shanghai. There are many variants nationwide from small bite size pieces to large bun style soup dumplings that come with a straw.
Wonton (云吞 – húntún / yúntūn)
Cuisine: Catonese Cuisine
A staple dish in southern China and Hong Kong, wontons are small bite sized dumplings typically served in a light chicken broth with noodles. The wonton skins are made of eggs and flour and the fillings are usually made from pork, vegetables (such as coriander, celery) and chopped green onion, and also mixed with shrimp, fish, egg yolk, mushrooms. You can aslo order wonton without noodles, and fried wonton is popular in HK.
Stirred Egg and Tomato (番茄炒鸡蛋 – fān qié chǎo jī dàn)
Cuisine: Shangdong cuisine
Whilst it sounds simplistic and bland, it’s actually a magic combination and a common staple dish in China. This dish also raved about for its nutritional properties along with being super delicious when cooked with the right technique.
Peking Roasted Duck (北京烤鸭 – Běijīng kǎoyā)
Cuisine: Beijing cuisine
According to legend, the beauty of roast duck is derived from a thousand yearl old breed of duck that was especially bred for this purporse. What we do know is that it is the most famous dish of Beijing and is absolutely delicious. The competition between restaurants and chefs over who has the best Peking Roast Duck is fierce! The most famous is Quanjude (全聚德) which originated in 1864 and has many branches operating today worldwide as well as its original store at No.30, Qianmen Street, Beijing.
Twice cooked pork (回锅肉 – huíguōròu)
Cuisine: Sichuan cuisine
The pork meat is boiled, cooled, and then fried along with ginger, garlic slices, onions, peppers, bean paste etc. Can be a bit spicy for some. Another dish with a long history dating back to the Northern Song Dynasty and refined to what we see today in the late Qing Dynasty.
Steamed Buns (包子 – Bāozi)
Cuisine: all cuisine
If there was one ubiquitious food in China across all regions and cuisines this would probably be it. It is a common breakfast staple coming in variants with fillings including pork and cabbage (猪肉白菜包子) being the most popular, or shredded vegetables, etc. In Cantonese cuisine there is the famous BBQ pork bun. There are aslo sweet versions with custard, red bean etc. Mostly they are steamed, sometimes steamed and fried on the botttom. Too many varities to mention and it’s hard to find one that is not delicious. It’s origins date back to the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280).
Zhaliang (炸两 – zháliǎng)
Cuisine: Cantonese cuisine
Popular in Hong Kong and Guangdong it is a reltively recent dish consiting of a fried dough stick, special sauce, and wrapped in a rice roll. A popular breakfast snack and delicious.
Dim Sum (早茶 Zǎochá)
Cuisine: Cantonese cuisine
Morning tea, where the family gathers for breakfast is longstanding tradition in Guangdong and its easy to see why its stood the test of time. Dim Sum (or Dian Xin/Yum Cha/Zoacha) presents a large range of bite size dishes to choose from which are time proven favorites. It would be hard to find someone from any region of the world who didn’t greatly enjoy dim sum.
Chinese Hamburger (肉夹馍 Ròu Jiā Mó)
Cuisine: Shaanxi cuisine
Its history can be traced back to the Warring States Period where the meat gravy
was made from pork belly with the addition of 20 different spices. The bun is a flour bun that is crisped on grill before being stuffed with gravy and it is super delicious and super comfort food.
Rice noodle rolls (肠粉 – chángfěn)
Cuisine: Cantonese cuisine
Rice rolls are ubiquitious across Guangdong and a popular breakfast staple. Fillings for the rice roll include pork or beef, shrimp, greens, eggs, and vegetables. It’s origins can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE).
Lanzhou Beef Noodles (兰州拉面 – Lanzhou Lamian)
Cuisine: Gansu Cuisine
The dishes claim to fame is the hand pulled noodles which involve a range of techniques from the dough to the art of ‘pulling’ the noodles. The broth is made from beef bones and chicken fat and spices. A reecentl dish compared to some on this list that dates back some 200 years to the Qing Dynasty and became popular in the 1980’s.
Slow Cooked Soup (老火靓汤 – lǎo huǒ tāng)
Cuisine: Cantonese cuisine
For many years, soup has become an indispensable part of Guangzhou people’s life and it has become the established pattern of the banquet in Guangzhou to drink soup before meals. Loa Huo Tang is considered a tonic and there are numerous recipes with differing properties.
Char siu (叉烧 – chāshāo)
Cuisine: Cantonese cuisine
Pork roast is a traditional dish in Guangdong Province, It has a red color which comes from the glaze, it is succlent and slightly sweet. The pickled lean pork is hung on a special fork and placed in the oven for grilling. A good pork roast should be soft and juicy, with a bright color and a fragrant smell.
Buddha’s delight (罗汉斋 – luóhàn zhāi)
Cuisine: Cantonese cuisine
The vegetarian dish dates back to the Song Dynasty where it was a favorite of monks and became popular in the wider community. This dish is somewhat symbolic as well as delicious, named after the eighteen arhats, it is a “family portrait” of the temple flavor, and is carefully prepared with 18 kinds of fresh fragrant ingredients.
Stir-fried vegetables (炒青菜 – Chǎoqīngcài)
Cuisine:all cuisine
Most all restaurants will have several wok fired vegetable dishes. They may be mixed vegetales but usually single vegetable such as Chinese cabbage/bok choy with garlic and soy/sesame oil sauce.
Scallion pancakes (葱油饼 – cōngyóubǐng)
Cuisine: Shangdong cuisine
Made from an uleavened flour dough that is rolled out into thin layer and fried, often in scallion oil. Sesame seeds and fresh scallions are often added.
Fired Dough Sticks (油条 – yóutiáo)
Cuisine: all
A breakfast staple across the country where it is eaten alongside soy milk (doujiang). It can be eaten as it is, crispy with a slight chewiness, or it can be adden to a Jianbing, wrapped in a rice roll (zhaliang), or dipped in hoisin sauce. It has origins in the Song Dynasty.
Fresh Soy Milk (豆漿 – dòu jiāng)
Cuisine: all
A popular staple breakfast drink consumed alongside youtiao. Soymilk originated in China, and it was said that it was invented by Liu An, the Huainan King of the Western Han Dynasty more than 1900 years ago.
Biang Biang Mian (油泼扯面 – biángbiángmiàn)
Cuisine: Shaanxi Cuisine
It is said to have a history of more than 3,000 years. The noodles are thin and broad made from a flour dough which is formed into wide long strips. The noodles are typically served covered with a hot peanut oil with a small amount of ginger, onion, chili, and maybe chives. recipes differ shop to shop.

China’s Top Ten Snack Streets

China’s Top Ten Snack Streets

Here is a list of the top ten snack streets and its no coincidence that they are also near to major scenic areas. Also fascinating is that many of them have been famed destinations of the Chī huò (foodie) for centuries.

They really are quite special destinations especially for food and culture lovers offering the chance to try a massive range of China’s most-loved specialty snacks in one location. If you are traveling to one of these areas it’s a must-do experience to go strolling and grazing.

Xi’an 西安 – Huimin Street 回民街

Xi’an Huimin Street is a famous food and culture street in Xi’an. There are a large number of food shops on both sides of the street. There are nearly 300 kinds of special flavor snacks, which make people linger and forget the charm. Here you can eat almost all Xi’an snacks, including: various Kebabs (烤肉串), Paomo (羊肉泡馍) – lamb soup with flatbread, soup dumplings (灌汤包子), spicy sheep hooves (麻辣羊蹄), Water Basin Mutton aka lamb stew (水盆羊肉), Cured beef and mutton (腊牛羊肉), Liangpi (凉皮) – cold noodles, Hulatang (胡辣汤) – spicy soup. Read more about Xi’an

 

Xiamen 厦门 – Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street 中山路步行街

Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street is an old city block and retains a relatively complete modern history. Many tourists who go to Gulangyu will come and visit. There are all kinds of Xiamen snacks and popular items include Xiamen Glass Noodles (面线糊), Oyster omelet (海蛎煎), Shacha Noodles (沙茶面), Xiamen Fish Balls (厦门鱼丸). Read more about Xiamen and Gulangyu

 

Shanghai 上海 – City God Temple 城隍庙

Shanghai City God Temple has a history of more than 800 years. From the beginning of the Song Dynasty to the contemporary vicissitudes of life, Shanghai’s City God Temple has become a famous tourist attraction in Shanghai. It is a must to try Xiaolongbao (小笼包) – soupy meat dumpling, Shengjianbao (生煎包)- steamed meat bun, Pear Syrup Candy (梨膏糖), Shanghai Yoghurt (上海老酸奶). Read more about Shanghai

 

Beijing 北京 – Ghost Street/GuiJie 簋街

Ghost Street is the name of the dining street in Dongzhimen near the Lama Temple. On the street less than 1km long, a series of restaurants, including hot pot, barbecue and other flavors of Sichuan, Shandong, Guangdong, and Hunan. It is the most famous of the spicy crayfish (属麻辣小龙虾), grilled fish (烤鱼), spicy snail (辣田螺), chili frog (饞嘴蛙), Roast pigs trotters (烤豬蹄), Steamed chicken with ginger (霸王雞).

 

Lijiang 丽江 – Sifang Street 四方街

In the beautiful and romantic environment of the ancient city of Lijiang, you can feel the enthusiasm of the people of all ethnic groups wearing colorful national costumes. On the sides of the short and narrow streets, you can eat the national snacks with special characteristics. Dishes to try include Preserved pork ribs (腊排骨), Butter tea (酥油茶), Chickpea jelly (鸡豆凉粉), Goat hot pot (黑山羊火锅), Chicken hot pot (汽锅鸡). Read our intro to Lijiang

 

Chengdu 成都 – Jinli 锦里

It is natural to mention Jinli in Chengdu snacks. Chengdu Jinli snacks have a wide variety of colors and local characteristics. Going to Chengdu and not going to Jinli for snacks, you will regret it. Tea houses, cafes, bars, inns, etc. and at dusk, Jinli will light up and have a charm, suitable for taking pictures. Dishes to try are Rice cake (凉糕), Sichuan steamed pork buns wrapped in leaves (叶儿耙), Broken heart bean jelly (伤心凉粉), Meat patties (牛肉焦饼). Read our intro to Chengdu

 

Wuhan 武汉 – Hubu Lane 户部巷

Hubu Lane is located in Wuhan, Hubei Province, a famous historical and cultural city in China. It is a 150-meter-long century-old lane. It is known as the “first lane of Chinese-style snacks”. Its prosperous early stalls have been enduring for decades. Popular dishes are Wuhan hot dry noodles (石婆婆热干面), Chen Ji red oil beef noodles (陈记红油牛肉面), Wanshi rice wine (万氏米酒), Bean Curd Skin Roll (何记豆皮), soup steamed dumplings (麻婆灌汤蒸饺), beef noodles (好来牛肉面) etc.

 

Nanjing 南京 – Confucius Temple 夫子庙

Confucius Temple Food Street was built in 1997 and is located at the southern end of Confucius Temple. Some of the more famous dishes are Jiang Youji’s potstickers (蒋有记的锅贴) – dumplings, Beef potstickers (牛肉锅贴) from Lianhu Gaotuan Shop (莲湖糕团店), Crispy duck heads (香酥鸭头), Half egg and half chicken (半鸡半蛋的旺鸡蛋) – boiled chicken egg at the embryo stage. Read our intro to Nanjing

 

Hangzhou 杭州 – Hefang Street 河坊街

Hefang Street is a Ming and Qing antique pedestrian street, where snacks, antique calligraphy and paintings, and shops are gathered. There are many traditional food stalls on the short streets and there are many snacks here including Southern Song pastry (有南宋糕点), aunt cakes (姑嫂饼), Glutinous rice cake or Mochi (姑嫂饼), osmanthus moon cake (桂花月亮糕).

 

Chongqing 重庆 – Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street 解放碑

The most famous pedestrian street in the city and the area is home to a staggering 3000 stores. Snacks to try include Hot and sour noodles (酸辣粉), Golden roast trotters (金榜蹄名烤豬蹄), Meat Dumplings in Spicy Sauce (抄手), Barbecue (烧烤) – you’ll see open grill stalls everywhere.

 

Know your Chinese Tea – The Types, Growing Regions, Brewing, Culture & more

Know your Chinese Tea – The Types, Growing Regions, Brewing, Culture & more

Let’s take a deep dive into the world of Chinese tea and explore types of tea with popular varieties, growing regions, selection, brewing, and wrap up with a little bit of culture.

Tea Types and Varieties

There are four classes of tea being Green, Black, White, Yellow, Oolong, and Fermented tea which all originate from the Camellia plant (茶花), sinensis or assamica variety. I will cover a few extra types and styles of tea as well.

Lu cha – Green Tea (绿茶)

Green tea is made from Camellia sinensis as is black tea and oolong with the difference being that green tea is less oxidized during the tea making process.

Varieties: Anji bai cha (安吉白茶), Baimao Hou (白毛猴 literally: ‘white-haired monkey’), Biluochun (碧螺春), Chun Mee (珍眉 literally: ‘precious eyebrows’), Cloud tea (云雾茶), Da Fang (顶谷大方), Huangshan Maofeng (黄山毛峰), Longjing tea (龙井茶), Lu’an Melon Seed tea (六安瓜片, Mengding Ganlu (蒙顶甘露), Taiping houkui (太平猴魁), Zhuyeqing (竹叶青)

Bai Cha (白茶 literally: White Tea)

White tea, like black and green tea, is made from the Camellia sinensis plant and in spite of its name, brewed white tea is pale yellow. Its name derives from the fine silvery-white hairs on the unopened buds of the tea plant, which give the plant a whitish appearance.

