China
Eight regional cuisines — Sichuan heat, Cantonese subtlety.
Iconic recipes
Mapo Tofu
Sichuan classic — silken tofu in a numbingly spicy sauce of doubanjiang, ground pork and Sichuan peppercorn.
Kung Pao Chicken
Sichuan stir-fry of chicken, dried chili, peanuts and a sweet-sour-savory sauce.
Peking Duck
Air-dried duck roasted to lacquer-crisp skin, sliced and rolled in pancakes with hoisin and scallion.
Xiaolongbao
Shanghai soup dumplings with a thin pleated wrapper, gingery pork and a burst of aspic-melted broth.
Yangzhou Fried Rice
Cantonese-style fried rice with shrimp, ham, peas, egg and scallion — light, dry-grain and aromatic.
Char Siu
Cantonese honey-glazed roast pork with five spice and red fermented bean curd.
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Wonton Noodle Soup
Cantonese springy egg noodles with shrimp wontons in a clear pork-shrimp broth.
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Dan Dan Noodles
Sichuan street noodles under a slick of chili oil, Sichuan pepper, sesame paste, preserved mustard greens and crumbled pork.
Twice-Cooked Pork
Sichuan hui guo rou — simmered pork belly stir-fried with doubanjiang, leeks and fermented black beans.
Fish-Fragrant Eggplant
Yu xiang qie zi — silky Sichuan eggplant in a sweet-sour-spicy sauce built on pickled chili and garlic.
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Chongqing Chili Chicken
La zi ji — crunchy fried chicken cubes hidden under a mountain of dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorn.
Sichuan Hotpot
Bubbling ma la broth of beef tallow, doubanjiang, dried chili and Sichuan peppercorn for dipping meats, tripe and vegetables.
Har Gow
Cantonese dim sum crescent — a translucent wheat-starch wrapper around plump seasoned shrimp.
Siu Mai
Open-topped dim sum dumplings of pork and shrimp crowned with roe or diced carrot.
Cantonese Roast Goose
Siu ngo — a whole goose stuffed with five-spice marinade, lacquered with maltose and roasted to shattering-crisp skin.
Sweet and Sour Pork
Cantonese gu lou yuk — crisp battered pork tossed in a glossy sauce of hawthorn, vinegar and pineapple.
Clay Pot Rice
Bo zai fan — Cantonese one-pot rice with lap cheong sausage, chicken and a prized golden crust of scorched rice.
Hong Kong Egg Tarts
Dan tat — flaky lard shortcrust cases holding a bright, quivering egg custard.
Zhajiangmian
Beijing hand-cut noodles topped with a dark salty pork sauce fried from yellow soybean paste, plus shredded cucumber and radish.
Jianbing
Beijing breakfast crepe of mung-bean and wheat batter, egg, hoisin, chili and a crackly bao cui cracker.
Jiaozi
Northern Chinese boiled or pan-fried dumplings — pork, cabbage, chive and ginger inside a chewy hand-rolled wrapper.
Beijing Lamb Hotpot
Shuan yang rou — paper-thin lamb dipped through a mild broth in a copper chimney pot and eaten with sesame-based sauce.
Shengjianbao
Shanghai pan-fried buns — leavened dough enclosing juicy pork and aspic, crisped on the bottom and finished with sesame and scallion.
Hongshao Rou
Red-braised pork belly — cubes lacquered in caramel, dark soy and Shaoxing wine until wobbling and mahogany.
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Lion's Head Meatballs
Huaiyang shizitou — oversized pork meatballs braised in stock with Napa cabbage until spoon-tender.
Drunken Chicken
Shanghainese cold appetizer of poached chicken steeped overnight in Shaoxing wine and jellied broth.
Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork
Hunan mao shi hongshao rou — pork belly braised with dried chili and caramel, spicier and darker than the Shanghai version.
Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chili
Hunan duo jiao yu tou — a bighead-carp head steamed under a scarlet duvet of fermented chopped chilies and scallion.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
Fujianese fo tiao qiang — a luxury layered soup of abalone, scallop, sea cucumber, fish maw, chicken and ham slowly steamed in a jar.
Oyster Omelette
Fujianese o a jian — small oysters bound in a chewy sweet-potato-starch omelette with eggs, chive and a sweet chili sauce.
Da Pan Ji
Xinjiang 'big plate chicken' — bone-in chicken braised with potato, pepper, dried chili and Sichuan peppercorn, served over wide belt noodles.
Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup
Hui-Muslim lanzhou lamian — hand-pulled noodles in a clear beef broth topped with braised beef, radish, chili oil and coriander.
Biang Biang Noodles
Shaanxi belt-wide hand-slapped noodles under a sizzle of chili flakes, garlic, scallion and vinegar-soy.
Roujiamo
Xi'an 'Chinese hamburger' — a griddled baijimo flatbread stuffed with pork stewed in more than a dozen spices.
Crossing-the-Bridge Noodles
Yunnan guo qiao mi xian — a scalding-hot chicken broth in which raw meats, quail eggs, herbs and rice noodles cook at the table.
Guo Bao Rou
Dongbei sweet-and-sour pork — extra-crunchy potato-starch battered pork loin in a bright vinegar-sugar glaze with carrot and coriander.
Hot and Sour Soup
Suan la tang — a peppery, tangy broth thick with tofu, wood ear, lily bud, bamboo shoot and ribbons of egg.
Mooncakes
Cantonese-style Mid-Autumn cakes with a burnished golden-syrup pastry and a lotus-seed paste hiding a salted duck yolk.
Tangyuan
Glutinous rice balls filled with black sesame paste, floated in a warm ginger-osmanthus syrup for Lantern Festival.
Sesame Balls
Jian dui — hollow deep-fried glutinous rice balls coated in white sesame, filled with sweet red bean paste.
Char Siu Bao
Cantonese dim sum steamed buns with a snowy fluffy dough splitting open around sweet-savoury diced char siu pork.
Mantou
Plain northern Chinese steamed wheat buns — snow-white, pillowy and lightly sweet.
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Yangrou Chuanr
Xinjiang-style cumin lamb skewers grilled over charcoal with chilli flakes — the smoky staple of every Chinese night market.
Changsha Stinky Tofu
Hunan's blackened fermented tofu — deep-fried crisp, drenched in garlicky chilli sauce and pickled radish.
Cong You Bing
Flaky Shanghainese scallion pancakes — layered, pan-fried and shatteringly crisp.
Tanghulu
Beijing candied hawthorn skewers — glassy sugar shells shattering over tart red fruit.
Malatang
Sichuan street-cart hotpot — pick-your-own skewers of vegetables, tofu and meat cooked in a numbing chilli broth.
Youtiao
Golden airy Chinese fried dough sticks — dunked in soy milk or wrapped in cheung fun.
Tianjin Jian Bing Guozi
Tianjin's breakfast crêpe — mung-bean batter crisped on a griddle, cracked egg, hoisin, chilli and a crunchy fried cracker inside.
Gai Daan Jai (Egg Waffle)
Hong Kong bubble waffle — puffy egg-yolk yellow pearls crisp on the outside, custardy inside.
Cheung Fun
Cantonese silky steamed rice noodle rolls — served plain with sweet soy, sesame paste and chilli oil, or filled with prawns or char siu.
Curry Fish Balls
Hong Kong street-cart snack — yellow curry-simmered fish balls skewered on bamboo.
Luosifen
Guangxi Liuzhou's pungent river-snail rice noodle soup — sour bamboo, chilli oil and deep umami stock.
Roujiamo-Style Guokui
Shaanxi flat wheat pocket bread baked on a griddle — the crisp outer shell for street sandwiches.