China: Recipes and Cuisine

Chinese village and fields at harvest
Image by Chris Nener

One of the world’s oldest and greatest culinary traditions, Chinese cuisine centers on the Eight Great Traditions, regional styles that form the foundation of most Chinese cooking.

Pork and chicken are popular meats, along with a wide variety of seafood along the coast. Apart from that the Chinese have a strong Buddhist tradition of vegetarian cuisine as well. Stir frying is the most well known cooking method. Ingredients in most dishes are cut into bite-sized pieces to be eaten with chopsticks.

Typical Chinese Dishes

A list of typical Chinese dishes and foods. Use it to help you plan a Chinese-style meal, party or festival.

Appetizers and Dim Sum

  • Chun Yao Bang (Fried scallion pancake)
  • Chun Guen (Deep-fried spring rolls)
  • Dan Bing (Crepe stuffed with spicy eggs)
  • Guo Tie (Potsticker dumplings)
  • Har Gow (Shrimp dumplings)
  • Law Bock Gow (Steamed daikon cake)
  • Pearl Balls (Steamed pork balls with rice coating)
  • Potstickers (Boiled and fried dumplings)
  • Siu Mai (Steamed pork and shrimp dumplings)
  • Tsen Bao (Filled steamed buns)

Soups and Stews

  • Yen Wo Tang (Bird’s nest soup)
  • Dan Hua Tang (Egg drop soup)
  • Suan La Tang (Hot and sour soup)
  • Ji Tang Mien (Chicken noodle soup)
  • Su Mi Tang (Velvet corn soup)
  • Dong Gua Tang (Winter melon soup)
  • Hun Tun Tang (Wonton soup)

Eggs

  • Pi Dan (1000 Year Eggs: duck eggs preserved in ash and lime)
  • Cha Yeh Dan (Tea leaf eggs)
  • Fu Rong (Vegetables in an creamy egg sauce)
  • Liu Wang Cai (Scrambled eggs with peas over rice)
  • Wang Pu Chao Dan (Layered omelet)

Noodles

  • Ants Climbing Trees (Noodles with ground pork)
  • Chao Mian (Stir-fried meat and vegetables with noodles)
  • Lo Mein (Meat and vegetables with boiled egg noodles)
  • Ma Jiang Ban Mian (Noodles with sesame sauce)
  • Pork and Noodles in Brown Bean Sauce
  • Shang Hai Leng Mien (Shanghai noodles with shrimp)
  • Zha Cai Rou Si Fen Si (Pork and Szechuan pickles with cellophane noodles)

Poultry

  • Bai Qie Ji (White-cut chicken)
  • Beijing Kao Ya (Peking duck)
  • Chicken with Lemon (Cantonese deep-fried chicken with lemon sauce)
  • Cu Liu Ji (Chicken in vinegar sauce)
  • Gung Bo Gai Ding (Kung pao chicken with peanuts)
  • Hai Nan Ji Fan (Hainan chicken and rice)
  • Shao Ya (Cantonese roast duck)
  • Tangerine Peel Chicken (Citrus-scented roast chicken)
  • Zhi Bao Ji (Paper-wrapped chicken)
  • Zui Ji (Drunken chicken)

Meats

  • Char Siu (Barbeque pork)
  • Gu Lu Ron (Sweet and sour pork)
  • He Dou Niu Rou (Beef and snow peas in oyster sauce
  • Hui Guo Rou (Twice-cooked pork)
  • Shuan Yang Rou (Mongolian hot pot)
  • Hei Jiao Niu Liu (Mongolian beef)
  • Mu Shu Rou (Mushu pork and vegetables with Mandarin pancakes and hoisin sauce)
  • Pork and Cabbage Filling (Filling for buns, potstickers and dumplings)
  • Hong Shao Rou (Red-cooked pork braised in soy broth)
  • Shi Zi Tou (Lion’s head meatballs)
  • Siu Pai Guck (BBQ spare ribs)

Fish and Seafood

  • Chi Jiao Xie (Crab in black bean sauce)
  • Hu Nan Zhang Yu (Whole fish steamed with black bean sauce)
  • Jiu Liu Yu Pian (Fish in wine sauce)
  • Qing Dou Ha Ren (Shrimp with peas)
  • Shrimp in Tomato Sauce (Shrimp stir fry)
  • Si Chuan Dou Ban Yu (Szechuan fish)
  • Si Chuan La Jiao You Yu (Chili squid)
  • Song Shu Yu (Squirrel fish)
  • Tian Suan Yu (Sweet and sour fish)

Tofu

  • Dong Gu Dofu (Tofu with mushrooms)
  • Ma Jiang Dofu (Tofu with sesame sauce)
  • Ma Po Dofu (Tofu braised in a spicy brown sauce)

Vegetables and Beans

  • Basic Vegetable Stir Fry (Stir-fried vegetables)
  • Chao Bo Cai (Garlic Spinach)
  • Green Beans with Water Chestnuts
  • Hong Shao Qie Zi (Red-cooked eggplant)
  • Kai Yang Bai Cai (Stir-fried cabbage)
  • Luo Han Zhai (Buddhists’ delight vegetables)
  • Suan Zi Lu Sun (Asparagus with garlic)
  • Zha Cai Dou Ya Rou Si (Stir-fried bean sprouts with shredded pork)

