Food · Dishes
Iconic Chinese dishes A–Z
80+ profiles of canonical and regional Chinese dishes. Each entry covers what the dish is, the regional cuisine it belongs to, where to try a representative version, and notes on dietary content.
Baba Flatbread 粑粑
Yunnan's daily flatbread — a thick wheat or rice-flour round cooked on a griddle and eaten plain or stuffed.
Baijiu 白酒
China's high-strength distilled grain spirit — the country's dominant drinking culture, ranging from fiery to complex and floral.
Bang Bang Chicken 棒棒鸡
Cold poached chicken shredded by hand, dressed in chilli oil, sesame paste and Sichuan peppercorn.
Beef Chow Fun 干炒牛河
Flat rice noodles dry-fried with silky marinated beef, beansprouts and spring onion over a fierce wok flame.
Beef Chow Fun 干炒牛河
Stir-fried wide flat rice noodles with sliced beef, scallion, bean sprouts and a smoky wok-hei flavour.
Beggar's Chicken 叫花鸡
A whole chicken stuffed with aromatics, wrapped in lotus leaves and clay, then slow-baked until the meat steams in its own juices.
Beggar's Chicken — Jiaohuaji 叫花鸡 (江苏式)
A Jiangsu-province variation of clay-baked chicken with a lotus-leaf wrap and a mushroom and pork stuffing.
Beijing Lamb Hot Pot 涮羊肉
Beijing-Mongolian style hot pot — clear broth, thinly-sliced lamb, sesame-paste dipping sauce.
Biangbiang Noodles biáng biáng 面
Wide, hand-pulled, belt-shaped Shaanxi noodles. The 'biang' character is the most complex in the Chinese language.
Big Plate Chicken 大盘鸡
A large-portioned Xinjiang braised chicken dish with potatoes, peppers and thick hand-pulled belt noodles.
Boiled Dumplings (Shuijiao) 水饺
Wheat-wrapper dumplings filled with pork-and-cabbage, lamb-and-leek, or vegetable, boiled and served with vinegar.
Boiled Fish in Chilli Oil 水煮鱼
Fish slices submerged in a deep pool of chilli oil and Sichuan peppercorns. Served bubbling.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall 佛跳墙
Fujian's banquet centrepiece — a slow-simmered soup of dried abalone, sea cucumber, scallop, ham and 20+ other ingredients.
Cantonese Roast Goose 烧鹅
Whole goose roasted to crisp-skinned tenderness. The most prized of the Cantonese siu mei roasted meats.
Cat's Ear Noodles 猫耳朵
Small thumbnail-pinched Shanxi pasta, shaped like cat's ears. Stir-fried with vegetables or in soup.
Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork 毛氏红烧肉
Hunan-style slow-braised pork belly in soy, Shaoxing wine and chilli — the dish Mao Zedong reportedly ate weekly in Zhongnanhai.
Char Siu (BBQ Pork) 叉烧
Cantonese roast pork — marinated, hung in special ovens, glazed with honey and maltose. Eaten over rice or in buns.
Char Siu Bao (BBQ Pork Buns) 叉烧包
Steamed white buns with a sweet-savoury BBQ pork filling. Two styles: traditional steamed and modern baked.
Char Siu Pork 叉烧
Cantonese barbecued pork glazed with honey, soy and fermented tofu — a cornerstone of roast-meat culture.
Cheung Fun (Rice Noodle Roll) 肠粉
Translucent rice-flour roll filled with shrimp, beef or BBQ pork. Served with sweet soy sauce.
Chongqing Hotpot 重庆火锅
The original mala hotpot — a simmering cauldron of beef tallow, Pixian doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorn for communal dipping.
Chongqing Small Noodles (Xiaomian) 重庆小面
Chongqing's signature breakfast noodle — wheat noodles in a fierce chilli-oil-and-pepper soup.
Claypot Rice 煲仔饭
Rice steamed in a clay pot over charcoal with toppings like lap cheong, chicken or salted fish, finished with a soy-sesame dressing.
Coconut Chicken Hot Pot 椰子鸡
Hainan-style hot pot with chicken cooked in fresh coconut water. Light, fragrant, naturally sweet.
Cross-Bridge Rice Noodles 过桥米线
Thin Yunnan rice noodles served with a scalding bone broth and a spread of raw toppings to cook at the table.
Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles 过桥米线
Yunnan rice noodles in a hot oil-sealed broth, with raw and cooked toppings added at the table.
