Chinese food what a way to cook

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Chinese Food – What a Way to Cook

My interest in Chinese food started many years ago, when I had my first job. I was a young reporter for the Daily Journal in San Francisco. Our office wasn’t far from Chinatown. I usually managed to arrange my schedule so that I could go there at least two or three times a week for a good meal.

The first time I ever ate Chinese food I loved it. And since then, it just tastes better and better to me. The first thing I noticed was the fresh taste of the meat and vegetables. When I learned more about the food, I began to understand why it has this unique feature.

About 5000 years ago, China lost much of its wood because of over population and poor management of its forests. This loss was very bad for the country, of course, but it turned out to be very good for the food. Wood became very expensive and hard to get, so the Chinese had to either find a substitute for their valuable wood, or learn how to use it better. There weren’t any substitute available, so people found ways to economize.

In order to economize in cooking, they had to use very little wood. So they started cutting their meat and vegetables into small pieces before they put them in the hot oil. That way, the food cooked faster and they saved their fuel. The food prepared in this manner kept its fresh flavor – it’s the flavor that attracts people to the art of Chinese cooking.

reporter – репортер, журналист

Chinatown – Чайнатаун (квартал Манхэттена, населенный преимущественно выходцами из Китая)

to arrange –составлять, устраивать

least – по меньшей мере, самое меньшее

management – умение распорядиться

loss – убыток, утрата, урон

turned out – обернуться (чем-то для чего-то)

7 Most Popular Chinese Cooking Methods

Chinese cooking is renowned throughout the world. Chinese food has a distinctive culinary style all of its own. The emphasis is on fresh, seasonal ingredients, prepared with a minimum amount of fuss and beautifully balanced as far as color, texture, and presentation are concerned.

There are several cooking methods. All seek to preserve the flavor and nutrients. Each of the techniques is briefly described below.

1. Stir-Frying

Stir-frying is the classic Chinese cooking method. Stir-frying is quick and easy, tasty and flavorful.

Cooking Utensils Used

The cooking utensils are a wok and wok spatula. Stir-frying is typically done on a gas stove, although an electric stove can be used if preheated to a high heat.

Ingredients That Can be Cooked in This Way

Stir-frying typically uses a combination of meat or seafood, vegetables, and tofu. All ingredients are thinly sliced or cubed. The meat or seafood is marinated using soy sauce, salt, and other seasonings.

Steps for Stir-Frying

1. All ingredients should be ready prior to heating up the wok. (The food to be cooked should be finely sliced or shredded into similar sized pieces using a very sharp knife or Chinese cleaver.)

2. When the wok is hot, a small amount of oil is added.

3. The meat or seafood is quickly stirred and turned until semi-cooked. It is then removed from the wok and set to one side.

4. More oil is added to the wok, if necessary. The vegetables and/or tofu are added and quickly stir-fried.

5. The meat or seafood is added back midway through cooking, the seasonings are adjusted if necessary, and the dish is stirred until done. It should be served immediately.

2. Deep-Frying

Deep-frying is used to produce crisp-textured food. It is usually used to fry a variety of meats and vegetables in oil heated to a high temperature.

Cooking Utensils Used

Deep-frying is done with a deep saucepan or a deep fryer, a Chinese scoop strainer (used to contain foods in a deep fryer and to strain foods when removed from the oil), and long chopsticks.

3. Steaming

Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. It is considered to be the healthiest cooking technique.

Steaming can make dishes taste more fresh and delicious. It can retain various nutrients in the food and reduce nutrient loss to a large extent. Therefore, it is widely used for cooking a variety of ingredients.

Cooking Utensils Used

Chinese people steam food by using bamboo steamers, which can be stacked one on top of the other, allowing several kinds of foods to be cooked at once, thus saving time and fuel.

Dishes requiring the most cooking time are placed on the bottom layer near the boiling water, while those requiring less are placed on the top layer. The water should be kept at a slow boil until the food is done.

Famous Steamed Dishes

The most famous examples of steaming are dim sum, dumplings, buns, and steamed fish.

4. Red Stewing or Red-Cooking

Red stewing is a unique Chinese cooking technique, used primarily for cooking a tougher cut of meat or poultry.

Preparation

The food is cooked very slowly over a low flame. Meat is usually browned first, then large quantities of soy sauce, sugar, wine or sherry, ginger, five-spice powder, chili powder, cilantro, and other seasonings are added, together with water or broth.