Breads and Grains

  • Bai Fan (Plain boiled rice)
  • Zhou (Congee breakfast rice porridge)
  • Chao Fan (Fried rice with garnishes)
  • Hua Chuan (Flower buns)
  • Hun Tun Pi (Wonton wrappers)
  • Mandarin Pancakes
  • Nor Mai Gai (Lotus-leaf wrapped rice with savory stuffing)

Sauces

  • XO Sauce (Dried seafood sauce)

Desserts

  • Dun Tat (Egg custard tartlets)
  • Five-Treasure Rice Pudding
  • Mooncakes (Bean-filled sweetcakes)

Beverages

  • Bubble Tea (Taiwanese milk tea beverage with tapioca balls)
  • Cha (Tea)
  • Jiu (Rice wine and spirits)

Chinese Recipes

Ma Yi Shang Shu – Ants Climbing a Tree 
(Chinese cellophane noodles with ground pork)
Serving of ants climing trees

Ma Yi Shang Shu – Ants Climbing a Tree 
(Chinese cellophane noodles with ground pork)

Bao 
(Chinese steamed, filled buns)
Steamer basket with bao buns

Bao 
(Chinese steamed, filled buns)

Wat Tan Hor 
(Chinese shrimp chow fun with egg gravy)
Wat Tan Hor (Chinese shrimp chow fun with egg gravy)

Wat Tan Hor 
(Chinese shrimp chow fun with egg gravy)

Dan Chaofan 
(Taiwanese egg fried rice)
Dan chaofan fried rice on a plate

Dan Chaofan 
(Taiwanese egg fried rice)

Gung Bo Gai Ding 
(Chinese kung pao chicken with peanuts)
Platter of gung bo gai din, or kung pao chicken

Gung Bo Gai Ding 
(Chinese kung pao chicken with peanuts)

Zhajiang Mian 
(Chinese pork and noodles in brown bean sauce)
Zhajiang Mian (Chinese pork and noodles in brown bean sauce)

Zhajiang Mian 
(Chinese pork and noodles in brown bean sauce)

Char Siu 
(Chinese barbecue pork)
Char siu, sliced with braised greens and rice

Char Siu 
(Chinese barbecue pork)

Lo Mai Gai 
(Chinese rice steamed in lotus leaves)
Two lo mai gai on a plate

Lo Mai Gai 
(Chinese rice steamed in lotus leaves)

Law Bok Gow 
(Chinese steamed radish cake)
Plate of Chinese steamed radish cake

Law Bok Gow 
(Chinese steamed radish cake)

Siu Mai 
(Chinese steamed pork and shrimp dumplings)
Siu main in a steaming basket

Siu Mai 
(Chinese steamed pork and shrimp dumplings)

Hong Shao Rou 
(Chinese red-cooked pork)
Red-cooked pork with a scoop of rice

Hong Shao Rou 
(Chinese red-cooked pork)

Liang Mian 
(Chinese cold sesame noodles)
Plate of Chinese sesame noodles

Liang Mian 
(Chinese cold sesame noodles)

Chun Yao Bang 
(Chinese fried scallion pancake)
Sliced scallion pancake on a plate

Chun Yao Bang 
(Chinese fried scallion pancake)

Shuan Yang Rou 
(Chinese Mongolian hotpot)
Mongolian hot pot table set up of ingredients

Shuan Yang Rou 
(Chinese Mongolian hotpot)

Dong Gu Dofu 
(Chinese braised tofu with mushrooms)
Bowl of simmered tofu and mushrooms.

Dong Gu Dofu 
(Chinese braised tofu with mushrooms)

Shou Mian – Longevity Noodles 
(Chinese egg noodles in broth)
Chinese longevity noodles

Shou Mian – Longevity Noodles 
(Chinese egg noodles in broth)

Cu Liu Ji 
(Chinese chicken in vinegar sauce)
Chinese chef stir frying in a wok

Cu Liu Ji 
(Chinese chicken in vinegar sauce)

Mapo Doufu 
(Chinese Sichuan tofu and ground pork in spicy sauce)
Bowl of Sichuan map doufu

Mapo Doufu 
(Chinese Sichuan tofu and ground pork in spicy sauce)

Pork and Cabbage Dim Sum Filling 
(Chinese filling for buns, potstickers and dumplings)
Chinese filling for buns, potstickers and dumplings

Pork and Cabbage Dim Sum Filling 
(Chinese filling for buns, potstickers and dumplings)

Xihu Cu Yu – West Lake Fish 
(Chinese fish in sweet vinegar sauce)
Xihu Cu Yu (Chinese West Lake vinegar fish)

Xihu Cu Yu – West Lake Fish 
(Chinese fish in sweet vinegar sauce)

Singapore Noodles 
(Chinese stir fried rice noodles)
Plate of Singapore noodles with a wedge of lime

Singapore Noodles 
(Chinese stir fried rice noodles)

Zuiji 
(Chinese drunken chicken)
Zuiji (Chinese drunken chicken)

Zuiji 
(Chinese drunken chicken)

Xihongshi Jiang Xia 
(Chinese stir-fried shrimp in tomato sauce)
Chinese shrimp in tomato sauce

Xihongshi Jiang Xia 
(Chinese stir-fried shrimp in tomato sauce)

Chao Ha Qiu 
(Chinese stir-fried shrimp with peas)
Bowl of peas in the pod

Chao Ha Qiu 
(Chinese stir-fried shrimp with peas)



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