Dai-Style Pineapple Rice 菠萝饭
Sticky glutinous rice steamed inside a fresh pineapple with coconut milk — a festive dish of the Dai people of southern Yunnan.
Dan Dan Noodles 担担面
Thin wheat noodles in a sesame-chilli sauce topped with spiced minced pork and preserved vegetables.
Dan Dan Noodles 担担面
Wheat noodles topped with chilli oil, sesame paste, preserved vegetables and minced pork. Dry-style mixed at the table.
Di San Xian 地三鲜
A simple Dongbei stir-fry of aubergine, potato and green pepper — the vegetarian staple of northeastern China.
Dongbei Braised Pork Stew 东北乱炖
A robust northeastern 'everything pot' of pork ribs, aubergine, potato, beans and corn braised together in a clay pot.
Dongpo Elbow 东坡肘子
Slow-braised pork hock in Shaoxing wine and soy, named after the Song-dynasty poet Su Dongpo.
Double-Skin Milk Pudding 双皮奶
Cantonese set water-buffalo milk pudding from Shunde. Two thin 'skins' on the surface; subtly sweet.
Doupi (Wuhan Tofu Skin) 豆皮
Wuhan breakfast: layered pan-fried tofu skin and rice cake with mushroom, ham and bamboo shoots inside.
Dragon Well Tea 龙井茶
China's most celebrated green tea — pan-fired flat leaves from Hangzhou's West Lake district with a sweet, chestnut flavour.
Drunken Chicken 醉鸡
Chicken steamed and marinated in Shaoxing rice wine, served chilled. A Shanghai banquet starter.
Egg Tart 蛋挞
A baked pastry shell filled with a smooth, lightly sweetened egg custard — a Hong Kong and Macao staple.
Egg Tart (Hong Kong style) 蛋挞
Custard tart with crisp pastry. Hong Kong style uses shortcrust pastry; Cantonese style uses puff pastry.
Eight-Treasure Rice 八宝饭
A steamed dome of glutinous rice layered with red bean paste and decorated with eight types of preserved fruits and nuts.
Fish Head with Chopped Chilli 剁椒鱼头
A whole silver carp head blanketed with fermented chopped red chilli and steamed until the flesh is silky and fiery.
Fish-Fragrant Aubergine 鱼香茄子
Aubergine in the 'fish-fragrant' Sichuan flavour profile — sweet, sour, garlicky, mildly spicy. No fish in the dish.
Goubuli Baozi 狗不理包子
Tianjin's signature steamed pork buns. The original house, founded 1858, is still operating.
Guilin Rice Noodles 桂林米粉
Guilin's signature breakfast noodle — rice noodles in a flavourful gravy with peanuts, scallion, pickled vegetables and beef.
Guo Bao Rou 锅包肉
Crispy battered pork slices in a sweet-and-sour vinegar sauce — a northeastern Chinese dish created in Harbin.
Hainan Chicken Rice 海南鸡饭
Poached chicken served with rice cooked in chicken stock. The original of the Singaporean dish.
Hairy Crab 大闸蟹
Yangcheng Lake mitten crab — the autumn delicacy of the Yangtze Delta. Eaten steamed with vinegar dip.
Hairy Crab with Rice Cake 年糕炒大闸蟹
Autumn hairy crab stir-fried with chewy Shanghai rice cake slices in a savoury-sweet ginger sauce.
Hakka Salt-Baked Chicken 盐焗鸡
Hakka chicken baked whole in salt. The salt forms a crust; the chicken inside is moist and aromatic.
Hand-Grasped Lamb 手把肉
Boiled mutton eaten with the hands. The social centrepiece of an Inner Mongolian steppe meal.
Hand-Grasped Lamb 手抓羊肉
Large bone-in lamb pieces boiled in spiced water and eaten by hand — a communal dish of Inner Mongolia and the northwest.
Har Gow 虾饺
Cantonese dim sum dumplings of whole prawns in a translucent, slightly chewy wheat-starch skin.
Har Gow (Shrimp Dumplings) 虾饺
Translucent shrimp dumplings — the technical benchmark of dim sum. The wrapper should hold whole shrimp pieces visibly.
Hunan Chilli Fried Pork 小炒肉
Thin-sliced pork belly wok-fried with fresh long green chillies and fermented black beans — Hunan's most-ordered everyday dish.