Varieties: Baihao Yinzhen (白毫银针), Bai Mudan (白牡丹 literally: ‘white peony’), Shoumei (寿眉)

Huang Cha (黄茶 literally: Yellow Tea)

The process for making yellow tea is similar to that of green but with an added step of encasing and steaming the tea. This allows the tea to oxidize at a slow rate for a brief period before the tea is heated fully to denature the oxidizing enzymes, producing a far more mellow taste than is found in most green teas; this also gives the leaves a slightly yellow coloring during the drying process.

Varieties: Junshan Yinzhen (君山銀針), Huoshan Huangya (霍山黃芽), Meng Ding Huangya (蒙頂黃芽), Mogan Huangya (莫干黃芽), Beigang Maojian (北港毛尖), Weishan Maojian (溈山毛尖), Haimagong Cha (海馬宮茶), Da Ye Qing (大葉青), Pingyang Huangtang (平陽黃湯), Yuan’an Luyuan (遠安鹿苑)

Hei Cha (黑茶 or Huo fajiao cha 后发酵茶 literally: post-fermented tea)

Fermented tea (also known as dark tea) is a class of tea that has undergone microbial fermentation, from several months to many years.  The most famous fermented tea is puer, produced in Yunnan Province, and the Anhua dark tea produced in Anhua County of Hunan Province.

Varieties: Pu-erh cha (雲南普洱茶), Fu Zhuan cha (湖南茯磚茶 (黑茶), Liu Bao cha (廣西六堡茶), Lu Bian cha (四川路边茶), Qing Zhuan cha (湖北青砖茶), Zang cha (藏茶)

Hong cha – Black tea (红茶 literally: ‘red tea’)

Black tea is simply more oxidized than oolong, green, and white teas and in turn, offering stronger flavor. All four types are made from leaves of the shrub, Camellia sinensis.

Varieties: Congou (工夫红茶), Dianhong (滇紅茶 literally: ‘Yunnan red tea’), Jin Hou Cha (金猴茶 literally: ‘Golden Monkey tea’), Jin Jun Mei (金骏眉 literally: ‘Golden Horse Eyebrow’), Keemun (祁门红茶 literally: ‘Qimen red tea’), Lapsang souchong (正山小種), Yingdehong (英德红茶)

Wulong Cha – Oolong (乌龙茶 literally: ‘black dragon tea’)

Is a semi-oxidized tea that sits somewhere between green and black tea. Many varieties of Oolong are formed not only by variation in the process but also from varieties of the Camellia sinensis tea plant specific to certain regions.

Varieties: Bai Jiguan (白鸡冠), Ban Tian Yao Ban Tian Yao (半天腰), Bu Zhi Chun (不知春), Da Hong Pao (大红袍 literally: ‘Big Red Robe’), Fo Shou (佛手 literally: ‘Buddhas Hand’), Huang Guanyin (黄观音茶), Huang Meigui (黃玫瑰), Jin Fo (金佛茶 literally: ‘Gold Buddha tea’), Jin Suo Chi (金锁匙 literally: ‘Golden Key, Qilan (奇兰), Rougui (肉桂茶), Shui Hsien tea (水仙茶), Shui jin gui (水金龟 literally: ‘Golden Water Turtle’) , Tieluohan (铁罗汉), Tieguanyin (铁观音)

Wuyi tea (武夷岩茶)

Wuyi teas are generally classified as black or oolong, but I will give it it’s own category here as Wuyi teas are distinct in origin, cost and flavor. Wuyi teas are grown in the Wuyi Mountains of northern Fujian, and are highly prized due to the mineral-rich soil they are grown in. Whilst being high quality, the yield is low and these Wuyi teas are expensive. Da Hong Pao, as one example, is more expensive than gold due it being made from the oldest original plants from the Wuyi region.

Varieties: Bai Jiguan (白鸡冠), Da Hong Pao (大红袍 literally: ‘Big Red Robe’), Jin Jun Mei (金骏眉 literally: ‘Golden Horse Eyebrow’), Lapsang souchong (正山小種), Qilan (奇兰), Rougui (肉桂茶), Shui jin gui (水金龟 literally: ‘Golden Water Turtle’), Tieluohan (铁罗汉)

Zhu Cha – Gunpowder tea (珠茶 literally: ‘pearl tea’)

Tea leaves that are been rolled into a ball which has a resemblance to gunpowder thus the English naming. It is made usually using green or oolong tea. The rolling is believed to help the tea maintain flavor and aroma.

Lei cha (擂茶 literally: ‘Thunder tea)

Possible more of a soup than a tea, using either oolong or a green tea together with roasted nuts, roasted grains such as rice, spices such as ginger which are all ground in a mortar and pestle/food processor. Hot water is added and it is eaten/drank with a spoon. Modern versions of Lei Cha can include lost of vegetables as well.

Hua Cha – Scented Teas (花茶)

Hua Cha, aka Scented teas (also called flower teas), can be either green or white teas that are been infused with certain flowers, which impart a delicate and interesting taste, and of course a wonderful aroma. Flowers used for blending include Jasmine, Osmanthus, Rose, and Chrysanthemum. The most famous is Moli Hua Cha (茉莉花茶) aka Jasmine tea.

Flowering tea or blooming tea (香片, 工艺茶, or 开花茶)

Tea leaves and flowers are specially bound together into a bulb which, when steeped, grows and unfurls as it were a live flower blooming.

Herbal Tea 草药茶)

Technically not tea, as there are no tea leaves involved, herbal teas are an infusion of plant flora and plant roots etc. that offer health benefit or medicinal properties.

Popular herbal teas include: Leung Cha (涼茶), Twenty-Four Flavours (Ya Sei Mei 廿四味), Chrysanthemum Tea (Ju Hua Cha 菊花茶), Xia Sang Ju (夏桑菊), Eight Treasures Tea (Ba Bao Cha 八宝茶), Gingko (Yinxing 银杏), Osmanthus (Guihua 桂花), Honeysuckle (Jin Yin Hua 金银花), Amaranth Flower (Qian Ri Hong 千日红花), Lavender (Xun Yi Cao 薰衣草)

Growing Regions

All of China’s tea producing regions are located in Southern China due to the favorable warmer humid climate. The most famed provinces are Fujian, Anhui, and Zhejiang while typically tea production in China is classified into four key areas being

  • Jiangbei – North of the Yangtze River inc. northern Anhui, Henan, Gansu, northern Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Shandong and known for green teas.
  • Jiangnan – South of the Yangtze River inc. southern Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, southern Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and is the major tea producing region known for oolong, green, black, and scented teas.
  • Southwest China – inc. Sichuan, Guizhou, Tibet and known for Pu Erh teas, black tea, and some green and yellow tea.
  • Southern China – inc. Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, Guangxi and known for white tea, black, and oolong.

Tea production by Province

  • Anhui – Varieties: Chun Mee, Huangshan Maofeng, Huoshan Huangya tea, Hyson, Keemun, Lu’an Melon Seed tea, Taiping houkui
  • Fujian – Varieties: Baihao Yinzhen, Bai Jiguan tea, Bai Mudan, Ban Tian Yao tea, Baozhong tea, Bu Zhi Chun tea, Fo Shou tea, Huang Guanyin tea, Huang Meigui tea, Huangjin Gui, Jin Fo tea, Jin Suo Chi tea, Lapsang souchong, Qilan tea, Rougui tea, Ruanzhi tea, Shoumei tea, Shui Hsien tea, Shui Jin Gui tea, Tieguanyin, Tieluohan tea, Wuyi tea
  • Guanxi – Varieties: Liu Bao
  • Guangdong – Varieties: Yingdehong tea
  • Henan – Varieties: Xinyang Maojian tea
  • Hubei – Varieties: Yu Lu
  • Hunan – Varieties: Junshan Yinzhen
  • Jiangsu – Varieties: Biluochun, Dafang tea, Shanjuan Chunyue
  • Jiangxi – Varieties: Yun Wu
  • Shaanxi – Varieties: Mao Jian
  • Sichuan – Varieties: Mengding Ganlu tea, Panda tea
  • Yunnan – Varieties: Baihao Yinzhen, Dianhong, Pu’er tea
  • Zhejiang – Varieties: Gunpowder tea, Longjing tea, Dragon Pearl Jasmine

The Ten Famous Chinese Teas

The most famous teas in China are noted as the Ten Great Chinese Teas (中國十大名茶) which is derived from the teas chosen and taken by China to the 1915 Panama World Expo.

Chinese name – English name – City Province origin – Tea Type

  • 西湖龙井 – Longjing tea – Hangzhou, Zhejiang – Green tea
  • 洞庭碧螺春 – Biluochun tea – Suzhou, Jiangsu – Green tea
  • 安溪铁观音 – Anxi Tieguanyin tea – Anxi, Fujian – Oolong tea
  • 黄山毛峰 – Huangshan Maofeng tea – Huangshan, Anhui – Green tea
  • 武夷岩茶/大红袍 – Da Hong Pao – Wuyi, Fujian – Oolong tea
  • 君山银针 – Junshan Yinzhen – Yueyang, Hunan – Yellow tea
  • 祁门红茶 – Keemun Black tea – Qimen, Anhui – Black tea
  • 六安瓜片 – Lu’an Melon Seed tea – Jinzhai, Anhui – Green tea
  • 云南普洱 – Yunnan Puer – Puer (Simao), Yunnan – Post-fermented tea Puer
  • 白毫银针 – Baihao Yinzhen – Fuding, Fujian – White tea

Grading and Selecting Quality Tea

There are five methods for choosing tea. The five methods are referred to as Xin, Gau, Jun, Xiang, and Jing.

Xin – The Xin method is to choose fresh tea, never using bitter or dull-fragranced teas. Green tea, for example, starts losing flavor and aroma after 2 months depending on type and storage method.

Gan – means that the tea leaves need to have low moisture content (less than 6%). High moisture can lead to poor shelf life and mold growth.

Jun – The thickness of the leaves should be consistent along with the color also being free from burn marks.

Xiang – noting the fragrance it should be a soft scent without any burnt or sour aroma.

Jing – there should not be any foreign substances.

Brewing Methods

Choosing the right equipment for the type of tea

The choice of teaware is mostly a cultural one, with different regions of China each having there own favored style. That said, it is very favorable to use glassware for high-quality green teas as the colors and “dancing” of the leaves as they brew is all part of the tea experience. The white porcelain gai wan (盖碗 literally: lidded bowl) is also suitable in this case and also suitable for white tea and scented teas. For black, oolong, and puer you may like to use a Yixing clay teapot (宜兴) to brew the tea.

For drinking, it is often preferred to use small cups so as to appreciate the range of flavors throughout the brewing process, especially in traditional gong-fu style.

Water to Tea Ratio

As a rule of thumb, for oolong, black and green tea you can use 3g tea per 200 ml of water. 3g of tea is roughly one teaspoon depending on the density of the tea with two tablespoons used for large open style leaf teas. For Puer tea use a little more and about 5-10g per 200 ml of water.

Water Temperature

For low-cost teas, the water temperature does not matter too much although for high-quality teas using the incorrect temperature will destroy the qualities of the particular tea.

  • Pu’er: 93–100°C (200–212°F)
  • Black: 88–93°C (190–200°F)
  • Oolong: 82–93°C (180–200°F)
  • Yellow: 79°C (175°F)
  • White: 71–85°C  (160–185°F)
  • Green: 60–88°C (140–190°F)

Brewing Time

For low-cost teas with small particles such as that in tea bags or Hong Sui Cha (红碎茶) add water and let sit to brew for 3-5 minutes and serve. After, throw away the leaves as they have nothing left to offer.

For high-quality teas, you can put the amount of tea in your cup and pour just enough hot water to cover the tea. Let it brew for 3 minutes, then fill your cup and drink leaving one third. When ready pour in the hot water again and drink leaving one third. After three times the leaves can be thrown away.

For Oolong using a Yixing teapot,  brew briefly and throw away the water. Add water again and brew for one minute. Add 15 seconds to the brewing time with each refill up to four times.

Specific Brewing Time by Tea Type 

Pu’Erh

  • Water temperature: 93–100°C (200–212°F)
  • Use about six to eight grams of tea per 200ml
  • Add water and throw away, twice.
  • Fill the cup with water allow to steep for ten seconds. Drink and repeat.
  • It can be used this way for ten times at least depending on tea quality and your taste.

Oolong

  • Water temperature: 82–93°C (180–200°F)
  • Use six to eight grams of tea per 200ml
  • Wash leaves once
  • Fill the cup with water allow to steep for ten seconds. Drink and repeat.
  • It can be used this way for six times depending on tea quality and your taste.

Long Leaf Green Tea 

  • Water temperature: 60–88°C (140–190°F)
  • Use three grams of tea per 200ml
  • Add water and steep for ten seconds. Drink and repeat.
  • Put hot water to the top of the leaves in the glass
  • It can be used this way for five times depending on tea quality and your taste.

Green Tea and Yellow Tea

  • Water temperature: 60–88°C (140–190°F)
  • Use three grams of tea per 200ml
  • Cover leaves with water and stir
  • Fill the glass and steep for 30 seconds. Drink and repeat.
  • It can be used this way for five times depending on tea quality and your taste.