It may take up to several hours before the meat is done to the desired tenderness. The finished product can be served hot or cold. The sauce is rich and dark brown; hence the descriptive name “red stewing”.

Famous Red-Cooked Dishes

The most famous examples of red-cooking are red-cooked spare ribs and red-cooked fish.

Cooking Utensils Used

For red-cooking you need a stew pot, or a slow cooker.

5. Boiling

Boiling is considered to be the simplest among all the Chinese cooking techniques. This method of cooking is quicker than other techniques and it preserves the color, texture, shape, and nutrients of the food.

Ingredients are washed and cut first, then plunged into boiling water or broth. When they are fully cooked, they are drained immediately, and then they are served with seasonings, or finished using other cooking techniques.

Boiling is mainly used for cooking small-sized and soft ingredients. For example, vegetables and vegetable soup can be cooked this way.

Famous Boiled Dishes

Two good examples of boiled food are Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce, and tomato and egg soup.

Cooking Utensils Used

The cooking utensils used for boiling are a wok, long chopsticks, and a Chinese scoop strainer.

6. Roasting

Many Chinese foods like chicken, duck, a whole sheep, a sheep’s leg, and a whole pig can be cooked in this way.

Usually, meat is prepared (cleaned, seasoned, and basted with cooking oil) then hung above a fire or placed in a very hot oven. The meat must be seared so that the skin tastes crispy.

When the meat has been roasted, it is then chopped, arranged artfully on a platter, and served with a sauce made from the meat drippings.

One of the most famous roasted dishes is Peking duck.

Cooking Utensil Used

If you want to cook food by roasting it, you’ll needВ an oven.

7. Braising

Braising involves adding ingredients, spices, seasonings, and a small amount of water or broth to a wok or a saucepan, boiling everything together initially at a high temperature, and then simmering it at a lower temperature for a long time (usually one hour or more).

The ingredients are usually cut into large-sized cubes or diamonds. Using this technique, all of the food is cooked thoroughly.

Famous Braised Dishes

The most famous braised dishes in China include braised chicken with mushrooms and braised beef with potatoes.

Cooking Utensils Used

If you want to cook food by braising it, you need a wok, saucepan, or stew pot.

Travel with China Highlights and Learn to Cook Traditional Chinese Dishes

Want to learn to cook traditional Chinese dishes? China Highlights’ tours offer you the opportunity. See our most popular food tours, which offer cooking classes as well as must-see attractions:

Or you canВ contact us and we can add the experience of learning to cook Chinese dishes to your China tours.

52 Ultimate Ways to Cook Chinese Food at Home

Whether you’re longing for a real taste of China or just craving restaurant takeout, you’ll find everything from classic Chinese-American dishes to regional staples in this recipe collection. So put down the phone and try making it at home!

Curated by Ethan Johns

Steamed Pork & Scallion Dumplings

These dumplings are stuffed with a savory filling of pork and scallions, then steamed to perfection. The dipping sauce is salty and sweet with a just a hint of chili oil.

Sticky Chinese Sausage Fried Rice

This sticky fried rice is slightly crisped, studded with Chinese sausage and coated in a rich flavorful sauce.

Chinese Spareribs

Tender ribs flavored with hoisin, brown sugar, soy sauce and Chinese five spice.

Chive & Scallion Pancakes

These savory, flakey pan-fried breads are layered with softened butter and filled with the mildly oniony flavor of chives and scallions.

Eggplant in Garlic Sauce

Eggplant is the star of this vegetarian entrée. The aromatic sauce goes heavy on the garlic and has just the right amount of Chinese five spice and chili oil.

General Tso’s Chicken Tenders

Just like the sweet-and-spicy General Tso’s chicken that you know and love, but with (extra-large) crispy, fried chicken tenders.

Egg Roll Bowl

Enjoy the comforting flavors of an egg roll without the fried wrapper. This dish uses coleslaw mix for a quick dose of healthy, shredded cabbage and is topped off with a heavy drizzle of sweet and sour sauce.

Firecracker Orange Chicken Bao Buns

Lightly fried chicken is coated in a spicy orange sauce and sandwiched inside steamed bao buns. Slather with Kewpie mayo and add fresh herbs to finish your masterpiece.

Mongolian Beef Meatballs

Everything you love about rich, savory Mongolian beef, but in meatball form! This is a quick easy dinner that pairs well with rice or noodles.

Sesame Shrimp

A healthy twist on a take-out favorite prepared with juicy shrimp and a simple but flavorful sauce.