Hunan Spicy Fish with Pickled Cabbage 酸菜鱼
Fish slices with sour pickled mustard greens in a sour-spicy broth. Originated in Sichuan, perfected in Hunan.
Jianbing 煎饼
A griddle-cooked wheat-and-mung-bean crepe filled with egg, crispy wonton, hoisin sauce and chilli paste.
Jianbing (Savoury Crepe) 煎饼
Northern Chinese breakfast crepe: thin wheat-and-mung-bean batter, egg, scallion, hoisin, chilli, optional crispy cracker.
Knife-Cut Noodles 刀削面
Shanxi wheat noodles cut directly off a dough block with a curved knife. Chewy, irregular, satisfying.
Kung Pao Chicken 宫保鸡丁
Diced chicken with peanuts, dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorn in a tangy soy-vinegar sauce.
Kung Pao Chicken 宫保鸡丁
Diced chicken stir-fried with peanuts, dried red chillies and Sichuan peppercorn in a sweet-savoury sauce.
Laghman (Hand-Pulled Noodles with Lamb) 拉条子
Uyghur hand-pulled wheat noodles with a lamb-and-vegetable sauce of tomato, pepper and onion.
Lagman Pulled Noodles 拉条子
Thick hand-pulled wheat noodles served with a stew of lamb, peppers, tomatoes and cumin — a Central Asian staple.
Lamb Pilaf (Polo) 抓饭
Uyghur lamb pilaf with carrot, onion and raisins. The festive centrepiece of any Xinjiang banquet.
Lamb Skewers 羊肉串
Charcoal-grilled lamb skewers seasoned with cumin, chilli flakes and salt — a ubiquitous street food of Xinjiang origin.
Lamb Skewers (Yangrou Chuan) 羊肉串
Cubed lamb skewered and grilled over charcoal, dusted with cumin and chilli. Universal northern street food.
Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup 兰州牛肉面
Hand-pulled wheat noodles in clear beef broth with daikon, beef slices, chilli oil, garlic shoots and coriander.
Lion's Head Meatballs 狮子头
Large braised or steamed pork meatballs on a bed of napa cabbage, simmered until the fat melts into the broth.
Lion's Head Meatballs 狮子头
Large pork meatballs (the size of a lion's head) braised in clear broth with cabbage. A Yangzhou banquet centrepiece.
Lo Mai Gai (Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf) 糯米鸡
Glutinous rice with chicken, mushroom, lap cheong sausage and sometimes salted egg, wrapped in lotus leaf and steamed.
Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea 龙井茶
Hangzhou green tea, pan-fired flat. The most famous Chinese green tea; the spring harvest is the most expensive.
Macau Almond Cookies 杏仁饼
Pressed almond cookies from Macau — particularly Taipa Village. Sold by weight from traditional bakeries.
Mango Pomelo Sago 杨枝甘露
Cold dessert soup of fresh mango, pomelo segments and sago pearls in coconut cream.
Mango Pudding 芒果布丁
A chilled, set Hong Kong dessert of fresh mango purée, evaporated milk and gelatine — bright, creamy and intensely fruity.
Mantou 馒头
Plain steamed leavened wheat buns — the everyday bread of northern China, eaten at all meals.
Mapo Tofu 麻婆豆腐
Silken tofu in a fiery bean-paste sauce with minced beef and Sichuan peppercorn. The defining mala dish.
Mapo Tofu — Regional Variations 麻婆豆腐
A closer look at how Chengdu's iconic silken-tofu dish varies across Sichuan kitchens and why the peppercorn matters.
Mian Wo (Savoury Fried Dough Rings) 面窝
Wuhan ring-shaped savoury fried-dough breakfast item. Crisp on the outside, soft on the inside.
Momo 藏式饺子
Tibetan steamed dumplings stuffed with yak meat, vegetables or cheese — a staple from Tibet to Nepal.
Momos (Tibetan Dumplings) 馍馍
Steamed Tibetan dumplings with yak-meat or vegetable filling. The Tibetan-plateau staple.
Mongolian Milk Tea (Suutei Tsai) 奶茶
Black tea with milk, salt and often roasted millet floating in it. The universal Mongolian beverage.
Mooncake 月饼
The iconic pastry of the Mid-Autumn Festival — a dense baked or snow-skin cake filled with lotus paste and salted egg yolk.
Mooncakes 月饼
Round dense cakes eaten at Mid-Autumn Festival. Lotus-seed paste with salted egg yolk is the classic Cantonese filling.