White tea 

  • Water temperature: White: 71–85°C  (160–185°F)
  • Use six grams of tea per 200ml
  • Fill the glass and steep for 15 seconds.
  • Drink and repeat
  • It can be used this way for five times depending on tea quality and your taste

Black tea

  • Water temperature: White: 71–85°C  (160–185°F)
  • Use three grams of tea per 200ml
  • Fill the glass and steep for 3-5 seconds.
  • Drink and repeat
  • It can be used this way for five times depending on tea quality and your taste

Milk Teas

Milk teas are popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan spreading to mainland China especially Bubble Tea.

Xiang Gang Nai Cha – Hong Kong Milk Tea (香港奶茶)

Hong Kong-style milk tea is made from black tea and evaporated milk. In Hong Kong, tea masters are revered for their creations with each having their own secret recipes which may include several types of teas and their own unique brewing styles.

Zhenzu Naicha – Bubble Tea (珍珠奶茶)

Hailing from Taiwan, bubble tea has become a global craze. “Pearls” that are made from tapioca flour are added to a rich sweet milk tea to make the popular street stall beverage. There are endless varieties.

Tea culture

Going way back to the Warring States period (475–221 BC), tea was made from freshly picked tea leaves, perhaps picked fresh from the tree, steeped and drank right there on the spot. It wasn’t until the around the Sui or at least prior to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) that processing of tea developed tea to produce a product that could be stored, transported, and drank as needed.

During the Tang Dynasty, tea leaves were steamed and molded into solid cakes of tea, then in the later Song Dynasty (960–1279) they were steamed, pressed, and rolled and the later Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) tea leaves were heated by hot pan, rolled and dried similar to how green tea is produced today. Later developments would see the creation of Oolong teas and much later black teas.

Tea art (茶艺), described as “the beautiful artistic conception including the appreciation of tea techniques and the means of artistic manipulation, and the appreciation of the beautiful environment. The process of embodiment and the spirit are unified, which is the cultural phenomenon formed during the tea drinking process” sprouted in the Tang Dynasty, carried forward in the Song Dynasty, reformed in the Ming Dynasty, and flourished in the Qing Dynasty.

With tea came the tea gardens where people would come to share conversation, play mahjong and other games and while away the hours, tea houses where people would go to drink and play chess, watch opera, or snack on local delicacies. Practices which regardless of modernization and growth of coffee culture continue to this day. Tea is also interwoven into local religion, in the way of tea or Cha Dao (茶道) interconnected with spiritual practices of Taoism.

Tea culture is not just about the tea, it is life itself with the art of tea allowing one to develop a calm and peaceful nature (廉 lian), through the enjoyment of art, beauty, and the senses (美 mei), while conversing with friends (和 he), and being of service to guests and elders (敬 jing).

Tea has been central to the Chinese way of life ever since its inception and remains firmly so with highly prized rare teas costing more than gold of the same weight and collectors who are willing to pay millions for teapots made by famed artisans.

Simple Tea Vocabulary

茶具 cha ju – Teaware
側杯 ce bei – gai wan with handle and spout
茶承 cha cheng – teapot platform, e.g. of clay, for gongfu cha
茶船 cha chuan – hot-water dish for keeping teapot warm
茶壺 cha hu – teapot
公道杯 gong dao bei – pitcher for gong fu cha
養壺 yang hu –  a favorite or cherished teapot
茶 杯 cha bei – tea cup
茶碗 cha wan – tea bowl
茶盅 cha zhong – small pitcher
盖杯 gai bei – tea cup with a lid
盖碗 gai wan – tea bowl with lid
品茗杯 pin ming bei – tasting cup
闻香杯 wen xiang bei – aroma cup
水方 shui fang – water vessel
茶缸 cha gang – tea-leaf jar
茶厂cha chang – tea factory
茶村 cha cun – tea farm, lit ‘tea village’
茶叶店 cha ye dian – tea shop (to buy tea leaves)
茶坊 cha fang – tea house
茶馆 cha guan – tea house
茶具店 cha ju dian – tea-ware shop
茶楼 cha lou – tea house where typically can eat dim sum
茶艺馆 cha yi guan – tea arts house

 

An intro to Traditional Chinese Breads inc. Bing and Mantou

An intro to Traditional Chinese Breads inc. Bing and Mantou


Many people consider bread as a new product into the Chinese food culture but, actually, it has a history almost as long as the nation itself. Grinding grains into flour dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) when mills were introduced from foreign countries via the Silk Road. It is touted that the mantou came into being during this time.

There are several types of Chinese breads and for this article, I am going to focus on the traditional being Mantou (饅頭) and Bing (餅). I will save pastry aka Goudian (糕点) and modern wheat flour bread of Chinese bakeries, aka Mianbao (面包) for a later post.

 

Bing (餅)

Generally, Bing is an unleavened wheat bread that is fried on a hot plate and comes in many different variants.

Chunbing (春饼)

Also known as Spring pancake, it is a paper thin steamed pancake which is commonly used to wrap slices of the Peking duck in Beijing, and a similar style pancake is used for siwawa in Guizhou province.

Laobing (烙餠)

is a type of unleavened flatbread popular in parts of northern China, including Beijing. It is sometimes referred to as a Chinese pancake.

Fa mian bing (發麵餅)

is bing to which yeast is incorporated. It is used to make thick scallion breads.

Cong You Bing (葱油饼)

is a layered, savoury, crispy flatbread

Shou Zhua Bing (手抓饼)

the Taiwanese version of Cang You Bing, slightly crispy, chewy and delicious pancake that is often sold at street stalls filled with ham or sausage and lettuce/tomato/cheese

Shaobing (燒餅)

also called huoshao, is also an unleavened, layered flatbread, but instead of being fried, it is baked. It comes from Northern Chinese cuisine and is made with or without stuffing in sweet and savory variety and can be round or rectangle, covered in sesame seeds or not.

Jian bing (煎餅)

Jian Bing originates from Shandong and is a flatbread that is filled with egg, ham, sauce, crispy fried cracker, pickles, green onions etc. It is a very popular breakfast food at street stalls in China and Taiwan it is called Ji Dan Bing. Another version is Jianbing guozi which is filled with a youtiao stick and egg etc.

Bao bǐng (薄饼)

originates from the Chaozhou area of Guangdong and is a super thin crepe used in a similar way to Chunbing for Peking Duck in that it is commonly used for wrapping different fillings both savory and sweet. It can also be called “moo shu pancake” (木须饼).

Luo bou si bing (萝卜絲餅)

it is almost a pastry, formed from two dough mixtures and filled with shredded radish, then pan fried.

Baijimo (白吉馍)

is a fermented and leaved dough that is somtimes baked and sometimes fried. It originates from the Shaanxi region and is most popularly used with for the famous Rou Jia Mo (or Xi’an Hamburger) where the bun is filled with meat, typically stewed pork or lamb meat.

Guokui (凉粉锅盔)

is a kind of flatbread that originates from Shaanxi cuisine, there are many types and it is used in many ways, such as Liangfen Goukui where the bread is cut open and filled with spicy jelly noodles or a different version where the dough is rolled out, topped with pork filling and rolled back up, flattened, and fried in oil on a pan.

Nang bing, or Uyghur flatbread (馕)

is a a staple of the Xinjiang region, it is formed from an unleavened dough made from low gluten flour and is baked in a clay oven or Turan.

 

Mantou (饅頭)

In the north, it was a staple and in the south where they favored rice over wheat, mantou was sweetened and used as a dessert. When Mantou is stuffed it becomes a bao or Baozi (包子). In Shanxi and Tibet, they have Tingmo which is similar to mantou and when stuffed with filling it is similar to Baozi and called a momo.

plain Mantou (饅頭)

plain mantou is a simple steamed bun made from a leavened wheat flour dough. It comes on many shapes, round, oval, and even creative shapes such as small rabbits.

Deep Fried Mantou (饅頭)

Steamed mantou that is then deep fried. Gold and Silver Matou is a dessert dish featuring plain and deep fried mantou served together with sweet condensed milk.

Flower buns(花捲/卷)

Often called Mandarin rolls, they are made similar to mantou with the addition of sugar, soybean oil, vegetable shortening, and milk powder. Sometimes they are sweetened with condensed milk and sometimes they are savoury with salt and spring onions/scallions added. They are formed into layers before steaming.

Spiral Mantou

The mantough dough is seperated into two batches with flavoring added to one, then flattened, layered and rolled, cut and steamed. These are popular in the Chinese diaspora where you will see many flavors such as pandan, chocolate, red bean, green tea, etc.

Lotus leaf bun (荷叶饼)

a foldable mantou which is often served with braised pork belly such as the popular Gua bao.

Wotou (窝头)

A staple from northern regions of China, wotou is made with corn flour and a small amount of soy flour. It is lightly leveaned with baking soda.

A Visual Guide to Common Chinese Vegetables

A Visual Guide to Common Chinese Vegetables

Here’s a one-page visual guide to some of the most common vegetables you’ll come across in a market in China.  With big pics, English – Pinyin & Chinese, you can easily track down your favorites in the market and try some new things.

 

Bok Choy (bái cài or qīng jiāng cài -青江菜)

 

 

Chinese broccoli (jiè lán – 芥兰)

 

Choy sum (cài xīn – 菜心)

 

Chinese Water spinach(Kōngxīncài – 空心菜)

 

Chinese spinach (Xiàncài – 苋菜)

 

Chinese cabbage (Dà báicài – 大白菜)

 

 

Chinese celery (qín cài – 芹菜)

 

Watercress (xī yáng cài – 西洋菜)

 

Edible Chrysanthemum (tóng hāo – 茼蒿)

 

Chinese Eggplant (qié zi  – 茄子)

 

Spring Onion (cōng – 葱)

 

Large Green Onion (Dàcōng – 大葱)

 

Brown Onion (Yángcōng – 洋葱)

 

Garlic (Dàsuàn – 大蒜)

Ginger (Shēngjiāng – 生姜)

 

 

Garlic Scapes (suan xin – 蒜芯)

 

Chinese Garlic Chives (jiǔ cài – 韭菜)

 

Winter melon (dōng guā – 冬瓜)

 

Chinese Radish ( luó bo  – 萝卜)

 

Bitter Melon ( kǔ guā – 苦瓜)

 

 

Lotus Root (lián’ǒu – 莲藕)

 

 

Bamboo Shoots (竹笋)

 

 

Kelp seaweed (hǎi dài – 海带)

 

 

Chinese long beans (jiāng dòu- 豇豆)

 

Mung bean sprouts ( lǜ dòu yá – 绿豆芽)

 

Water Chestnuts (mǎ tí – 馬蹄)

 

Chinese yam (shān yào  – 山药)

 

Snow Peas (hé lán dòu – 荷兰豆)

 

Green Beans (máo dòu – 毛豆)

 

Stem lettuce (wō sǔn – 莴笋)

 

Chinese black mushroom (dōng gū – 冬菇)

 

 

Shiitake mushroom (xiāng gū – 香菇)

 

Enoki Mushrooms ( jīn zhēn gū  – 金针菇)

 

Tea tree mushrooms  ( chá shù gū – 茶树菇)

 

King Mushrooms (xìngbàogū – 杏鲍菇)

 

This post was first published Aug 3, 2017  and updated Sep 2018

Lets Eat…. Chang Fen (Rice Noodle Rolls)

Lets Eat…. Chang Fen (Rice Noodle Rolls)

This simple dish is a real favorite of mine and a staple of the Cantonese breakfast scene. Take an early morning wander along the streets anywhere from Hong Kong to way out past Guangzhou and you wont be able to miss it.

Rice noodle rolls, or zhū cháng fěn (cantonese: chee cheong fun) which translates literally to pig intestine noodle, named so only due to its looks.

Every morning the steamer, specially for making rice rolls, is parked out front of the shop and the chef goes to work producing rice rolls fresh on demand as customers grab breakfast on their way to work.

Some stalls/restaurants even produce the ‘rice slurry’ fresh on the day, as you can see in the pic below.

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The recipe for the rice slurry is simple enough, rice flour and a little tapioca flour or glutinous rice flour plus water. As for ingredients in the rice roll, the most common is egg, spring onion and ground pork. At Dian Xin (Yum Cha) restaurants you’ll find an even wider array of ingredients including shrimp, beef and even one called Zhaliang (炸兩) which is Youtiao (fried dough stick, a popular breakfast snack in it’s on right) covered in sauce and wrapped in the rice roll.

To be honest, I’m not a fan of some of the rice rolls at restaurants, many use a pre-made rice roll sheet and it’s just not as soft as the freshly made version, especially if it’s not cooked fully.

Here’s yesterdays breakfast being made fresh on the spot, step by step (yep, it’s a bit of messy affair):

It all starts by ladling some of the rice flour mix onto the steamer tray

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Spread it around until it’s nice and even.

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Crack and egg onto it, and spread it out width wise. Then a little meat and spring onion.

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The tray goes into the steamer for no more than a few minutes and using a pair of wide spatulas it’s rolled up in a flash

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Chopped up into inch long sections and plated up

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A little soy sauce and down it goes.

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The cost? 5 RMB.

Let’s Eat… Offal Hot Pot

Let’s Eat… Offal Hot Pot

Here is something YOU SHOULD try, when your Chinese friends take you to a beef hot pot restaurant, get ready for all kinds of offal and intestine, they love the stuff. And to be honest, it’s well worth trying and with the different sauces and condiments, it’s delicious, but some bits are a tad chewy… The restaurants in the city center or malls mostly use packaged or frozen goods, but, if your lucky, you can track down the odd place that butchers on site with a carcass delivered fresh every night. Unmissable experience, but vegetable hot pots are probably still the one for me.