Pork Lo Mein

«Yum yum yum! This is exactly what I’ve been craving. I made this tonight, mine with chow mein noodles and my mum’s with rice noodles (she has a gluten-free diet) and both came out great! I will keep this recipe for years and make it again and again.»

Kung Pao Chicken

«From the four-year-old to the 87-year-old, this chicken was a big hit! I tripled the sauce, like some other reviewers, and added veggies. I hope to make this again!»

Sesame Bok Choy

«We really enjoyed this side dish. The flavor was a nice balance between sweet and salty, and we liked the fact that the bok choy wasn’t cooked long, as the crunch of the stems was a nice contrast to the wilted leaves.»

Easy Egg Rolls

«I love this recipe and have been making these for a couple of years. An easy variation I have come up with is to use a purchased, fully-cooked rotisserie chicken, shred it, then toss it in teriyaki and garlic. Then add the bagged coleslaw mix and fold it all into wrappers. Delicious and time-saving!»

The Best Bourbon Chicken!

«Great recipe! I love the fact that this recipe calls for real bourbon. That’s a flavor you just can’t fake. Had it over fried rice and it was delicious.»

Sweet & Sour Pork

«Oh boy, this was excellent—as good or better than the Sweet and Sour Pork that I have had in restaurants. The pork was tender with a wonderful battered crust. I threw in some onion rings and mushrooms.»

Sesame Chicken

«This recipe is delicious! No longer any need to pay restaurant prices to satisfy my craving! Next time I’ll make some egg rolls to complete the experience.»

General Tso’s Chicken

«Of the different General Tso’s Chicken recipes I have tried, this is the best by far. It is simply constructed using few ingredients, and comes out fabulously each time I make it, without fail! Red pepper flakes are just the thing to use if you don’t have chili pods.»

Chinese Fried Rice

«The simplicity and flavor proportions are what makes it so tasty. I make it following the recipe often as a side dish. It’s great to play with and extremely versatile.»

Dandan Noodles

«This dish is just hot enough, but you can add more heat if you like. I like the flavor of the sesame oil and sesame seeds in this dish; I toast the seeds until they’re nearly brown. This makes a nice and quick side dish for dinner, or a tasty light lunch.»

Szechuan Shrimp

«A flavorful dish made in less than 15 minutes. I saved time by using peeled and deveined shrimp. The outcome surpassed my expectation. The finely chopped ginger blended well with the other fresh ingredients.»

Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings)

While a little time-consuming, these steamed buns are worth the effort. They’re similar to those served at Din Tai Fung, a Michelin-starred chain of dumpling restaurants.

Homemade Hoisin Sauce

While not exactly an authentic recreation of the sweet-and-salty Chinese condiment, this DIY hoisin sauce—which uses peanut butter instead of miso paste—is a handy alternative in a pinch. GK user and hoisin aficionado joyink calls it «a little different but very, very good!»

Mapo Tofu

«This is a fiercely fiery dish but addictive and always just what the doctor ordered! I love this recipe and I swear it helps me recover more quickly when I’m sick.»

Tso Chung Gai (General Tso’s Chicken)

«Of the several attempts I’ve made to cook this dish, this is by far my favorite! The chicken is tender and the sauce is amazing! It’s perfect if you double the sauce.»

Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce for Dumplings

«I made potstickers last night and my husband made this sauce to go with them. It was amazing! I could almost drink this stuff alone!»

Egg Drop Soup

«This soup was spectacular! More refreshing than even a restaurant because it’s fresh and bright-tasting. To make it even easier, use a glass, four-cup measure to whisk the eggs in, then just pour slowly into the broth and whisk to break the eggs up.»

-Three Kids Make Me

Bamboo Shoots with Ground Pork

«Wow is all I can say. This was shockingly good, given the simple ingredients. Don’t let this recipe slip past you. If you use the freshest, best ingredients it’s a wonder.»

Chinese Wontons

«These are absolutely the best! They were easy to assemble and a pleasure to eat! My kids thought they tasted like we were at a restaurant.»

Spicy Cumin Lamb Noodles

Traditionally hand-pulled or ripped, you can make these noodles easily at home. The soup is rich and spiced. Watch out for splatters and spills while eating!