Moutai (Maotai) 茅台
Sauce-aroma sorghum baijiu from Guizhou. The flagship Chinese spirit; standard issue at state dinners.
Mouth-Watering Chicken 口水鸡
Cold poached chicken in a vibrant chilli-oil-and-Sichuan-peppercorn sauce. Named for the saliva it provokes.
Naan Bread 馕
The flatbread of Xinjiang — baked in a clay tandoor, stamped with patterns and eaten at every meal.
Oolong Tea 乌龙茶
China's partially oxidised teas from Fujian and Guangdong — occupying a spectrum from floral and light to dark and roasted.
Peking Duck 北京烤鸭
Roasted duck with crisp skin, served sliced with thin pancakes, scallions, cucumber and sweet bean sauce.
Phoenix Talons (Chicken Feet) 凤爪
Chicken feet braised in black-bean sauce. The classic 'unfamiliar-to-Westerners' dim sum item; surprisingly delicious.
Pickled Cabbage and Pork Stew 酸菜炖猪肉
A long-simmered northeastern stew of fermented cabbage with fatty pork — warming, sour and deeply satisfying.
Polo Pilaf 手抓饭
Uyghur festive rice cooked with lamb, carrot, onion and raisins in a kazan — eaten communally by hand.
Pu'er Tea 普洱茶
Yunnan post-fermented tea, sold in pressed cakes that age over years. Two styles — raw and ripe.
Red-Cooked Pork 红烧肉
Pork belly slow-braised in soy sauce, sugar, Shaoxing wine and spices until glossy and tender.
Rou Jia Mo (Chinese Hamburger) 肉夹馍
Stewed pork or beef in a flatbread bun. Shaanxi's portable street food, increasingly nationalised.
Rushan (Bai Cheese) 乳扇
Cow's-milk cheese, fan-shaped, eaten grilled with sugar or rolled with rose petal jam. Bai-minority Dali speciality.
Samsa 烤包子
Uyghur baked lamb-and-onion pastry pies cooked in a clay tandoor oven — hot, flaky and cumin-scented.
Scallion Oil Noodles 葱油拌面
Shanghai cult noodle: 5 ingredients (noodles, scallion, oil, soy, sugar), zero waste. The simplest excellent noodle.
Scissor-Cut Noodles 剪刀面
Shanxi noodles cut from dough with kitchen scissors, in rapid snip-snip motions. Different shape from knife-cut.
Shaved Ice 刨冰
Finely shaved ice piled into a bowl and topped with sweet beans, taro, lychee, grass jelly and condensed milk.
Sheng Jian Bao (Pan-Fried Pork Buns) 生煎包
Shanghai pan-fried pork buns with a crispy bottom, soft fluffy top and juicy filling.
Sichuan Hot Pot 四川火锅
Sichuan-style hot pot with a heavy-mala broth. The most famous of China's regional hot pots.
Siu Mai 烧卖
Open-topped steamed dumplings of pork and prawn in thin wheat skins, garnished with fish roe or carrot.
Siu Mai (Pork Dumplings) 烧卖
Open-topped steamed pork dumplings, with a thin wheat wrapper and a finely-chopped pork-and-shrimp filling.
Smoked Pork with Dried Bean Curd 腊肉炒豆干
Sliced Hunan smoked pork stir-fried with firm dried tofu and chilli — a rural Hunan staple with a deep smoky flavour.
Snail Rice Noodles (Luosifen) 螺蛳粉
Liuzhou's signature noodle — rice noodles in a fermented-bamboo-and-snail-broth, intensely sour-spicy. Notoriously pungent.
Sour Plum Drink 酸梅汤
A chilled drink of sour plums, hawthorn berries and rock sugar — Beijing's traditional summer refreshment.
Soy Milk 豆浆
Freshly ground soy milk — China's everyday breakfast drink, served hot and either sweet or savoury depending on region.
Soy Milk and Fried Dough Sticks 豆浆油条
China's classic breakfast: warm soy milk paired with crisp, hollow deep-fried dough sticks for dipping.
Steamed Char Siu Bao 叉烧包 (蒸)
Fluffy, white steamed dumplings filled with sweet barbecued pork — a dim sum staple in every Cantonese tea house.
Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chillies 剁椒鱼头
Fish head buried under a bright red chopped-chilli paste, steamed. The most iconic Hunan dish.