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4 TCM food remedies for Weight Loss

4 TCM food remedies for Weight Loss

Carrying a few extra pounds, I’m bypassing the local dim-sum restaurant and went on the hunt for local solutions for weight loss and here’s what I come up with.

Firstly, everyone agrees, you can’t put in more than you give out, meaning, you need to burn more calories than you eat. Damn, I really do have to do exercise.

Interestingly, I’m not a big eater, had dropped bread from the diet some time ago, don’t drink soda and stick to just one or two cups of tea or coffee each day. Where was the weight coming from?

That’s when I learned about some of the perspectives of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which, strives to tackle the root cause of obesity by first, by evaluating whether there is an underlying condition, then treating that condition and from there maintaining a correct diet. There’s an article here which explains further.

So the first step on the road back to a healthy weight may be to take a visit to your local TCM doctor. Either way, here are some of the traditional Chinese recipes that may help with obesity and weight loss:

1. Stagnation of Liver QI

Excess abdominal fat, bloated feeling and low energy level?

Recipe:
10g of hawthorn berries (shan zha)
5g of ginger (jiang)
500ml of water

Boil for five minutes. Drink while warm, some people also add wolfberries and honey.

2. Excessive Internal Phlegm

A sedentary lifestyle, too much sweet or greasy foods, along with cold food and drinks can lead to spleen troubles including ‘internal dampness’ apparently.

Recipe:
Soak 20g of barley (yi mi) and 10g of melon skin (dong gua) for 20 minutes
Then bring the water to a boil.
Filter the barley and melon skin before serving.

3. Deficiencies in the Spleen and Kidney Systems

Feeling fatigued and short of breath? Back pain or knee pain?

Recipe:
10g gordon euryale seeds (qian shi)
20g lotus seeds (lian zi)
50g fresh Chinese yam (shan yao)
100g lean pork (zhu rou)

Puffiness and fluid retention?

Recipe:
1 cup, or so, of chopped winter-melon (dong gua)
1 inch piece of ginger chopped (jiang)
1 Spring onion chopped (cong)
5 Cups of water

Bring all ingredients to boil, and simmer for 15 minutes.

There are all sorts of other tips too, such as relaxed walking after eating, not eating after 6pm at night, eating at the correct times during the day, drinking Pu’erh Tea, not drinking fluids one hour before or after eating, eating pears, and your surely bound to come across many more.

Credits:
http://yourhealth.asiaone.com/content/fight-obesity-tcm
http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/lifestyles/tcmrole_obesityweight_principles.html
http://www.pingminghealth.com/article/583/winter-melon-and-odema/

Lets Eat… Chickens Feet

Lets Eat… Chickens Feet

There’s not much that goes to waste around these parts, and that includes Chickens feet, not just spared out of thrift though, they’re a wildly popular snack and delicacy. You can find them at street food stalls, convenience stores, supermarkets and for a real treat, my favorite is Cantonese style chickens feet that you find at dian xin (dim sum) restaurant.

They’re not without there benefits according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, chicken claws are packed with collagen for one, rich in calcium, can apparently help soften blood vessels, along with cosmetic benefits.

So, how to buy and eat? Here they are from the supermarket, ready to cook:

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Here they are in the snack isle, ready to go:

Walmart China

Here’s the spicy version:

Walmart China

You can also grab some freshly cooked feet from the deli, along with your pigs ears and offal:

Walmart China

And, here’s the tastiest, Cantonese style like what you will find at a dian xin restaurant:

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To cook at home – Cantonese Style Chicken Feet recipe:

Ingredients
500gm’s of Chicken feet
1 oil
2 litre water
30gm fresh ginger
3 pieces star anise
60gm parsnip
60gm sugar or honey (reduce the honey a bit as it’s sweeter)

Marinade
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
30gm chopped chili’s
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon black bean sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame seed oil

Heat the oil, and coat the chicken feet with the 60gm of sugar. Fry them for about 6-7 minutes or until golden. Remove and drain on paper.

Boil the water, add ginger, star anise, parsnip, chicken feet and return to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 90 minutes.

Mix all the marinade ingredients together, add the chicken feet and refrigerate overnight. When you are ready to eat, place feet and marinade into a bowl, and then into a steamer for 15 minutes until hot.

Inside a Walmart in China – Here’s five things you probably won’t see in a US Walmart

Inside a Walmart in China – Here’s five things you probably won’t see in a US Walmart

Supermarkets in China can be an eye-opening experience, I remember going to buy some chicken when I first moved here and, lo and behold, there was live chickens, pulled from the cage, beheaded and plucked before your eyes, it. Talk about fresh. Walmart is fairly tame, in comparison to the more traditional supermarkets, of which I’ll add some photos up in future posts.

Walmart is popular here, perhaps due to it’s perceived US prestige, but also by delivering quality goods, hygienic environment and high service standards, it has consumers trust. The US chain has done well to tailor itself to the local market and there’s a lots of interesting stuff you probably wont find at your local US Walmart:

live turtles
Turtles – unfortunately I was not in the pet section.. these guys will end up in soups
starfish
Dried starfish, great addition to your next healthy soup…
Dried Cuttle Fish
chicken feet
chickens feet – marinated and steamed, these are one of Chinas #1 snacks
Chickens feet, pigs ear, and offal.. mmmm. snack time!
Chickens feet, pigs ear, and offal.. mmmm. snack time!

 

 

More from inside Walmart China (photos open in lightbox) If your comparing prices 1 USD equals about 6.26 CNY (RMB)

Lets Eat… Clay Pot Noodles

Lets Eat… Clay Pot Noodles

Claypot Noodles (罐罐面) are a popular meal in my local area, but there certainly not to be found everywhere, as I’d never really noticed them before. Just recently tried them out at a local sidewalk restaurant the other day, it’s a very popular place at lunch times and at night right through till 11 and I can see why. They serve a variety of these clay pot noodles, the one I tried was a pork bone noodle soup which tasty and a revitalizing kind of feeling, a bit like a really good chicken soup.

The best soups will use a pork bone and maybe chicken bone or even a mixture of the two, vegetables are added and then its simmered for some time. The claypot has the benefit of even heat distribution and perfect vessel for simmering over a flame.

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There’s loads of different recipes and ingredients can include tofu, all kinds of vegetables, beef, chicken or pork, and spicy and non spicy. Here’s and example recipe.

Beef Claypot Recipe (serves 10)
Ingredients:  Beef 750gm, ginger 20gm, 50g spring onion, Chili bean paste 25gm, pickled chili pepper 35gm, coriander 75gm, salt, pepper, cooking wine, soy sauce, sugar, noodles, cooking oil, noodles 1000gm, vegetable stock with water (soup).
  
Method
1. Wash the beef, cut into 2 cm square pieces, cut bamboo shoots into long pieces, wash the coriander/ginger/onions.

2, bring a wok to heat, put in a splash of oil, put ginger, saute onion, add the beef and stir fry for a few minutes, add a splash of cooking wine, add the chili bean paste, add finely chopped pickled pepper; add salt, pepper, soy sauce, sugar, add some of the soup enough to half cover the beef, add bamboo shoots cook until meat and bamboo is tender. You can remove the onion if you wish. Divide evenly between ten claypots.

3, Cook the noodles in boiling water briefly, then divide evenly between claypots, place claypots on stove and simmer. Add coriander before serving.

Lets Eat… Sichuan Dry Hot Pot

Lets Eat… Sichuan Dry Hot Pot

Sichuan (or Szechwan/Szechuan) Cuisine is wildly popular, but UNLESS, you have a real penchant for spicy food it might not be the first place to start your culinary adventures. I mean real spicy. Once you have been here a while you’ll probably grow more and more accustomed to spicy food and really start to love Sichuan Cuisine.

Sichuan Province is famous for it’s mouth numbing spicy food and liberal use of chilli and pepper. The Sichuan pepper comes in red and green varieties, most common is the red type, note that this type of pepper comes from the Prickly Ash tree common in Sichuan. Chilli is the red chilli, mostly used in dried form, and there’s lots of it. A famous dish and one that’s quite popular at the moment is Dry Hot Pot or Ganguo (干锅) which hails from the Chongqing area of Sichuan. It’s similar to the soup based hot pot, except, there’s no soup.

It’s served hot, in a big bowl that’s shared among everyone. There’s a wooden spatula for mixing it around and distributing the flavors, as  you’ll find as you get towards the bottom of the dish the spicier it will be.

Ingredients include vegetables such as lotus root, tofu, vegetable noodles, yam, carrot, onion, bamboo, mushrooms, bok choy and more. Spices include peppercorns, chilli and cumin to name a few.

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If you find yourself at a Sichuan restaurant with friends and one these bowls is set down on the table and you find it too hot, simply fill a bowl with tea and wash the spice off before eating each piece with your chopstick.

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There’s numerous recipes and its that’s really only limited by what you like, whats available and your own imagination. Here’s an example recipe:

Sichuan Dry Hot Pot with Ribs recipe

Ingredients:
Ribs , soy sauce , cooking wine , sugar, Sichuan Chili Bean Paste (Pixian brand is popular) , dried chili , pepper ,star anise , cumin , ginger, onions, garlic, lotus root , sichuan red pepper , green onion, small bamboo shoots , mushrooms

Method
1 Wash and drain 750 g ribs, chopped into one inch pieces, and then with 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of cooking wine, a little sugar, ginger 2 teaspoon, minced garlic 1 teaspoon, 1/4 cup diced green onion and marinate for 2 hours.

2 slice the lotus root, chop chili, chop some more onion (1/2 cup), 3-4 slices of ginger,

4-5 garlic cloves, slice.

3 Heat wok, add 2 tablespoons oil, fry the marinated ribs.

Add ginger, garlic, half the onion, 1-2 tablespoons of chilli bean paste, 2 star anise, chili and pepper to taste, 1 teaspoon cumin stir evenly together.

4 add a splash of wine and hot water, cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes to soften the ribs.

5 add 1 tablespoon oil, add lotus root, onions, peppers and bamboo shoots and fry.

6 add a little soy sauce, sugar and a splash of cooking wine, stir evenly cover and stew for 3-5 minutes, add mushrooms together, stir fry for another 2-3 minutes.

7 stir until sauce is basically dry, turn off the heat, and sprinkle with remaining green onions (or parsley) and you’re done.

 

You’ll notice something about Chinese recipes, there’s little measuring, it’s mostly by feel.

The benefits of Goji Berry (Wolfberry)

The benefits of Goji Berry (Wolfberry)

[translated from people.cn] Goji Berry(枸杞), also known as Wolfberry, according to traditional Chinese medicine, has tonifying the liver and kidney and nourishing blood for improving eyesight, anti-aging rejuvenation and other effects. Modern medical research found that Goji also has liver and functional in preventing fatty liver. Goji contains an active ingredient theophylline, it is effective in the treatment of liver disease. Pharmacological experiments have shown that theophylline may inhibit the deposition of fat in the liver cells and promote regeneration of liver cells.

goji

For liver patients, Goji Berry can prevent the storage of excess fat in liver, prevention and treatment of fatty liver. The chlorophyll in leaves of Goji Berry plant can also help liver detoxification, while also improving liver function. Therefore, in patients with chronic liver disease, especially in patients with fatty liver, may often like to eat.

How to eat

The berry can be added to tea, porridge, soups, and other no oil based dishes. In Spring add together with Astragalus and boiling water to drink as tea; in Summer add honeysuckle, chrysanthemum and with sugar water to drink, commonly used to eliminate eye fatigue; Autumn, soup made from longans, jujube, Chinese Yam.

Recipe Examples

1, black tea 3 g, wolfberry 20 grams, add boiling water, steep, to make wolfberry tea.

2, 20 pieces wolfberry, 5 flowers dried chrysanthemums and add boiling water to brew.

3, 15 grams of white fungus, wolfberries 25 grams, plus adequate water, simmer, add honey 20 g.

In General, healthy adults eat 20 grams of lycium barbarum is appropriate. Drinking water or soup made with Goji Berry will not pass on the full benefits, because under the influence of factors such as water temperature, immersion time, only some of the nutrients can be released into the soup, for better results, it is best to eat soup together with the Goji Berry.

Food taboos

Due to the warm body effect of lycium, so people who are suffering from fever, inflammation, diarrhea had better not eat, in addition, higher sugar content of wolfberry, contains sugars 19.3 g per 100 g, and should be used with caution in patients with diabetes, and consumption should not be excessive.

original article

French Toast and Hong Kong Milk Tea

French Toast and Hong Kong Milk Tea

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A popular snack you’ll find at Hong Kong tea restaurants is the local version of french toast.. the middle is filled with peanut butter, coated in egg batter then fried. Goes well with milk tea, which is another local speciality featuring a strong brew of black tea with condensed milk..

They take there tea very seriously  many tea houses will have there own secret recipe. Usually consisting of a blend of maybe 5-7 types of black tea leaves brewed for a little longer than normal giving it a very strong tea taste that cuts through the richness of the condensed milk.

More HK style western breakfasts:
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The pork chop or chicken chop and toast with tea is a popular set, sometimes macaroni and ham soup, sometimes with fried sausage, sometimes with beans.

Hong Kong Cuisine – local snacks and specialities

Hong Kong Cuisine – local snacks and specialities

A guide to some of the snacks and meals that are popular with the locals, and where to get them

[NOTE: this has translated from wechat and its a little imperfect, but I put here as a guide for food lovers looking for a genuine ‘local’ Hong Kong food experience.]