Best Chinese Food Recipes To Cook at Home

Forget Takeout—Even Beginner Cooks Can Make These Classics

Chinese takeout is often a go-to dinner when we need something quick, have to satisfy the entire family, and when we simply need to feed a craving. But although restaurant-made Chinese food may appear healthy as many dishes are stir-fries chock full of vegetables, there are often hidden fats, calories, and plenty of sodium. Good thing is, making homemade Chinese food can be simple; once you learn a technique or two and stock your pantry with the staples, whipping up a favorite from the takeout menu will be a no brainer.

Soups

A hot bowl of soup is a wonderful way to begin a Chinese meal. The recipes can range from very basic to somewhat complex, but even the simplest are satisfying and impressive. Egg drop soup, for example, has just 3 ingredients: broth, egg, and scallions, and is finished in only a few steps. Wonton soup, on the other hand, does take a bit more time and ingredients; however, once you’ve made the wontons, all you need to do is simmer them in the broth with some green onion. If you are a fan of spice, try a hot and sour soup, featuring interesting ingredients like black fungus or lily buds.

Watch Now: Easy Chinese Egg Drop Soup Recipe

Appetizers and Dim Sum

No Chinese meal would be complete without a few delicious starters (referred to as a pu-pu platter), including a variety of dim sum. Surprisingly easy to make are Chinese spare ribs with hoisin sauce; once the sauce is mixed, all you need to do is pour over the ribs and bake. For something a bit lighter, serve lettuce wraps, which are quick to make, are a good use of leftover cooked chicken, and are flexible enough to suit various tastes. Spring rolls are always a favorite, filled with pork and vegetables and rolled up and fried until crispy. If you want to try your hand at dumplings, vegetable potstickers are a good choice as they don’t require you to cook the meat first.

Beef Dishes

Chinese restaurant menus always have a wide array of dishes featuring beef, often combined with vegetables and a rich sauce. Found on almost every Chinese restaurant menu is beef with broccoli, where sliced steak is marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, rice wine, oyster sauce, and sugar and then stir-fried along with the cooked broccoli. A mixture of potato starch and water is added to thicken the sauce. Beef and peppers in black bean sauce features a quintessential ingredient in Chinese cooking, fermented black beans, which have a strong flavor and pair nicely with garlic and chilis. A typical item on Chinese menus is stir-fried beef with oyster sauce, where the oyster sauce enhances the flavor of the meat.

Pork Dishes

Pork is the most popular meat in China. Chinese people can use every inch of a pig to make all kinds of really delicious dishes, including the popular moo shu pork; marinated strips of pork are stir-fried along with vegetables and seasonings and served with thin pancakes and hoisin sauce. If a sweet dish is more your thing, try sweet and sour pork with pineapple, done in a style of cooking popular in Cantonese cuisine. For a special dish, put lion’s head meatballs on the menu, a popular dish for Chinese celebrations.

Chicken Dishes

Chinese people believe in using all parts of a chicken, including the feet, but these recipes call for just the white meat of the bird. A favorite but often a guilt-inducing order is General Tso’s chicken, but when made at home the chicken doesn’t have to be deep-fried; instead, it can be lightly pan-fried before tossing with a flavorful sauce. Moo goo gai pan basically means chicken with mushrooms, and that is exactly what this dish is, stir-fried together in a delicious sauce. For a bit of crunch, try a cashew chicken, where chicken cubes are stir-fried with vegetables, nuts, and finished with a sauce.

Seafood Dishes

Shrimp and lobster, as well as other shellfish and fish, have a prominent place on the Chinese food menu. A well-known sauce that pairs nicely with shrimp comes together quickly in a stir-fried shrimp in black bean sauce, full of savory, flavorful bites. This colorful and simple Sixi Scallop dish is another easy way to bring the bright flavors you love into your own kitchen with ingredients you can readily find at the grocery store. If you are feeling a bit adventurous, you may want to try Cantonese lobster, where lobster tails are quickly fried and served with a savory sauce of fermented black beans and ground pork. Or keep the fryer ready for Salt and Pepper Shrimp (also alternately featured as a stir-fry version).

Noodle Dishes

From kids to adults, Chinese noodle dishes are a given when ordering takeout. But as long as you can find the specific type of Chinese noodle needed for the recipe, it is not difficult to make your own. When it comes to Chinese cuisine, chow mein is easily a go-to dish, and since you can make this stir-fried noodle dish with beef, chicken, or shrimp, it is adaptable to anyone’s tastes. Beef lo mein is a simple dish of lo mein (egg) noodles, flank steak, and vegetables, all cooked in a distinctive sauce. For fiery food fans, Szechuan Dan Dan noodles are sure to please; dried Chinese noodles are tossed with a spicy sauce made of Szechuan peppercorns and hot chili oil and often ground meat. Pan-fried noodles should be crispy on the outside, but still tender on the inside.

