Famous signature Chinese dishes Archives

Egg Tart

A Hong Kong classic (whose origins are unknown, but most likely through British and Portuguese influences), the egg tart has been adapted to Chinese preferences. With both flaky pastry and short pastry varieties available, we challenge you to eat just one!

Nai Wong Bao

[Steamed Custard Buns] Yet another Cantonese classic, steamed custard buns – or nai wong bao – are another favorite on dim sum menus everywhere. Once a symbol of status and wealth (who couldn’t be impressed by the soft, fluffy bottoms of these buns?), nai wong bao are a carry over from a time when refined […]

Shumai

[Open-topped Dumplings] You will find these pork and shrimp dumplings on the menu at dim sum as well. Forget the shop bought versions you’ll find in the freezer aisle of your supermarket. The real thing to be devoured in an authentic dim sum restaurant will have you asking for more, and although there are many […]

Har Gow

[Cantonese Dumplings with Shrimp Filling] Har gow – the shrimp dumplings found at every dim sum service – is a tradition, and arguably the most popular dim sum dish of all time. Seriously. When served, these dumplings look like pillows soft enough for an emperor’s head to rest upon. Be sure to add this one […]

Yangzhou Fried Rice

Coming in very closely behind sweet and sour pork, Yangzhou fried rice is Chinese dish that has been universally embraced in the West. Although there are as many versions of fried rice as there are Chinese restaurants, you may find the authentic version of the dish a little different. Fried rice has a simple ingredients […]

Guilin Mifen

[Guilin Rice Noodles] Perhaps Guilin’s best known dish is mifen or rice noodles. With a history of some 2,000 plus years, legend has it that Guilin’s rice noodles were created to meet the need of northern soldiers who found themselves fighting in the south of China, but unable (or maybe just unwilling) to partake of […]

Yunnan Guoqiao Mixian

[Crossing-the-Bridge Rice Noodle Soup] Yunnan is one of those places where you feel you’ve taken a step back in time, and guoqiao mixian – otherwise known as ‘crossing-the-bridge rice noodle soup – certainly adds to that perception. A dish that is based on love and loyalty, it is said that a scholar’s wife would prepare […]

Guangzhou Gu Lao Rou

[Cantonese Sweet and Sour Pork] Perhaps the dish that’s been most widely popularized in the West, gu lao rou – or sweet and sour pork – hails originally from China’s contemporary travel hub, Guangzhou in Guangdong province. Typically made using pieces of deep fried pork tenderloin, the dish is appropriately named for its combination of […]

Hangzhou Dongpo Rou

[Braised Pork Belly] When you eat dongpo rou you will know for sure the Chinese truly mastered the art of slow cooking, because this quintessentially Hangzhou dish is braising at its best. The poet Su Dongpo was the namesake for dongpo rou nearly a thousand years ago, and although it has fairly illustrious origins, over […]

Hotpot

There are over 400,000 hotpot restaurants in China, and while you may not find a house specialty in each one, there are many versions of ‘the hotpot’. Among our favorites are the popular hot and spicy Sichuan hotpot, the tasty Chaoshan beef hotpot, a healthy Yunnan mushroom hotpot, the traditional Beijing instant-boiled sliced mutton hotpot, […]