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Top 8
The Most Iconic Chinese Dishes
You Shouldn't Miss
Chinese cuisine is famous for its intense flavours and mysterious ingredients. With over 1,000 years of history and deep cultural background, Chinese food represents the nation's taste, soul, and ethnic characteristics. We've got you covered if you have zero idea in a Chinese restaurant. The top 8 iconic Chinese foods are listed here, and you shouldn't miss them!
Right before you move on to our most loved top 8 Chinese dishes, I would like to tell you we've covered an ARTICLE that teaches you everything you need to know when ordering Chinese food, from asking for a menu all the way to paying the bill.
Wish you all the best on the Chinese food hunt :)
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Well-known for over 150 years. Baozi stands out for its meticulous selection of ingredients for both the dough and the filling. Baozi, with precisely 18 pleats on every bun, represents strict craftsmanship. When freshly steamed, these baozi are often fluffy with a tender and flavorful filling.
Today, in addition to the traditional pork buns, over a hundred varieties of buns are introduced to people, including seafood buns, vegetable buns, crab-filled buns etc.
Chinese locals often say, "If you haven't tried Baozi, you've missed out on life." To avoid missing out, certainly try Baozi in China.
7. 牛羊肉泡馍 / Paomo (Beef & Lamb Paomo)
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Pao Mo," a dish featuring beef and lamb soaked in flavorful broth served with unleavened bread.
Pramo is known as a quintessential representation of Shaanxi cuisine and was especially developed in the city of Xi'an during ancient times. Regarding its exceptional reputation, a famous poet Su Shi (Su Dongpo) even praised it with the line, "Among all the delicacies along the Silk Road, Paomo deserves the best."
Tender meat, rich broth, and warm bread make this dish incredibly appetizing. I'm pretty sure you would like to enjoy it throughout the year.
6. 火锅 / Huǒguō ( Chinese Hot Pot)
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The very first thing you may notice in China is that every street is dotted with hot pot restaurants, and no matter what the season is, these hot pot spots are always packed.
Hot pot is a traditional Chinese dining style known for its meticulous soup base, signature numbing and spicy flavours, and endless ingredient selection. The variations build upon the traditional numbing and spicy base, ensuring a variety of unique tastes. You can always find the perfect combination for yourself!
5. 炒面 / Chow Mein(Chinese stir-fried noodles)
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Introducing another extremely famous street food: Chow Mein.
Chow Mein is the delightful Cantonese creation of stir-fried noodles, that offers a world of flavours and possibilities beyond the basics. It is usually made of noodles, onion, sliced meat, green pepper and green onion. Those noodles are boiled until 80% done before being stir-fried with other ingredients until it is golden yellow. With Simple preparation, Chow Mein is usually the first choice for late-night food for most Chinese people.
Spice Up Your Chow Mein Adventure!
4. 北京：烤鸭 (Beijing Roast Duck)
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Roast Duck is a world-renowned and iconic dish originally from Beijing. It is cooked over fruitwood charcoal, generating a distinctive ruby-red colour, tender duck meat, and crispy skin.
Often hailed as the "most delicious dish in heaven" and stands as a typical representation of Beijing's culinary heritage. Just as the saying goes, "Who has not climbed the Great Wall is not a true man," furthermore, "In Beijing, one who has not indulged in Roast Duck is not a true food enthusiast."
3. 酸辣粉 (Hot and Sour Noodles)
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Hot and Sour Noodles are widely known as a traditional snack in the Chongqing area of China.
The glass noodles are handmade from sweet potato and pea starch, crafted traditionally. "Hot and Sour Noodles" features a firm and chewy texture, a tongue-tingling and spicy yet sour and refreshing flavour. The appetizing and rich aroma make it a beloved snack across the country.
"Numbing, spicy, fresh, fragrant, sour, and oily but not greasy," earning them the
"The best noodles under heaven."
2. 宮保雞丁/Gong Bao Ji Ding (Spicy Stir-Fry Chicken)
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"Gong Bao Chicken," a traditional dish in Guizhou cuisine. The spiciness from dried red chillies melds perfectly with the diced chicken and crunchy peanuts. Gong Bao Chicken offers a satisfying texture and sensation! You might cough a few times because of the pungent aroma and spiciness, but it definitely worth it.
"Gong Bao Ji Ding" has become ubiquitous, particularly in Western countries like the United Kingdom and the United States, It has earned a reputation not only among Chinese but also among foreigners.
1. 春卷/ Chun Juan (Spring Rolls)
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Who can say no to a hot, fried spring roll covered with sweet spicy sauce?
Spring rolls feature a paper-thin wrapper that will shatter at a single touch. These wrappers can be filled with any combination of pork, shrimp, sprouts, cabbage, and even sweet red beans.
Spring rolls are also a dish involved in the "Mǎn Hàn Quán Xí" (滿漢全席), the grand imperial feast from the Qing Dynasty, served as the second course. With a long history, spring rolls have never stopped evolving.
Now you have a list of Top Chinese food that will never go wrong, it might be helpful when travelling in China.
Luckily, we now offer group and private courses for all levels. You can take these courses either online or in person at our London offices where you will meet lots of like-minded Chinese food fans.