The weirdest thing that I have ever eaten in China is fried dragon fly. Never want to try it again. Creepy things like these are surely not for everyone. Just forget about them! Let’s look at real Chinese food that you can enjoy.

Food is super important to the Chinese. We have a way to turn most cooking materials into delicious Chinese foods. People say Chinese only have three stages: preparing to eat, currently eating and have eaten.

Chinese greet each other by saying :»Have you had dinner?»(ni chi fan le ma), though this daily greeting between us become more like «hi, there»(nihao) in recent years. Please note that he or she is not going to give you a treat by asking such a question.

Brief Introduction to Real Chinese Food

Staple foods of real Chinese dishes are rice and noodle. Southern Chinese love to eat rice along with other dishes, whereas the Northern Chinese are generally fond of noodles and dumplings.

Such separated preference of food is believed to be attributed to different crops grown in these regions: rice in southern China and wheat in the northern part.

In Southeast China, various cooking methods add flavor to seafood, but they all have one common aim, keeping the seafood fresh. You will be deeply impressed. The South Chinese pay special attention to their ingredients when cooking from wild plants to domestic animals.

In Northern China, Jiaozi (Chinese dumplings) can be found on all families’ tables, in three traditional types: boiled dumplings, steamed dumplings, and pan fried dumplings. The city of Xi’an, while not in the north, is famous for its dumpling banquets. No trip to Xi’an is complete without this indulgence.

Sichan Spicy Food:

Dare to try some spicy Sichuan food? It has bold flavors, particularly the pungency and spiciness from spices like chili peppers, as well as the unique flavor of the Sichuan pepper, which has a numbing effect.

Sichuan dishes are known as a hundred dishes with a hundred tastes. Most common flavor include hot and spicy, five fragrances, mixed spices, chilli, Chinese prickly ash, sweet and sour.

Famous Sichuan dishes include Kungpao chicken, Mapo Tofu (bean curd with chilli), spicy pork shreds, fried carp, and many more. Venture into a Chengdu restaurant and find out how spicy you can take. Note that Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, is a UNESCO listed City of Gastronomy. Learn More about Chengdu Food.

Eight Cuisine Styles of Chinese Foods

Chinese cuisine is recognizably the top rival of French and Italian food. Having thousands of years history, it is one of the Chinese cultural treasures. Nearly all dishes feature diversified color, aromatic flavor and excellent taste.

Chinese culinary arts demand fine selection of ingredients, precise processing, particular care to the amount of fire, and substantial nourishment. Many traditional Chinese food rely on basic methods of preservation such as drying, salting, pickling and fermentation.

While opinions vary, real Chinese food can generally be divided into eight main cuisines based on flavors and the province where they originated.

Besides the eight main cuisines, each ethnic minority has their own unique food.

For instance, Sichuan cuisine is famous for being hot and spicy, while Zhejiang cuisine is well-known for soft flavor with a mellow fragrance. As you travel to different places described above, you will be amazed at the variety of flavors that you will encounter.

To sum up, generally speaking, dishes in Southwest China are spicy and salty, such as Sichuan food, Chongqing food and Hunan cuisine. While Southeast Chinese like mild dishes, which are not greasy, having but instead a fresh, soft flavor with a mellow fragrance, including Jiangsu cuisine and Zhejiang cuisine.

On the other hand, northern Chinese mainly eat food made of flour. So they are good at cooking noddles into various flavor. Lanzhou stretched noodles noodle, chilled noodles and fried noodles can be enjoyed in nearly all restaurants in northern China.

Here is a 9 minute clip from a wildly popular video about food in China: A Bite of China. It is a gourmet tour to all parts of China, exploring local foods that have amazed generations of Chinese, including where can you find them and even how can you make them.

Ask Us About What Food to Try During Your China Tour, Contact Us for More Information!

Detailed Introduction of Four Major Chinese Local Cuisine

Based on the raw materials and ingredients used, the method of preparation and cultural differences, a variety of foods with different flavors and textures are prepared in different regions of the country.

When you travel to different places in China, you can enjoy both famous China attractions and delicious regional food.