You can find out more about Hong Kong at our sister site http://thehkshopper.com which has an article on Dim Sum in HK and HK Tea Restaurants, both not to be missed on a food lovers visit to HK.

beef brisket noodles

Description: Brisket was tasty, not chew bad, remains refreshingly noodle road, and no lye smell, as saying that I was the most hated that lye flavor, I think it’s smelly, soup is also not a lot of the grease, eating, half the soup to drink lol!

Shop name: Chee Kei

Per capita consumption: About $40

Address:

Argyle Street, Mong Kok 8 Langham place, 4 /f, 10 , shop;

Wai Yip Street, Kowloon Bay 33 , Telford Plaza, phase F27 Shop;

Connaught Road, Central 21-22 to ground floor, China commercial Club building 1 building;

Lock Road, Tsim Sha Tsui 52 ground floor;

Percival Street, Causeway Bay 84 , ground floor;

Stone Nullah Lane in Wan Chai 70 Number.

Butao Ramen

Description: Ramen is very user-friendly, you can select surface soft, spicy was spicy and so forth. Shop signs in Dolphin King, gumbo, face soft plain. Start with soup, one can feel the very strong, dark and ate pork bone soup flavor felt a thick, but the only downside is the soup of oil are more healthful. His toughness and taste just right.

Shop name: Butao Ramen

Per capita consumption:$100

Address:

Fong and Ann 8-13 , and on the ground floor

Causeway Bay Tang Lung Street 40 , ground floor

Tsim Sha Tsui Minden 28 Jinrong commercial building, ground floor

wonton noodles

Description: Shop famous wonton noodles, wonton noodle packet method is the traditional Orthodox, from spaghetti, soup base to ravioli fillings, are meticulously combined, tried to see cloud-like pool not langdexuming. Daily ration of swimming shrimp wonton is the shop’s signature dish, by customers, generally sold at noon. So I want to eat something delicious, and earlier can be visited.

Shop name: Chee Kei

Per capita consumption About $40

Address:

Argyle Street, Mong Kok 8 Langham place, 4 /f, 10 , shop;

Wai Yip Street, Kowloon Bay 33 , Telford Plaza, phase F27 Shop;

Connaught Road, Central 21-22 to ground floor, China commercial Club building 1 building;

Lock Road, Tsim Sha Tsui 52 ground floor;

Percival Street, Causeway Bay 84 , ground floor;

Stone Nullah Lane in Wan Chai 70

Burgeroom -Foie gras Burger

Description: As saying a few days ago went Burgeroom eat hamburgers, now that has all gone, that nature is to eat sign Hamburg -the foie gras Burger. Hamburg, looks very good, gravy much feeling will continue to flow out, starting from foie gras to eat Goose liver is fried crispy outside with soft, about six or seven mature, a succulent foie gras dinner and memorable. Cheese-beef covered with half-dissolved, felt the beef better than other Burger of beef eating, moderate beef-flavored, rich gravy, the most important thing is it comes off is pure beef, not mixed with other things, absolute quality hamburger steak. Other ingredients such as lettuce and tomatoes are also very fresh, of course, the shops are often booked solid, food and vegetable traffic soon, fresh is definitely within our expectation.

Although the foie gras Burger to $140, not with French fries and a drink, but I still feel pretty good, HA HA, for such a wonderful fresh hamburger in the hotel’s restaurant, definitely more than the price soon, so, I think I made some, hehe.

Shop name: Burgeroom

Per capita consumption:$100 more

Address: Caroline Hill Road, Causeway Bay, 7 , ground floor

Intestine Snacks

Description: How can sweep the street in Mong Kok was less fat sister Mei, I myself have eaten dozens of times, every time there are many people queuing, to kill a snake cake. Eat Street snack, fat sister’s home is quite clean, are delicious. I bought the intestines, kidneys, hearts and tongues with the series. Very tasty to eat intestine and kidney; hearts and tongues with drops may not be acceptable to everyone, because we cannot deal with this would smell. But fat sister’s home is absolutely no smell, be dealt with. Coupled with mustard sauce, taste is a must.

Shop name: Fei Jie

Per capita consumption: About $40

Address: Dundas Street, Mong Kok 55 4A Shop

Pineapple Bun

Description: Office of Jinhua ice pineapple oil Super a, BU BAM, crisp meringue! Hot baked daily queues, and Ethan are going to eat. First there were ‘ wow great ‘ feeling of butter in the middle of ice, there is smell of lemon, pineapple served hot and crispy, oil, really satisfying moment.

Per capita consumption: About $40

Address: Port-au-Prince at Bute Street 47 , ground floor (ice Office of Jinhua)

sugar-snow ice

Description: Start listening to the people of Hong Kong on this dessert when thought and “flirting” has anything, it is called “Bai Fu, sugar.” Under the tangled, chose the famous snow ice and tasted really creamy and very smooth, much like the feeling of eating ice cream, small dumplings and other stuff is SideShow, taste, after all, the protagonist is a layer above that his stop of ice.

Shop name: Tong Pak Fu

Per capita consumption:$40

Address: Hak Po Street in Mong Kok 99 G/f,

Pork Lo Mein

Description: Pork Lo Mein, pork meat is absolutely tender and smooth, even reinforced position smoke soft with the toughness of the meat, taste excellent; Rich South belt frankincense and elasticity, lots of gum, slippery abundance. Lo Mein is good Mong Kok with the juice to go with took, mostly without oyster sauce, pig plane accompanied by Braised Hou sauce, sauce, brisket is the column, and I loved the original wind very accommodating.

Shop name: Good Hope Noodle

Address:

Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, 18 , ground floor, 5-6 , shop;

Sai Yee Street, Mong Kok 123 G/f,

Wan Jia biscuits Imperial

Description: Zhiqian has times in Mong angle, after this between pancake Emperor, saw was took with pie is eat, seems is delicious, do for a gold foodie, I how will on so away does, certainly is to queued buy a to validation about La, I buy of is Donald Lee, according to its packaging bags of description, is with red Sufu, and pork and dish Pro made stuffing material, cake fried have is beautiful, brown Golden, completely no Coke, cake skin also does not is thick. Fresh pork filling, lots of gravy, not greasy, tastes great. Sesame seed cake, bottom is covered with the oil in the frying pan, very oily, so I didn’t eat on the side at the bottom. It has a good variety of flavors, such as Lady Huang, teeth cleaning, cake, pepper, sesame seed cakes, and so on.

Shop name: Man Ga International

Per capita consumption :$40

Address:

Dundas Street, Mong Kok 43P-S Hung fai building, ground floor units;

Tai Yuen Estate in Tai Po Tai Yuen shopping centre, 403 Shop;

Shantung Street, Mong Kok 40 G/f,

Good Mong Kok-fresh shrimp wonton

Description: Here of wonton not in other place eat to of greatly a of, but can a a of that, a bowl has four grain small of wonton, eat down found is shrimp more meat less of stuffing material, focused on health of people must will like, shrimp meat is of umami, here of wonton size is just good, plus high of noodles, is blindly will called of food.

Shop name: Good Hope Noodle

Address:

Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, 18 , ground floor, 5-6 , shop;

Sai Yee Street, Mong Kok 123 G/f,

Lan Fong Yuen-pantyhose milk tea

Description: Lanfangyuan’s first Hong Kong-style beverage ” Mandarin Duck “Pioneered the use of tea-bag punching, commonly known as pantyhose milk tea in Hong Kong style milk tea with creamy, apart from tea, and Lan Fong Yuen restaurant serves traditional tea foods such as toast Sandwiches, and other foods including baked chicken with scallions Diced grilled fish (remove the previous d), Butter pig Pork chop bun Tomato potato Tang Tong powder

Recommended reasons: grass-roots food industries in Hong Kong there is a famous saying: “Hong Kong tasted Lan Fong Yuen, you haven’t been to Hong Kong.” “Hong Kong’s first restaurant” in the title of Lan Fong Yuen, Hong Kong’s most exclusive tea shop, two treasures of the town shop is, pantyhose milk tea; second, the French toast! What’s the point without pantyhose milk tea!

Shop name: LAN Fong Yuen

Per capita consumption:$30

Shop address

Gage Street in Central, Central station D2 Exports, Central escalator next to flower Street, beside the PARKnSHOP

Sheng Xiang Yuan-lime honey crisp

Description: A lot of people say the crunchy exterior resembles Mickey Mouse. But I feel like a little Golden bear. Without further ADO, crunchy on the table for the first time picked up a, the smallest bite, crunchy was tepid, as the name suggests, really crispy. But not like a croissant, hand is broken. Outer layer of crunchy, the inner layer remains little bread the soft part, structured. Simple two words sufficient to describe“click”.

Strength just lemon juice, butter and spicy, honey is sweet. Thin layer evenly on the crunchy, then slow-roasted, the so-called “delicacy”, it’s just so simple. If you live nearby, believe that eating the crunchy will become my habit.

Shop name: Sheng Xiang Yuan

Per capita consumption:$40

Address : Merlin Street in Central 2 Food stalls

Curry beef

Description: Local pioneered broth Sirloin old,80 years Qian by big-name document do up,97 years up Yu song assigned Street set shop, by broth sirloin and the Curry Sirloin famous, soup late joined herbs processing, herbs selected material more will by season deployment, for full Hong Kong most well-known of sirloin surface shop is one of, curry soup Sirloin River, curry soup taste good thick, good has Macau Curry of flavor, soup also not is dilute, just good can hanging in Iraq surface Shang, Sirloin stew have is tasty, super delicious, It is little wonder that so many people have tried it.

Per capita consumption: About $40

Address: Gough Street, Central 21 , ground floor

King snake fern

Description: Wang fen guest of snake can be divided into 3 categories, one for the Snake’s second coming for soup; three coming for sausage. HO HO, since you are here, I decided to eat some soup and sausage, or excuse me, my stomach.

The first to talk about this bowl of snake soup, taste a bit light, added mushrooms, lemon grass, mushrooms, herbs, and other materials. (The green grass, and I didn’t want to know what is with this grass, but I see people are starting to put some in soup, okay, I clip just to try it. ) Is very large, large portions, of course, are not cheap too! A lot of snake meat, tasted very fresh, feeling the soup will be very moist, I drank a drop left.

“Mandarin Duck intestinal rice” of sausage and embellish, embellish than sausage delicious, sausage fleshy more thin, meat flavor not is special highlight, also no what wine, embellish is does is good, taste soft cooked, wine Shannon, eat to full Gan incense, rich of taste in oral in the cannot burst from, double intestinal of skin also crisp, and outflow of intestinal oil mix rice is incense is incense.

Shop name: Ser Wong Fun

Per capita consumption:$150

Address: Cochrane Street in Central 30 , ground floor

Chicken Kee cuttlefish

Description: Hong Kong is a tiny place, but are actually hid another tiny place than go along to small series “chicken to remember”! Chiuchow store in dry pasta and snacks between main and its signboard fried seaweed cuttlefish, fully chewing. It can be called a “projectile to share” all of shopkeepers cuttlefish with fresh fish every day, and then Jack into, then add the seaweed and chestnuts, is called fried. Apart from cuttlefish, a cuttlefish with gold cake is also very recommendable. Both blasted findings, bread, dipped in a sweet sour sauce, tastes terrific.

Shop name: Kai Kee Noodle

Per capita consumption: About $40

Address: Carnarvon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui 15 c

Hang fragrant wife cake

Description: Hang fragrant wife cake, all Golden, intact skin does not drop, put in the mouth, well, good to say anything. Mainly because the meringue is nice song, one layer will not stick together, but are not hard to stick together, the most important thing is not a lot of oil.Stuffing is soft but with a taste of melon seed paste filling bite tobacco-tough-tough but not hard, nor too sweet.

Shop name: Hang Heung cake shop

Per capita consumption: About $40

Address: Yuen Long Castle Peak Road, 64 ground (hang Heung cake shop)

Global-jerky

Description: This store is the meat shop, besides meat, but also lamb, price is more expensive than pork, beef jerky, just bought the meat is cold, the first well in the refrigerator until cool.My favorite pork with honey-flavored, fleshy not too stiff, meaty, high quality meat.

Shop name: Kun Van Kau Food Company

Per capita consumption:$40;

Address: Yuen Long Yuen long main road 34E , Either on the ground floor

beef balls

Description: Yuen Long food a lot, victory and beef balls is one of net and beef balls $27 a bowl.No ingredients such as scallions and steamed, net and beef balls, is simply to be balls and soup.Broth is good drink, thick of cattle soup flavor, couldn’t help will again to half bowl! cattle pills of appearance is quite smooth, each grain of round also good average, bite Xia Hou, oral feels cattle pills internal has juice flow out ~! cattle pills core Zhijian no too more of loan sharks loan sharks, density good high, so taste is is, also is refreshing, beef flavor really of thick.

Recommended reasons: Hong Kong Orthodox beef balls, not only refreshing shells teeth, smell and all, broth flavor write sweet, such a unique taste not to be missed.

Shop name: Victory beef balls

Per capita consumption:$27/

Shop address:

Hong King Street, Yuen Long 1 , Yu King square 20 Cheung Fat building, ground floor

G/f, Jevon, Kuk Ting Street, Yuen Long 1 Shop

Sichuan Noodles

Description: Sour and hot powder is the authentic Sichuan flavors, in addition to mince ingredients He Yanqian, a Sichuan shipping material is looking for someone from the back. Red Potato slippery shells teeth. Offers a restaurant inside the store with BB small spicy, spicy, spicy and spicy choices. As saying in Hong Kong this year, also ate a lot of hot and sour powder on the outside, but only if the powder is made me eat for more to eat, Oh, this says said, mouth, er, drool, taste is absolutely authentic.