Stinky Tofu (Changsha style) 长沙臭豆腐
Black-fermented tofu deep-fried, served with a chilli-and-soy dipping sauce. Changsha's iconic street food.
Suzhou Tang Noodles 苏州汤面
Fine wheat noodles in a rich, slow-cooked broth — a Suzhou breakfast tradition featuring seasonal toppings.
Sweet Water Noodles 甜水面
Thick chewy hand-pulled wheat noodles in a sweet-sour-spicy chilli-oil sauce. Chengdu street snack.
Tang Yuan (Sweet Rice Balls) 汤圆
Sweet glutinous-rice balls with sesame, peanut or red-bean filling, in sweet ginger or osmanthus syrup. Lantern Festival staple.
Tangyuan — Lantern Festival Style 元宵汤圆
Glutinous rice balls with sweet or savoury fillings, served in a clear sweet broth — the defining food of the Lantern Festival.
Thukpa 藏面
A hearty Tibetan noodle soup made with hand-pulled wheat noodles, yak or mutton, vegetables and a clear spiced broth.
Tieguanyin Oolong 铁观音
Anxi (Fujian) oolong — partial oxidation. Floral, light, refreshing. The most popular oolong in mainland China.
Tofu Pudding 豆花
Silken fresh tofu curds served warm or cold with either sweet syrup or savoury sauces depending on regional tradition.
Tsampa 糌粑
Roasted barley flour kneaded into small balls with butter tea or water — the staple food of Tibet.
Tsampa 糌粑
Roasted barley flour, the staple Tibetan food. Mixed with butter tea into a dough, eaten by hand.
Turnip Cake 萝卜糕
Steamed and pan-fried cakes of rice flour, grated radish and dried shrimp — a dim sum staple served golden and crisp.
Twice-Cooked Pork 回锅肉
Pork belly first boiled, then sliced and stir-fried with leeks, doubanjiang and chilli oil.
White-Cut Chicken 白切鸡
Whole chicken poached in salted water, served at room temperature with ginger-scallion oil. The Cantonese chicken benchmark.
Wonton Noodle Soup 云吞面
Cantonese wonton soup with thin egg noodles, prawn-and-pork wontons, light shrimp-stock broth, scallion garnish.
Wonton Noodles 云吞面
Thin egg noodles in a clear prawn-pork broth with plump wontons filled with whole prawns.
Xiaolongbao 小笼包
Steamed soup dumplings from Shanghai, filled with pork and jellied stock that melts into hot broth inside the skin.
Xiaolongbao (Soup Dumplings) 小笼包
Steamed dumplings with a thin wheat wrapper and a hot pork-and-broth filling. Eaten in a single bite.
Yak Butter Tea 酥油茶
A savoury, high-calorie drink of strong brick tea churned with yak butter and salt — central to Tibetan daily life.
Yak Butter Tea 酥油茶
Yak butter, salt and tea churned together. Calorie-dense, salty-oily, the universal Tibetan beverage.
Yang Rou Pao Mo (Mutton Soup with Bread) 羊肉泡馍
Xi'an mutton soup with hand-crumbled flatbread. You crumble your own bread into the bowl; it absorbs the broth.
Yangzhou Fried Rice 扬州炒饭
The original Yangzhou fried rice — ham, prawns, peas, scrambled egg, scallion, in a light non-greasy stir-fry.
Yunnan Rose Cake 鲜花饼
A flaky pastry filled with a sweet preserve of Yunnan edible roses — a fragrant souvenir food of Kunming.
Yunnan Wild Mushroom Hot Pot 野菌火锅
Clear chicken broth with 8–12 varieties of fresh wild mushrooms. June–October only; the seasonal Yunnan banquet.
Yunnan Wild Mushroom Hotpot 野生菌火锅
A clear or mildly spiced broth hotpot designed for cooking Yunnan's seasonal wild mushrooms, including porcini, matsutake and others.
Zhajiang Noodles 炸酱面
Thick hand-pulled wheat noodles topped with a slow-fried pork and sweet bean paste sauce plus raw vegetable shreds.
Zhajiangmian (Fried Sauce Noodles) 炸酱面
Wheat noodles topped with a savoury minced-pork-and-fermented-soybean sauce. Beijing's iconic noodle dish.
Zongzi 粽子
Glutinous rice parcels wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, filled with pork, beans or dates — the Dragon Boat Festival food.