Each local cuisine has its own characteristics, but Chinese cuisine as a whole is divided into four major schools-Shandong, Sichuan, Huaiyang, and Guangdong (Cantonese). Four more can be added: Hunan, Fuijian, Anhui, and Zhejiang. Sometimes Beijing and Shanghai cuisine are also counted.

Huaiyang cuisine includes dishes from Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, and Huai’an in Jiangsu Province. It focuses on the freshness of ingredients. Huaiyang dishes have a light flavor, retaining the original tastes of ingredients. They also have pleasant colors and pretty shapes. Famous dishes include beggar’s chicken, sweet and sour mandarin fish, chicken pieces with egg white, boiled salted duck deep-boiled crab meat in clear soup and steamed shad.

Related tour s

Special Cuisine of Chinese Food

Palace, vegetarian, Muslim and medicinal dishes fall into the realm of special cuisines in real Chinese food.

Made of green vegetables, fruits, edible fungi, and bean products, and cooked in vegetable oil, vegetarian dishes are tasty, nourishing, and highly digestible, and they help the body resist cancer.

They are cooked in various ways, and some taste like meat. Famous dishes include ‘chicken’, mushrooms and gluten, ‘meat’ braised in soy sauce and spices, ‘ham’ with mixed vegetables, hot and sour spices, ‘fish’ with Chinese toon, ‘shrimp,’ and dried ‘meat’ strips.

Other famous cuisine includes Confucian dishes, Tan’s dishes and full formal banquet cuisine, combining Manchurian and Chinese delicacies.

Chinese Snacks and Street Food

The most representative dishes include instant-boiled mutton, fried rice with mutton, dumplings with filling of mutton, cakes braised with mutton, and beef-entrails soup. Recommended places to try such dishes include Xi’an’s Muslim Square and most cities in China’s northwest Xinjiang Province.

Also known as therapeutic food, medicinal cuisine is an important part of Chinese cooking. Master Chefs have developed many food therapies by combining cookery and traditional Chinese medicine. Famous medicinal dishes include lily and chicken soup, shrimp meat with pearl powder, tianfu carp, duck braised with soy sauce and orange peel, and steamed dumplings stuffed with minced meat and podia cocoas, a medicinal plant.

Fast food, such as Mcdonald’s hamburgers, Kuntucky Fried Chicken, and pizza have become increasingly popular in China over the decade. Given that, local flavors and snacks are still the sweetheart of Chinese. China boasts incredibly rich amount of street food and snacks that are tasty yet cheap.

Local flavors and snacks and special dishes have formed according to regions, local products, climate, historical factors, and eating habits. Beijing flavors is famous for sweetness, Guangdong snacks are more Western, and Suzhou snacks have pleasant colors and beautiful shapes.

The most famous Chinese street food and snacks include bean curd jelly in Beijing; Guobuli steamed dumplings in Tianjin, small steamed soup dumplings with the ovaries and digestive organs of crabs in Zhenjiang, small steamed pork dumplings served in the steamer tray in Shanghai, dumplings stuffed with crab meat sesame paste and pea sprouts.

Other popular Chinese snacks and street foods include Smelly Tofu in Hunan, Candied Gourd on a Stick in Tianjin, Erkuai in Yunnan and Chuanchuan Xiang (vegetables and meats cut into slices and put on bamboo sticks) in Chengdu will impress travelers deeply.

Street barbeque, which are nearly found all cities and towns in China, are both scrumptious and easy to find in the night. Of course, in different China attractions, you can taste totally different flavors of street barbeque. Besides, Chinese desserts are famous as well. Wife cake, Niangao (Chinese new year cake), Red bean cake and Steamed buns can be found in all super markets in China.

Most Popular Chinese Food

Renowned Peking Duck is one real Chinese food you must try when you travel to Beijing. Peking Duck is prized for the thin, crisp skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook.

Mapo Tofu is one of famous dishes in Sichuan, which set tofu in chili broad bean paste (salty bean paste), creating numbing, spicy hot, tender and soft flavor.

Expats including overseas travelers tend to love the following eight Chinese dishes as nominated by China’s state media Xinhua News Agency. Check out whether they are your true favorites! The eight dishes are: (according to the level of popularity)

When you go to a restaurant in China, in most cases you can choose the table by yourself. You will only be seated by the waiter or waitress if it is a really fancy restaurant, or it is very busy in the restaurant at that moment and there appear to be no seats available.

Learn more about this survial skill in How to Order Food in China, which is battle tested, and designed to help any travelers in a easy and quick way.