Shop name: 傷心酸辣粉

Per capita consumption:$40

Shop address:

Man Tai Street Hung Hom Whampoa estate 8-10 , ground floor

Jardine’s Bazaar, Causeway Bay 50 Jardine’s Centre, 10 /f

Science Museum Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 14 Mandarin Centre, 1 /f, 121 to 123 Shop

Yuen Long Yu King square 16 g/f, Cheung Fat building

Kwun Tong Hong Ning Road 42 , ground floor, shop

Prince Sai Yeung Choi Street South, 234 , ground floor

Paterson Street, Causeway Bay, 1 Kimberly square, 5 /f, R3

Dundas Street, Mong Kok 43 Dundas Square, 1 /f,

Fuk Wing Street Sham 116

Chung on street, Tsuen Wan 85 G/f,

 

Poached egg and almond cream

Description: This has over a century of history, oldest dessert shop in the city. Ice-room tower at the end, card, white light, there is that old man. No Pearl fishing, offers a traditional Cantonese only sugared water. Poached egg and almond cream, eggs are smooth, almond paste, broken foot portions, there is a scent of almond flavor, eat it feels moisturized.

Name: source Kee dessert specialists

Per capita consumption: about $40

Address: West ring Street 32 , ground floor (source Kee dessert expert)

 

Mistletoe egg and Lotus tea

Description: Mistletoe in old, effect the taste is good, and Lotus seed by hand every day to pick Wick, song melts in your mouth.

Shop name: Source remember the dessert experts

Per capita consumption: About $40

Address: West ring Street 32 , ground floor (source Kee dessert expert)

 

Kee noodle house- Beef tendon noodle

Description: This is a very low-key shop, for more than 30 years, little exposure in the press, so his fame in the ring of nine Kee Kee Beef sirloin and Tai Po. But like beef brisket companion who will come automatically, is leaving her unique sauces.

Sauce by ground full of domineering soy sauce, topped with ginger, garlic and salt. Boss means braised and then leaching of cooking beef, after a night of total immersion, exposure to which tendon is satisfied the taste of this bowl of beef noodles smell unique.

Shop name: Kee noodle house

Per capita consumption :$40

Address : Mid Babington Road 1 M4A Shop

 

Suckling pig sausage

Description: Suckling pig of skin burn have crisp BU BU thin of, with little Jiao Jiaoxiang; lean has salty incense but skin Xia of fat is owes served, small series is love taste somewhat fat with fat incense of, ROAR roar, feel suckling pig of skin somewhat like senior and has meat incense of potato tablets; born intestinal well, that natural is drinking of share, bite entrance both cool and crisp and didn’t smell, dipped points sauce even is seafood sauce to made Xia wine, Oh, that absolute is first-class drops.

Shop name: Feng Cheng restaurant

Per capita consumption :$100

Address:

Java Road, North point, 62-68 /f, g/f and 1 /f

Prince Nathan 749 Eurasian Bank building, 1-2 building

 

SI Yi / Xiduoshi

Description: SI Yi-eating xiduoshi, soothing. Brazz in the afternoon only 2 when supply alone to the desk at least 30 minutes. But that’s half an hour’s worth, which is Hong Kong’s most delicious West. Delicious, slow work yields fine. Downs after the Brazz in egg batter dipped fried, here to beat the egg whites to come forward, dip Party Pack, then whisk the eggs were, with slow half-FRY until golden, soft protein more than the others, it’s no wonder that not only in the streets of the neighbourhood, and even famous people went to Stanley support.

Shop name: SI Yi

Per capita consumption :$30

Address Stanley market road 2

 

Rolls snack

Description: Still keep nostalgia flavor of intestinal powder small food shop, price economic and flow big, so intestinal powder can often keep soft cooked hot, he home of intestinal powder good sliding, volume have not is tight but also also is is delicious of, plus sauce material super good flavor, powder fruit also also good, is skin somewhat thick, beef pills taste great, each grain enough big, enough play teeth, price high.

Shop name: Si Yan Zi rolls

Address: Wo Fung Street, Fanling 43-45 , ground floor

 

Soft ice-cream

Description: To Hong Kong, has specifically find had this go go stopped stopped of ice cream car, but wants encountered only by fate has, this full Hong Kong memory of ice cream car, appeared of when also is can attract many people surrounding in next to, seems suddenly returned to has childhood, fresh manufacturing of is ice cream, not variable of is belongs to Hong Kong of cool memory, you also remembers those years eat had of ice cream did?

Shop name: Mister softee truck;

Address: Mobile vehicle

 

Kam halogen wonton

Description: This dish is the essence of treasures within its five willows juice-Jane livers, squid, prawns, pork … … [ The United States ] produced by Kam halogen wonton noodle-legged, four treasure above all. Patches of bright-Golden fried wontons in willows sauce rolled over twice, na of sweet and sour sauce, into the mouth, Wow, what a good appetizer to enjoy, of course, eating fried wontons, which Wu Liu must finish with sweet and sour sauce, Oh, poor waste drops.

Shop name: American restaurants

Per capita consumption:$40-$100

Address: Temple Street, Yau Ma Tei, 63 , ground floor

 

Chelsea face

Description: Sometimes, too many choices but easier for people to make the wrong choice.Particularly in the face of Chelsea when a grid is a grid of multiple choice, many people gets half-hearted. A. e well,b. squid good,c. mushrooms don’t do it … … Which to choose which do, HO HO, now, listen to me slowly, and to come to this store, before you select other, please select the radish and acid fast. Acid vegetarian sweet and sour sauce is their work, Heniz vinegar is modulated by acidity levels. Plus soaking the gluten is very chewy, so it was highly appreciated. Radish, sweet flavor, Citai few reinforced slag. Their soup to chicken and pork slowly cooked overnight, and for this soup, everyone is willing to stand up and eat!

Shop name: Chelsea face home

Per capita consumption : About $40

Address Chai Yan Dun Street, 1

 

Teochew fried Oyster cakes

Description: Fried Oyster pie country struggle, for years, has never subsided. Fried said fried right, fried said French right, exactly who is authentic, it’s hard to decide. But I personally favor cake for Fried oysters, fried Oyster cakes and crisp edges are my favourites.

Restaurant cold store with a half century history — of lufa, its signboard fried Oyster cakes, but I loved to love, haha! Voice of the father of the owner is said to be ancient method, with duck egg and French Fries Fried ROE. Duck eggs, more aroma and taste of fresh oil. 8 had high cholesterol.Oyster pie of duck for material, there is a strange fragrance, plus master control temperature properly, Oyster pie had almost no soil.

Shop name: Lufa

Per capita consumption:$41-$100

Address: Reclamation Street Prince 625-627 , ground floor

Chao yuan-fish ball noodles

Description: This Chiuchow fish ball noodles restaurant outlets across Hong Kong, Wan Chai shop quality. Selling fish balls and beef balls are cuttlefish of coffee or tea, but eat fish eggs to make Hong Kong the best. Breaking up play and the machine, but hand does much good, fish soup is thick, textured tough play, only in the territory. Fish balls with fresh eel, nine Club, is a typical Chaozhou. His family’s beef pie is not to be missed, is squashed beef balls, entrance and cool shells, beef flavors.

Name: Chao yuan

Per capita consumption:$40

Address: Spring Garden Street, Wan Chai, 37 , ground floor

Tim good luck restaurant-abalone cakes

Description: This abalone crisp came up, I felt, Wow, really like abalone, tastes good, crisp outside, not too hard, not too oily, OK , Oh!

Shop name: Tim good luck restaurant

Per capita consumption :$40

Address: Fuk Wing Street Sham 9-11 , ground floor

 

Lard shrimp Lo Mein

Description: Lard under the traditional shrimp ROE noodles, with lard flavor, not too sweet, noodle is elastic enough, delicious!

Per capita consumption: About $40

Shop name: Available maienyun swallow / wonton noodles

Address: Wellington 77 , ground floor

 

Golden Phoenix restaurant-pineapple bun

Description: Egg tart, pineapple buns and a variety of pastries, is Cantonese food. Hong Kong has many excellent bakery, small introduction for you today is the Golden Phoenix restaurant in Wan Chai, to eat at this exceptionally good old-fashioned restaurant business, may have the jump seat and mentally prepared. Pineapple bun was delicious here, especially after the thick layer of butter inside of bread and was delicious. Also recommend the chicken pie, espresso cream meringue inside is juicy chunks of chicken, people meet.

Shop name: Golden Phoenix restaurant

Per capita consumption:$40

Address: Spring Garden Street, Wan Chai, 41 , Spring Garden building

 

Viet Nam yalv-Viet Nam fried spring rolls

Description: Now this fast paced society, many things are because of the time and to simplify, many restaurants will do for time to discard all bad or does not want to do the steps. But the boss is a bit of standing up against time here, such as Viet Nam spring rolls, the owner gave up ready-made pastry, use thin rice paper dipped in finely fans instead, constitute a unique thin and crispy crunch. But the spring roll was good, fish sauce is also needed support. Acids accumulate in fish sauce and fresh is the store, add garlic and carrot size ornament, have enjoyed this delicious every time.

Shop name: Viet Nam sub-Lui

Per capita consumption :$40

Address: Bulkeley Street, Hunghom 12A

 

Stephen Chang – Curry squid

Description: “Stephen CHEONG” Curried squid sold and totally seventies flavor, just people selling squid, faces much trace of Crow’s feet. Shop for two generations are Curried squid is ennobling, stick with Squid, one-stop wayby the selected goods, soaked, salted and fried and all steps are hands-on. When handling with cuttlefish, this shop will never add borax to crisp, there’s a strong flavor of the original, more than 40 years of skill, was spread upon this squid.

Shop name: Chuen CHEONG food

Per capita consumption:$40

Address: Wan Chai Road, Wan Chai, 150 d Pu

 

Tim good luck pastry shop-sand pig intestines

Description: Sand pig intestines, colon vermicelli clear enough, but there just aren’t enough slide, but inside the pigs run-very pleasant, overall, the taste was good.

Shop name: Tim good luck restaurant

Per capita consumption:$40

Address: Fuk Wing Street Sham 9-11 G/f,

 

Yunnan and Sichuan-noodle-spicy rice noodle

Description: This is famous for its hot and sour noodles, soup using pork and Chicken Cook, plus boss home pickled sour mustard and homemade hot oil, the flavor is fresh, sweet, sour, spicy, is eating less than in other places, well, read wrote, I’m drooling Rice noodle with his family’s tobacco-tough elastic, full name is Cook, won’t Cook early in the morning. All ingredients in skillet Saute before you go into a bowl, fresh taste. Most ingredients are homemade, chopped fried bean sauce with pork meat and pig meat, and sauce in zhaotong in Yunnan province, and tasty enough.

Shop name: Yunnan and Sichuan noodles;

Per capita consumption:$40;

Address: Four Pei Square in Tsuen Wan 14 G/f,

Ocio Waffle shop Ocio Waffle

Description: Shop of Wo husband is that called that business , business method to Western Wo husband of traditional recipe and Chef of research and improved of , taste outside crisp within soft,distribution to fresh jam and ice cream edible taste special, not containing any artificial spice ,pigment and butter , guarantee fresh and low fat, enjoy Shi distribution to fresh jam and ice cream edible , Tastes more fresh and special.

Shop name Ocio waffle shop Ocio Waffle;

Per capita consumption:$40;

Address: Kwong Wa Street, Mongkok 1 G/f, Yan on mansion 14D Shop

Group-Kee beef River beef brisket

Description: Beef brisket, whole fresh pork, does not like to eat frozen beef stew-like finish to sticky. Parts, crisp pork belly, pork, Butterfly Pork, rib, beef and cattle to the naked eye beads.To FAT to skinny to be ren bite, orders, said just now. Finished remember to drink soup, soup says more than 30 of his home many gold beef brisket and beef bones to get through, the smell of meat overflowing, drank like lip gloss coating gum-stained, do not drink it’s your loss.

Shop name: Group Kee beef River

Per capita consumption: About $40

Address: Tai Ming Lane, Tai Po, Tai Po Hui 26 , ground floor, (Group Kee beef River)

 

Li able eggs, North point

Description: Egg bake it color is brownish yellow, outer with micro-focal points, eat more crispy, crack the eggs, a little hollow in the Middle, and taste a little bit of smoke and tough, but it not much aroma eggs, and flour. Remember to eat the eggs, each with a shape like a ball, half white, half solid, eating crust crunchy, but egg remains soft.

Shop name: Li able eggs, North point

Per capita consumption: About $40

Address: Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, 178 , ground floor ( North point Li able eggs)

Fuyuan dumpling-Walnut paste

Description: Walnut paste nice texture Walnut worn smooth, eat Salsa tastes and Walnut is very heavy.

Name: Fuyuan dumpling

Per capita consumption:$40

Address: Fu Yuan, Fortress Hill, North Point Street 7 G/f, Lee I-1 Shop

Quartet cookies

Description: Cookies to hand-made, focusing on process details, nuts at the outset before joining the cookies bake slowly until after dissemination, spice roasted aroma is ground into a powder, retaining natural aroma of the ingredients. Choose quality United States organic flour, is the healthier choice. Choose France, and New Zealand quality butter, natural butter cookies delicately fragrant. Join the healthy elements, and choose nutrient-rich flax seeds, sunflower seeds, corn, Sesame, hazelnut, walnut, macadamia nuts, and so on. If Pi Rong uses all-natural ingredients, natural sesame oil, pure coffee powder, bring out the true flavor of ingredients. Slightly sweet, the weight of sugar.

