China
Fried Dough Sticks
油条
Long twisted lengths of salted dough deep-fried until hollow and golden, eaten at breakfast dunked in soy milk or congee
eastern-asia
China
Explore 248 foods connected to China, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
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Traditional foods from China.
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China
Fried Dough Twist
麻花
Strands of dough plaited and deep-fried into a hard golden twist, plain and salty or sugar-glazed.
Fujian, China
Fujian Red Wine Chicken
红糟鸡
A Fujian dish of chicken braised in red yeast rice wine lees (hongzao), giving the meat a deep red colour and a rich, slightly sweet, winey flavour.
Fujian, China
Fuzhou Fish Balls
福州鱼丸
Fujian fish balls: bouncy fish paste wrapped around a savoury pork filling, served in clear broth.
Sichuan, China
Garlic Pork Belly (Suanni Bairou)
蒜泥白肉
Suanni bairou is thin-sliced boiled pork belly dressed with crushed garlic, chilli oil, and soy in a cool Sichuan plate.
China
Goubuli
狗不理包子
Tianjin's soup-filled pork buns, established in 1858 and hand-pleated ever since — a protected time-honoured brand eaten at its own restaurants.
China
Guilin Rice Noodles
桂林米粉
Round rice noodles dressed in a dark spiced brine stock with fried peanuts, pickled long beans and slices of braised beef or pork.
China
Guo Bao Rou
锅包肉
Guo bao rou, a northeastern dish of crispy pork slices in a sweet-sour sauce with garlic.
Shaanxi, China
Guokui Flatbread
锅盔
Guokui is a thin wheat cake baked against a drum oven wall, often filled with meat or spices in Shaanxi street stalls.
Tibet, China
Guthuk Barley Soup
古突
Guthuk, the Tibetan noodle soup eaten two nights before Losar with fortune-telling dumplings hiding wool, charcoal or chilli, is a named calendar dish and a distinctive ritual.
Singapore, China
Hainanese Chicken Rice
海南鸡饭
Poached chicken with fragrant oily rice cooked in chicken fat, served with chili sauce and soup, tender juicy chicken with aromatic rice.
Jiangsu, China
Hairy Crab
大闸蟹
Freshwater mitten crabs steamed whole and eaten with ginger vinegar, prized for the roe of the female and the creamy fat of the male.
Anhui, China
Hairy Tofu (Mao Doufu)
毛豆腐
Mao doufu is tofu deliberately coated with white mould, then pan-fried until the fermented curd develops a savoury crust.
Xinjiang, China
Hami Melon
哈密瓜
A netted-skin melon with dense orange flesh, far sweeter than a cantaloupe, grown in the Turpan and Hami desert basins.
China
Hawthorn Drink
山楂汁
Pressed hawthorn juice, sharply sour and lightly sweetened, drunk cold and eaten also as pressed fruit rolls.
China
Henan Braised Noodles (Huimian)
烩面
Hui mian, the wide hand-pulled Henan noodle served in mutton broth, is a named provincial staple with its own restaurant chains.
China
Herbal Jelly
龟苓膏
A near-black bitter jelly set from a decoction of smilax root and other medicinal herbs, eaten with honey or condensed milk poured over.
China
Home-Style Braised Tofu
家常豆腐
Firm tofu slabs pan-fried until skinned, then braised with pork slivers, wood ear, green pepper and bean paste.
Sichuan, China
Hot and Sour Soup
酸辣汤
A classic Chinese soup of wood ear fungus, tofu, bamboo shoots and pork in a peppery, vinegary broth thickened with cornstarch and egg ribbons.
Sichuan, China
Hot and Sour Sweet Potato Noodles
酸辣粉
Slippery sweet-potato starch noodles in a broth sharp with black vinegar and chilli oil, topped with fried peanuts, pickled greens and soy beans.
China
Hot Dry Noodles
热干面
Wheat noodles par-cooked, oiled and cooled overnight, then reheated in seconds and tossed with sesame paste, pickled radish and spring onion.
China
Hulatang Pepper Soup
胡辣汤
Hulatang is a thick Henan breakfast soup built from peppery stock, flour slurry, and pieces of beef or tendon.
Xi'an, China
Hulutou Intestine Soup
葫芦头
Carefully cleaned pork intestine simmered in a milky bone broth over torn bread and vermicelli, seasoned with pepper and coriander.
China
Hunan Steamed Cured Pork
腊肉
Pork belly salted and hung in the smoke of a kitchen fire through winter until dark and hard, then sliced and steamed or fried with garlic stems.
China
Jasmine Tea
茉莉花茶
Green tea layered repeatedly with fresh jasmine blossoms overnight so it absorbs the scent, then the spent flowers are removed.
China
Jinhua Ham
金华火腿
A salt-cured, air-dried leg of the two-headed black pig, aged up to three years, used in slices to lend depth to soups and steamed dishes.
China
Jujube
红枣
The Chinese date, dried to a wrinkled deep red, chewy and caramel-sweet, dropped into soups, teas and tonic stews.
Tibet, China
Khapse (Tibetan Fried Cookies)
ཁ་ཟས་
Khapse, the fried dough shapes stacked into towers for Tibetan New Year, is a named calendar food with a fixed ritual role.
China
Knife-Cut Noodles
刀削面
Shanxi wheat noodles sliced directly from a block of dough into boiling water with a knife, producing thick, uneven, chewy strands with ragged edges.
Sichuan, China
Kung Pao Chicken
宫保鸡丁
Diced chicken flash-fried with dried chillies, Sichuan pepper and peanuts in a sauce balanced sweet, sour and salty with sugar and black vinegar.
China
Kway Chap
粿汁
Broad sheets of rice noodle in a light braising liquor, served alongside a bowl of pork offal, braised egg, beancurd and pork belly stewed in dark soy and star anise.
Xinjiang, China
Lagman
Lag'mon
Lagman is a Uyghur and Central Asian noodle dish built from hand-pulled strands served with meat, peppers, onions, and tomato in a savoury broth or sauce.
China
Lanzhou Beef Noodles
兰州拉面
Hand-pulled wheat noodles in a clear beef broth clarified for hours, with thin beef slices, white radish, coriander and chilli oil.
China
Lao Gan Ma Chilli Crisp
老干妈
A jar of chilli flakes, fermented soy bean and preserved vegetable suspended in oil, with the founder's photograph on every label.
Tibet, China
Laping (Cold Starch Noodle Salad)
拉皮
Laping, cold mung-bean starch noodles cut into strips and dressed with chilli oil, is a named Tibetan street dish sold from stalls across the plateau.
Jiangsu, China
Lion's Head Meatballs
狮子头
Fist-sized pork meatballs, hand-chopped rather than minced, braised slowly in clear stock with cabbage until they are barely holding together.