China is a country that is largely known for its traditions and foods. Chinese dishes have always tasted extraordinary. If there’s one superpower popular for its culinary heritage in the entire world, then it has to be China.
The history of their cuisine is 1000 years old and has various types of ingredients and cooking styles. Their special cooking techniques have witnessed many changes throughout the years. A typical Chinese dish consists of carbohydrates like rice, noodle, stir-fries, fish, a dish full of vegetables and meat. Chinese people use lots of healthy and fresh vegetables to enhance the taste of their dishes, such as bamboo, water chestnuts, tofu, and mushroom.
In North China, residents enjoy devouring starchy and wheat-based items like noodles and steamed bun; whereas in South China, ingredients like rice are preferred majorly. To prepare any Chinese dish, you need to have three things to keep in mind- aroma or flavor of the food, its appearance, and of course, the taste.
The Chinese are pretty much obsessed with the appearance of the food. Sauces and seasonings play a vital role in the aroma and taste of the food. Sauces like five-spice powder, soya sauce, oyster sauce, Heinz chili sauce, root garlic, fish sauce, etc are mostly used in the food.
The following are some of the best Chinese dishes that you must try.
Hotpot
Hotpot is a popular dish that is highly devoured by all those who love Chinese cuisine. The fact that whether your hotpot will taste good or bad totally depends on the broth, which includes all the meat slices and various vegetables chopped and broiled on low flame.
In this dish, you can also create your own broth by choosing ingredients such as mushroom, original, spicy, or tomato, etc. Even if you choose to add meat slices, the flavor of the broth will majorly depend on the sauces you add.
There are lots of varieties in hotpot but the most iconic will remain peanut butter with mashed garlic and chopped onions textured and seasoned with sesame oil.
Steamed vermicelli rolls
Steamed vermicelli rolls are considered to be one of the most ordered foods in Chinese restaurants. They are ordered in morning tea restaurants and night street food stalls alike. They are also ordered as breakfast in middle-class Chinese restaurants.
This dish is prepared by rolling a sheet of rice over the inner fillings. Some of the most popular inner fillings are beef or pork, shrimp with mushroom, lettuce, and watercress. The roll is then steamed until all the flavors are mixed together. Popular sauce like raw soya sauce, chili sauce, gluten-free soy sauce, sesame oil, etc is seasoned on the roll depending on the flavor that an individual selects.
- Sichuan pork
Sichuan pork is nothing but a dish including spicy slices of pork. It is a famous Sichuan dish that involves pork being boiled in water rather than deep frying or stir-frying. The pork is later coated with egg-whites and starch so that it remains fresh and tender for a longer period. This broth made with meat makes a classic Sichuan cuisine that has a peppery and spicy taste.
Dumplings
Dumplings are mostly made up of wheat and chopped vegetables. It is more than 1800 years old and is a popular dish in North China. Some of the most preferred fillings for dumplings include diced shrimp, beef, vegetables, minced pork, and ground chicken.
There are three ways to cook dumplings
- Boiling
- Frying
- Or steaming
Dumpling is considered to be the traditional dish and is eaten by the Chinese people on the evening of their Chinese new year.
Chow mein
The word ‘chow mein’ is derived from the Chinese character ‘chaomian’ which means stir-fried noodles. Most of the time this stir-fried dish consists of noodles, onions, celery, and meat such as chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp. If you want to have great chow mein then it is recommended to boil noodles in the water for some time.
Fried shrimps with cashew nuts
Fried shrimps with cashew nuts are one of the most popular Chinese dishes and is quite famous in foreign countries as well. As the name suggests, this dish presents the heavy texture of peeled shrimps with crispy cashew nuts. The taste and flavor of the shrimps are tender and juicy. If you ever try this dish, rest assured that you will easily fall in love with this dish.
Kung pao chicken
Kung pao chicken dish is quite popular among local Chinese as well as foreigners. Kung pao chicken is a specialty of the Sichuan province of China. Diced chicken, dried chilies, and fried peanuts are the main elements of this dish. Western countries have modified this dish where the diced chicken is covered with cornstarch, sweet and sour soup, vegetables, and smashed garlic.
Ma Po tofu
The recipe for Ma Po tofu is more than 100 years old. The word ‘Ma’ stands for the hot and spicy taste which is derived from the pepper powder, which is a type of a flavoring element usually used in Chuan cuisine. The taste of white milky tofu is enhanced by red ground beef and green onions.
Peking roasted duck
Peking roasted duck is a very popular dish from Beijing. This dish is considered as one of the national dishes of China. The thin and crispy skin of the Peking duck is the reason why it is loved by patrons. Pancakes, sauces, sweet beans, or soy mashed with garlic often taste great with Peking duck. This dish is much loved in Beijing and everyone must try it.
Shrimp with vermicelli and garlic
This dish is not only popular among foreigners but also popular among the young generation of China. You can literally enjoy the aroma of every ingredient of this dish. This dish tastes awesome when it is tossed with garlic, seafood flavor mixes, and the shrimps. Every single drop of this tasty juice is absorbed by the vermicelli, bedded at the bottom of the bowl.
Spring roll
Spring roll is a Cantonese dish often made in a cylindrical shape. The inner filling of the spring roll mainly consists of vegetables or meat. The taste of this dish can either be sweet or savory depending on the stuffing and sauces you choose. Spring rolls are fried to perfect crispness after the fillings are wrapped.