Reference price:

Assorted cookies (9 / box):$158

Assorted cookies (11 / box):$188

Qu Qili chocolate box:$188

Birthday gift : $198

Shop address:

Lion Rock Road in Kowloon City 9A underground

Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong 432-436 f, man Yue mansion, 1 , shop

New Town Plaza phase I, Shatin, New Territories underground 133 , shop

Carnarvon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon 10B Ka fen building e , shop

 

 

 Original article

Chinas Top Food Cities

Chinas Top Food Cities

Number 1: Chengdu
I will never forget Chengdu, my first food experience there was the famous spicy hotpot, my mouth and lips were on fire from the red soup of chiller and peppers! In 2010, Chengdu was designated the “Capital of the World’s Gourmet Food” by UNESCO, and renowned for hot pot cooking, spicy bean curd and Kung Pao chicken.

^

Number 2: Guangzhou
Cantonese cuisine has become one of my favorites, in particular Dian Xin which is such a popular breakfast outing. Also popular is Wonton, noodles and dumplings along with braised meats and just about any animal you could imagine (a part that’s maybe not so interesting to me)

dianxin

Number 3: Beijing
A city famous for it’s roast duck, Peking Duck. But also its snack foods.

^

Number 4: Xiamen
A derivative of Fujian cuisine it features light foods that are usually steamed, stewed or fried and include dumplings, soup and noodles.

soup

Number 5: Shanghai
famous for its tangbao, or soup dumplings..

^

Number 6: Hangzhou
Its all about fresh fish..

hangzhou

Number 7: Nanjing
Dish examples include salted duck, sweet and sour mandarin fish, duck blood vermicelli soup and many more.

inline-duck-blood-soup

Number 8: Xi’an
home to many kinds of flour-based food. Noodles are very popular.

noodle-saozimian

Number 9: Chongqing
Famous for it’s love of Hot Pot, where vegetables and meat are placed into a pot of simmering water right at the customers table. It doesn’t get fresher.

hotpot

Number 10: Changsha
Chilli, chilli, chilli and more chilli. They love chilli.

fish

Let’s Eat…… Snacks

Let’s Eat…… Snacks

Here’s a quick guide to some of the popular local snacks foods you’ll see on your travels around China (excuse the translations, will get to correcting the dish names):

Lijiang: delicacies include spiral dumpling, buckwheat cake, walnut meatball, champion cake, Naxi Bowl Tsai cake, millet meatloaf, spiral cake, pineapple rice pudding, purple meters Baba, fried water dragonfly, Naxi la ribs, fried egg series, jelly, beef omelet, roast breast fan.

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Hangzhou Snacks: Cypress, 2 bits, 3 1 onion package butter cake, Wu Dun, 6 prawns and eel West Lake West Lake Lotus root starch, Mei Niang the snow cat ears, Hangzhou Xiao long.

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Chengdu Snacks: egg baking cake, meat burning surface, methyl than buns, smell surface, white home broth powder, King Po buckwheat noodles, cool cake, buckwheat surface, beef June Tun Guo Kui, old Ma copy hand, and cool cake dessert, Xiaoji irrigation soup, and Han bun, excellent juice Liang products Crystal package, three Cannon, lianzi Geng, sugar oil fruit, spicy small potatoes, tea rough maofeng, , Liao remember fat MOM hoof spent, rabbit head.

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Beijing Snacks: AI litters, bean cake, fruit, ginger, sugar volume ears, mush, Sanzi line fork, sugar sugar twist, cereal bar called sachima, focus ring, fire, yellow pea, bean paste pancake …

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Sanya: 1. hold Luo powder; 2. clear fill cool; 3. Hainan powder (pickled powder); 4. Hainan pig rice; 5. coconut ship; 6. pig intestinal powder; 7. Hainan Li home bamboo rice; 8. Riesling cake; 9. Green margin cake; 10. Hainan radish cake; 11. coconut incense stick soft; 12. Rocky dumplings; 13. coconut silk long cake; 14. Brown sugar rice cakes

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Xian: Cool skins, Rouga, steamed Meatball soup, beef, lamb Soup dumplings, Shabu beef tripe, belts, small mirror rice cake and crispy meat, Sao face, flower Granny plum juice, steamed mutton, gourds, persimmon cake, pie, cured beef, selection and cake, toasted bun, spicy lumps of oil, water pots of meat, oil and vigorous …

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Qingdao: spicy fried clam la, spicy fried or soup, Qingdao people most love; II seaweed jelly, authentic local agar multiple processing and into; ③ Spanish mackerel dumplings, fresh incense soft tender; II oil burst conch, fleshy fresh, delicate delicious; ⑤ fried Oyster yellow, nutrition rich taste delicious; ⑥ prawns burn cabbage, first products dish Hou products shrimp; sadly seafood halogen surface, seafood flavor full; ⑧ roast squid, fresh has bite head.

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Yunnan: colorful Yunnan cuisine, not snacks are not in Yunnan, delicious, it has to taste. (1) yn; (2) xuanwei ham bean stew rice; (3) Chenggong cool with peas powder; (4) eel fish noodle; (5) Shiping burn tofu; (6) Dali chicken silk cool noodle; (7) xundian flavor small potatoes; (8) tengchong big rescue; (9) end scholar Street halogen bait silk; (10) old Kunming burn bait block.

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Nanjing: often needs queued to eat to of gourmet”1, and Sichuan restaurant 2, and Wang wonton 3, and Jin Wei chestnut 4, and Han revival of duck 5, and Spice meeting 6, and Green Willow home 7, and can Chung square (Hanzhong road shop) 8, and lianhu cake mission shop 9, and Fong Po cake mission shop 10, and submarine fishing 11, and halal Northwest bridgehead ramen King 12, and Cheng Cheng crisp pancake 13, and yin’s chicken juice soup (mochou Lake shop)

0 (9)

Chongqing: 1. Xiangshan honey cake, outside crisp in crisp; 2. Ma round, shaped Center empty; 3. nine Park bun, skin thin stuffing full; 4. irons cake, crisp sweet tender; 5. Dan Dan surface, fine sliding soft; 6. chicken silk cold noodle, fresh incense refreshing; 7. Wu copy hand, moist sliding soft; 8. chicken juice potstickers, incense crisp delicate; 9. oil poached, sweet not greasy; 10. chicken silk tofu brain, crisp rice loose crisp

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Xitang: little wonton, couscous, dried vegetable cooked with pork, bean curd, Shepherd’s purse, round, fried snails, fried or duck pot, fermented, eel paste with oil, heights real cakes.

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Wuhan: hot and dry noodles, tofu skin, mixed sauce, sea-land-air spicy hot pot, pot, pot, fat boy prawn, Shao, abnormal taste of Fame, hot and sour powder chicken wings, Zhou Heiya, snapper, tofu in clay pot head, Lions head, couscous, Ramada, Teppanyaki, Burrito, hubu lane tour.

0 (12)

Changsha: Leek Panda Bullfrog, old aunt, Yao Jie, Yu long lobster Museum, Changsha and original Villa’s grilled fish, silver hero Wang Shanzhuang of the basin and range province, Dong Guashan sausage … … Baba, scraping and tofu, sugar oil jelly, shrimp taste,

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lets eat.. Cicada

lets eat.. Cicada

image

At first I was a little reluctant, I am sure you understand, but as I watched everyone else sticking there toothpicks into the platter of crunchy bugs, I thought, well, when in Rome.

And I glad I did, they are delicious in their own way. Apparently they are also high in protein, low in fat, and low in carbohydrates according to a story on National Geographic here which also includes a bunch of recipes. And, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine they also have a variety of health benefits. So, lets eat!

On this day they where simply fried in a little oil till crispy, a little salt, and munch away.. A meaty almost peanut buttery kind of taste with a crispiness… YUM! Welcome to China!

Apparently Cicada (蝉 – Pinyin: Chán) are a quite popular snack in many parts of China, although they are a rare sight, one place you’ll probably see them is on skewers at snack stalls such as the famous Wangfujing Snack Street in Beijing.

beijing-market-st (1)

If you have some in your area and you’re craving a crispy insect snack, here’s the process and recipe:

1. wash and clean the little guys,then sprinkle with salt. place them into a pot of hot water, bring to the boil, then brine for a couple of hours in salty water, then drain.

2. add some oil to a fry pan, get it near smoking point hot and add the cicada, fry till golden and crisp, don’t burn them, keep tossing them around. Drain off the excess oil and place on to kitchen paper to further remove excess oil.

3, add some salt, cumin and chili if you like.

IMG_20140621_150537

IMG_20140621_152548

A Visual Guide to Chinese Fruits

A Visual Guide to Chinese Fruits

Here’s a rough guide to fruits you are likely to come across in your travels around China including there seasons. The Chinese name for fruit is Shuǐguǒ ( 水果).

Chinese Pear (Táng lí-唐梨)
Season: Autumn
pear

Passion fruit (Bǎixiāng guǒ-百香果/熱情果)
Season: midsummer
passionf

Common Fig (Wúhuāguǒ-無花果)
Season: July and September
fig

Persimmon (Shì-柿)
Season: September to December.
persimon

Star Fruit (Yangtao – 楊桃)
Season: September to April
star

Chinese plum (Li zi – 李子)
Season: April to May
plum

Green Plum (Oume – 青梅)
Season: April to May
gplum

Yumberry (Yángméi – 楊梅)
Season: May to June
yumberry

Pomegranate (Hóng shíliú – 紅石榴)
Season: August to September
pome

Guava (Fān shíliú – 番石榴)
Season: June to September
Guava

Mango (máng guǒ-芒果)
Season: June to August
mango

Lychee (Lìzhī – 荔枝)
Season: May to July
lychee

Longan (Lóngyǎn – 龍眼)
Season: August to September
longan

Loquat (Pípá – 枇杷)
Season: January to April
loquat

Wampee (Huáng pí – 黃皮)
Season: June to July
wampee

Indian gooseberry (Yóu gānzi – 油甘子)
Season: August to September
gooseberry

Mangosteen (shān zhú-山竹)
Season: April
mangosteen

Dragon fruit ( huǒ lóng guǒ-火龙果)
Season: Usually available year round in warmer months
dragon

Durian (Liúlián – 榴莲)
Season: June to August
durian

Kiwi Fruit (mí hóu táo-奇异果)
Season: January
kiwi

Goji Berries or wolfberries (Gǒuqǐ – 枸杞)
Season: Year round in dried form
goji

Monk Fruit (Luóhànguǒ – 罗汉果)
Season: Mostly available in dried form from herbal medicine shops
monk

Jujube (zǎo – 枣)
Season: Available all year round in dried form
dates

Kumquats (jīn jú-金橘)
Season: January to March
kumquat

More useful translations:
orange – Liǔ chéng – 柳橙

mandarin orange – Gān – 柑 / 橘

lemon – Níngméng – 檸檬

pineapple – bō luó – 菠萝

strawberry – cǎo méi  – 草莓

pear – lí – 梨

papaya – mù guā -木瓜

apple – píng guǒ- 苹果

grape –  pú tao – 葡萄

pomegranate – shí liú – 石榴

peach – táo zi – 桃子

watermelon – xī guā – 西瓜

banana – xiāng jiāo – 香蕉

muskmelon – xiāng guā – 香瓜

apricot – xìng – 杏

coconut – yē zi – 椰子

cherry – yīng táo – 樱桃

pomelo / shaddock – yòu zi – 柚子

Video: Fruit vocabulary in Mandarin Chinese

This post was first published Feb 20, 2014  and last updated Sep 2018.

Let’s Eat…… Fungus

Let’s Eat…… Fungus

China has nearly 900 species of wild mushroom,  more than 50 of which are in commercial cultivation. Mushrooms are used widely in both cooking and in traditional medicine. They are sold fresh and dried.

Black Fungus or Cloud Ear Fungus (黑木耳 hui mu er)

black-fungus
Looks like an ear, it’s thin and a rubbery feel when cooked. It grows on trees and is also farmed, it’s always seen sold in it’s dry form. It has a neutral flavor so it merges well with other seasoning and vegetables and adds texture to a dish. According to Baidu Encyclopedia, Black fungus is extremely rich in nutrients, contains a lot of carbohydrates, protein, iron, calcium, phosphorus, carotene, vitamins and other nutrients.

To Cook it: you can soak the black fungus in cold water for 4 hours or overnight, or soak for 15-20 minutes then cook in boiling water
Uses: salads, soups, stir frys
Goes with: scrambled eggs, chicken soup, cold salad with fine cut vegetables

A simple cold salad recipe
Ingredients: black fungus, green peppers, carrots
Seasonings: garlic, salt, pepper, vinegar
Method:
1. clean with running water, or wash with salty water or flour and water
2. cut the green peppers and carrots into fine strands, tear the black fungus into small pieces.
3. boil a pot of water, first cook the fungus (a couple of minutes), then boil green peppers and carrots, and then quickly put them into cold water so as maintain color and crispness.
4. put black fungus, green peppers and carrots put a bowl, add garlic, pepper, salt, vinegar, stir together.

You could also add sesame oil, soy, some ginger and celery.

Snow Fungus (银耳 Yin er)

snowfungus
Likes to grow on rotten wood in summer and autumn. It has a long history in Chinese Medicine and also in beauty care to help improve skin tone. According to Baidu Enc. it contains 17 kinds of amino acids, essential amino acids (around 3/4 of the bodys requirements). Fungus also contains a variety of minerals, such as calcium , phosphorus, iron, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur.

To Cook it: it can be steamed, boiled, soaked or stewed until soft and edible.
Uses: deserts and soups
Goes with: sugar, dates, dried lily bulbs, lotus seeds and even game meat

A popular recipe is as desert dish:
Dry white fungus 30 grams
Jujube dates 10
Longan 50 grams
Rock sugar 70 grams
Water 1000 cc

Soak the dry fungus, cut off the hard stem and break into pieces. Add everything into a pot and simmer for about 2 hours.

Cordyceps Sinensis (冬虫夏草 Dōngchóngxiàcǎo in Chinese and yatsa gunbu in Tibetan)

cordecyps
This bizarre character comes from the mountains of Tibet. In summer, the insects lay their eggs on the ground, about a month after hatching become larvae and bore into the soft wet soil. A soil fungus attacks the larvae, although it continues growing it is slowly eroded by the fungus. The fungus continues to grow and the larvae becomes a caterpillar shell overtaken by the fungus to form a “caterpillar fungus.” It’s a highly regarded medicinal product and fetches really high prices, especially in Hong Kong, but many tell me that there are varying grades, only one has the real medicinal quality and it’s extremely hard to tell them apart. They are also ‘farmed’ in other places of China.

Used mostly in soups, some recipes marinate it in alcohol for some months and then used as a tonic.

A popular recipe
10-20 grams Cordyceps sinensis
10-20 grams ginseng slices
1 black chicken, quartered and skinned
Salt and pepper

Heat a large pot of water (about 70 percent filled) on high. Add the Cordyceps and ginseng, reduce the flame to medium, and boil for 15 minutes. Next, add the chicken, reduce the heat to low and simmer for two hours. Season the soup to taste with salt and pepper, and serve piping hot.

Some popular Mushrooms (蘑菇 Mógu) commonly seen in supermarkets and restaurants in China

Enokitake,  golden needle mushroom or lily mushroom (金针菇 – Jīnzhēngū)

shitake

A popular recipe for Enokitake – Mushroom bacon roll 金针菇培根卷

 

Ingredients:
Mushroom 200 grams, bacon 1 pack, black pepper sauce, seafood sauce, oyster sauce, sugar

Method
1. mushroom blanched in hot water wash, remove the stand! After all the bacon for two stand.
2. take a bowl, add seafood sauce, oyster sauce, black pepper sauce, sugar, water, mix well and set aside.
3. place mushroom onto the bacon, then roll up and fix with a toothpick.
4. put a little oil in the pan and bring to heat, place in bacon rolls, begin frying and add sauce as you go until everything is golden and cooked to your desire

Coprinus (鸡腿菇 Jītuǐ gu)

mush1

Recipe – Coprinus Pork 鸡腿菇炒肉

Ingredients:
Coprinus , pork , oil, salt, soy sauce , chicken (cut into small strips) , cooking wine .

Method
1 Cut the mushroom, dry stir in the pan until golden brown. Put aside.
2 Add the sliced pork to pan and stir fry.
3 After the meat starts to get some color, add Coprinus, stir fry, add soy sauce, cooking wine, chicken, salt and seasoning all to desired taste, and toss until cooked through.

Oyster mushrooms (秀珍菇 Xiùzhēn gu, another common type is 平菇 Píng gu)

0qijia015

Recipe – Shredded Oyster Mushrooms 秀珍菇炒肉丝

Ingredients:
mushrooms 200G, pork 200G, carrots 50G, two spring onions, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, oil

Method:
1. shred or slice the meat, add egg white, salt, cooking wine, water, corn starch and mix well; peel and slice carrots add together with oyster mushrooms into boiling water and boil until hot and just cooked, drain.
2. in a wok, saute ginger in oil, add pork, stir fry, add the oyster mushrooms and carrots, continue to stir fry; according to personal taste add soy sauce, add onion and mix together, serve.

Shiitake (香菇 Xiānggū)

mush3

Recipe – Shiitake Mushroom Tofu Stew 香菇焖豆腐

Ingredients:
Tofu 300 grams, of lean pork 50 grams, mushrooms 8, red pepper 2, onions, ginger, garlic, salt, soy sauce, pepper, sugar, vegetable oil

Method
1. cut tofu into rectangular pieces and fry until golden brown on both sides.
2. cut mushrooms into four pieces; cut red pepper into pieces.
3. cut onions, ginger and garlic into thin slices.
4. add oil to pan, get it hoat and add pork and fry.
5. add ginger and garlic flavor Stir, add the tofu slices, stir fry.
6. add the red pepper, mushrooms pieces, add salt, sugar, pepper, soy sauce.
7. add a small bowl of water (preferably broth), under low heat simmer until sauce is thick

 

Straw Mushroom (草菇 Cao Gu)

mush4

Recipe Straw mushroom beef with oyster sauce 蚝油草菇牛肉

Ingredients:
Straw mushroom, beef 150g, 2 onions, oyster sauce, chicken powder, flour, Salt to taste

Method
1. cut beef into slices, tenderizer the meat (beat it, brine it, use meat tenderiser powder or your preferred method) then put in a bowl with some oil
2. clean mushrooms and cut in half, cut onions;
3. fry the beef
4. in some oil saute the mushrooms until cooked through;
5. add the beef, onions, oyster sauce, chicken powder and stir fry until done (a minute or two)

 

Mongolia Mushroom (蒙古口蘑 Ménggǔ kǒumó)

mush5

Recipe – Mushroom and Pork Liver soup 口蘑猪肝排骨汤

Ingredients:
Mushroom 300 grams, small anount of lean meat, small amount of pork liver, salt and ginger to taste

Method
1. Slice meat and liver, place in bowl with salt and oil.
2. sliced ​​mushroom.
3. Boil water, add the meat and cook, then add ginger, mushroom, then salt to taste and cook for five minutes

Agrocybe (茶树菇 Cháshù gū)

mush7

Recipe Salted egg yolk Chaxingu 咸蛋黄茶树菇

Ingredients:
Mushrooms, salted egg yolk, egg, salt, sugar, corn starch

Method
1. place washed mushrooms in boiling water with salt and cook for 3-5 minutes, remove and drain, set aside. Put eggs in a bowl and whisk with a little corn starch
2. Deep fry the mushrooms in hot oil until golden, leave a little oil in the wok and then add egg mixture and sugar and salt, stir fry and you have fried Cháshù gū

 
Note about the recipe instructions: for more detail search using the Chinese names at sites like http://www.xinshipu.com or http://www.meishij.net

Hotel Breakfasts in China – What to Expect

Hotel Breakfasts in China – What to Expect

One of the best things after a late night arrival into an unknown city is to wake up and find an awesome breakfast awaiting. So, when travelling what can you expect in a Chinese hotel, and how is the breakfast, well, here’s a guide.

Most hotels I have stayed in offer breakfast, which is usually included in the room rate. If you have a really super cheap deal from ctrip, or the like, you may not get it included, in which case you may find it’s only 30RMB to add breakfast back in, unless your in a 4-5 star hotel where they may charge anything from 80 to 300RMB, in which case you could gorge yourself, or just go for wander a find something to eat for less than 20…

What do they offer for breakfast? Firstly, it really depends on what star level hotel you are staying in and to some degree, where. Nearly all the hotel breakfasts, that I have seen during my travels in China, are buffet style, so it’s actually a great chance to try some local dishes.

breakfast

Lets start with a standard mid-range hotel that perhaps usually caters to local travelers. Here you’ll likely find a selection of popular everyday breakfast staples, such as:

Congee, or rice porridge (xīfan 稀饭 or Zhou 粥) which is basically just white rice and water boiled for a long time. Sounds simple, but once you start eating this one it will surely become a staple for you too. There’s many variants, such as adding beans and or millet, or even meat such as pork or fish, some will add extras such as peanuts, slithers of ginger, or pickled vegetables.

congee

Youtiao (油条) and doujiang (豆漿) you’ll find this everywhere, in the hotel breakfast, at street stalls, supermarkets, everywhere.. Youtiao is basically a fried dough stick and doujiang is soy milk, so in a way, here is the local version of toast and milk. And it’s yum.

youtiao

Baozi (包子) and Mantou (馒头) are two popular staples, basically simple yeast risen steam buns made from flour and water, salt and maybe egg. The mantou is plain where is the baozi can have any number of fillings such as meat or vegetables.

mantou-baozi

You are also likely to see fried rice (chaofan 炒饭), noodles (miantao 面条), sausage (xianchang 香肠), boiled eggs (zhu jidan 煮鸡蛋), vegetables (suchai 蔬菜), steamed yam (zheng tudao 蒸土豆) and dumplings (jiaozi 饺子).

buffet

As the hotel price goes up, so does the breakfast offering, with 4 star and above hotels offering a western style breakfast plus a broader range of local fare. The western style offerings usually begin with toast and butter, although, it’s rare to find fresh bread in lower price hotels unless your lucky, definitely toast it or pass. You may also find milk, hot milk, cereal, croissants, bacon, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, baked beans and so on. You may also find chefs cooking on demand and the noodles and eggs etc. are cooked fresh after you select. As the price of the hotel goes up, you should start to expect to see a pretty amazing breakfast buffet.

hibuff

Some hotels will also offer Dian Xin (点心) particularly in Guangdong, although, for the full menu of Dian Xin it’s likely to be in a separate restaurant from the breakfast buffet and you’d need to pay extra.

dianxin

The hotel doesn’t offer breakfast, what to do? Wander around and you’ll surely run into a street stall selling Baozi (包子), Mantou (馒头), Yóutiáo (油条), doujiang (豆漿) and the like for probably less that 10RMB. At worst there’s probably a McDonalds not too far away, KFC (who also sell youtiao and xifan) or local fast food such as Yonghe King or Kungfu.

What can you get for $4 at a Bakery in Shenzhen, China?

What can you get for $4 at a Bakery in Shenzhen, China?

Lots of tasty things, thats what! Theres a little bakery at the bottom of the Maple Leaf Nanshan hotel which I often visit to grab some lunch, the staff are friendly and the food is tasty. Even better is how amazingly cheap it is!

All this cost about 28RMB (or yuan, if you like) which is about $4.80 Australian or $4US.

So for four bucks, that’s one small milk, one lemon juice, 2 hot dog rolls with cucumber, lettuce and mayonnaise, 2 pork rolls with tomato and cucumber and one pizza slice. In Australia I know that you could get one of the drinks at least!

Dim Sum Breakfast at Kempinski Hotel Shenzhen

Dim Sum Breakfast at Kempinski Hotel Shenzhen

Kempinski is a European luxury hotel chain and they have a hotel in Nanshan District of Shenzhen, and it’s one of the citys leading 5 star hotels. I haven’t had the pleasure of staying except to say that its in a great spot close to the new Coastal City Shopping Center which features a mix of retail shops, luxury brand retail shopping and many restaurants.

Susan and I went to the Kempinski for its very popular Dim Sum breakfast. DimSum is often referred to as Yum Cha and its a style of cooking that was founded right here in the Guandong Province, I really enjoy this stuff so I couldn’t be in a better place!

To explain Dim Sum its a large menu of small portions of food, it is usually steamed and many of the dishes are served in a bamboo steamer basket. There are usually two or three portions per dish. It’s like eating a range of super tasty, semi-healthy appetizers for a meal.

Traditional the dishes are eaten together with tea, so theres a pot of fresh tea automatically placed at the table as soon as you sit.

 The restaurant at the Kempinski is huge, I guess seating at least 500 people on the lower level and on the next level there’s private dining suites as well. It also has a massive video screen and full size palm trees throughout!

Some Dim Sum restaurants wheel trolleys of dishes around and you simply choose what you like, at other places it’s cooked fresh when you order. At the Kempinski you get a card and walk over to the open kitchen area where there is a huge selection of freshly made dishes on display, simply choose what looks good and they stamp your card and the chef cooks it up. Within minutes the dishes start appearing at your table!

 

Yumm!

Whats even better is the bargain basement cost, with all the dishes together costing around 80RMB ($12aud), which left the both of us very full! Yes, thats more chicken feet to left side of the picture above…

Kempinski Hotel Address in Chinese

Kempinski Hotel Location Map

The Famous Sichuan Hot Pot

The Famous Sichuan Hot Pot

After a relaxing massage at Jiafu Fudao, Rebecca took me a great place to enjoy one of Sichuan’s famous dishes, the Hot Pot. While Hot Pots are available in most places across China, apparently the Chengdu Sichuan version is something unique!

Extremely unique for me as I’d never had one before! Recessed into the table you dine at is a large pot, underneath which is a burner. The pot is filled with, ummm, I don’t really know, and for a westerner in China its best not to know…but it’s like a spicy boiling broth.

Tray after tray of unique looking vegetables and meats are brought out which are placed into the boiling broth, and not long after that you dive your chopsticks in and grab out the spicy treats! And it’s spicy, not like an Indian curry that will make you sweat, this actually makes your mouth feel numb!

 

I recognised some of the vegetables that went into the hot pot but not much else! There were some long stem mushrooms, shallots plus more and the real treats were cows stomach and some other animals offals! It’s a must try dinner if you are in Chengdu, I loved it!

Thank you, Rebecca!