The Beauty Of Everyday China Dishes: Elevating The Simple Table

Chinese cuisine is renowned for its colour, aroma, taste, appearance and meaning. With such a large country, there are many regional differences in cuisine due to differing climates, history, local ingredients and dining customs.

A typical Chinese meal will include a carbohydrate or starch like noodles, rice or buns, and accompanying stir-fries or dishes of vegetables, fish and meat. Fresh vegetables such as mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo and tofu are used, and in North China, wheat-based foods like noodles and steamed buns dominate, whereas in South China, rice is king.

Chinese food is meant to be eaten with chopsticks, and the use of a fork and knife was believed to stand for violence, as opposed to chopsticks, which represented gentleness and compassion.

Noodles

Lo Mein

Lo Mein is a popular dish in China, and is made by boiling the noodles and then tossing them in a sauce with cooked meat and vegetables. The noodles are thicker than Chow Mein and are soft, silky and chewier in texture.

Chow Mein

Chow Mein is a staple at Chinese takeout restaurants. The noodles are thin, crinkly and crispy, and are made with wheat flour, eggs and water. They are cooked in boiling water, rinsed and drained before stir-frying with vegetables and meat.

Dan Dan Noodles

A famous Sichuan snack, Dan Dan Noodles are made with a spicy sauce and minced meat.

Lanzhou Beef Noodles

A classic dish from northwest China, Lanzhou Beef Noodles are made with hand-pulled springy and meaty-tasting noodles, melt-in-the-mouth beef and a rich broth.

Wonton Noodles

Wonton Noodles are thin, like angel hair pasta, and are made from egg, water and lye water. They are cooked al dente and served in broth with shrimp wontons and Chinese broccoli.

Biang Biang Noodles

Biang Biang Noodles are thick and chewy handmade noodles with a spoonful of savory soy and fresh, nutty hot sauce.

Zhajiangmian, or Peking Noodles,

Zhajiangmian, or Peking Noodles, are one of the most popular dishes in Beijing. Thick wheat noodles are topped with a rich mixture of ground pork and fermented soybean paste, and then mixed with vegetables.

Cong You Ban Mian

Shanghai Scallion Oil Noodle, or Cong You Ban Mian, is a perfect side dish. It can be made with any kind of noodle and uses only six ingredients.

Mom's Best Chinese Gravy Noodles

These traditional northern-style Chinese Gravy Noodles are comfort food at its best. They are vegan-friendly and have a rich sauce made with a few veggies.

Rice

Types of Rice

There are several types of rice used in Chinese cooking:

• Medium or long-grain rice
• Sweet rice or glutinous rice
• Sticky rice

The shorter the grain, the stickier the rice will be.

Fried Rice

Fried rice is one of the most common Chinese dishes. It is made with leftover rice and other meat or vegetables from the last meal. It is a complete meal that feeds the whole family. The combination of ingredients can be anything from protein (chicken, pork, shrimp) to vegetables (carrots, peas, onions).

A popular variety of fried rice is Yangzhou fried rice, which includes shrimp, eggs, and barbecued pork.

Congee, or rice porridge,

Congee, or rice porridge, is a nourishing, easy-to-digest meal. It can be savoury or sweet, topped with meat, tofu, vegetables, ginger, boiled eggs, and soy sauce, or mung beans and sugar.

Bamboo Tube Rice

This is a unique rice dish of the Dai Nationality in Yunnan Province. Fragrant glutinous rice is filled into bamboo tubes with minced meat, sausages, pickled vegetables, and black beans, and roasted over a fire.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hailing from the southern province of Hainan, this delicately flavoured poached chicken dish is served with rice and aromatics like ginger, scallion, and garlic.

A dish of rice with braised beef brisket is a popular meal in China.

Meat

Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken, also known as Gong Bao Ji Ding, is a well-known Chinese chicken dish that originated in Sichuan province. It is made with diced chicken, dried chilli, cucumber, and fried peanuts or cashews. The dish is stir-fried and has a spicy, fragrant, and mouth-numbing flavour due to the use of Sichuan peppercorns. It is often served with pancakes, sweet bean sauce, or soy sauce with mashed garlic.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Sweet and Sour Pork, or Tangcu Liji, is a classic Chinese dish that is especially popular in Western China. The main ingredient is deep-fried pork, which is stir-fried in a sweet and sour sauce made from sugar, ketchup, white vinegar, and soy sauce. It is typically served with onions, pineapple, and green peppers, resulting in a bright orange-red colour and a delicious mix of flavours.

Peking Roasted Duck

Peking Roasted Duck, or Beijing Kaoya, is a renowned dish from Beijing with a worldwide reputation. The duck is seasoned and roasted, resulting in crisp and golden-brazed skin. It is often served with spring onion, cucumber, and sweet bean sauce. Peking Duck is considered a delicacy and is known as "one of heaven's delicacies".

Mapo Tofu

Mapo Tofu, or Mapo Doufu, is a spicy and flavourful dish that originated in Chengdu, Sichuan province. It consists of tofu set in a hot and spicy sauce, simmered with bean paste, beef, hot roasted chilli oil, and Sichuan peppercorns. The dish is named after the inventor, a grandma with the surname Chen, whose face had pockmarks.

Char Siu

Char Siu is a Cantonese-style barbecued pork dish that is cooked with five-spice powder, honey, and red yeast. The pork is typically lean, and the dish has a sweet and savoury flavour. It can be fire-roasted to perfection and is often served with noodles or inside steamed buns.

Chinese Hamburger

The Chinese Hamburger, or Rou Jia Mo, is a street food that originated in Shaanxi, northwest China. It consists of a pita-like bun filled with tender braised pork containing over 20 spices and seasonings. It is considered by some to be the original hamburger, dating back to the Qin dynasty.

Other Meat Dishes

In addition to these popular dishes, there are numerous other meat dishes in Chinese cuisine. These include Chow Mein (fried noodles), Hot Pot (a communal dish of meat and vegetables cooked in a simmering broth), Spring Rolls (fried pancakes with meat or vegetable fillings), Wontons (dumplings filled with meat or seafood), and various types of fried rice and steamed buns.

Vegetables

In a typical Chinese meal, there is always a vegetable dish to complement the other main dishes. A carbohydrate or starch, such as noodles, rice, or buns, is usually accompanied by stir-fried or steamed vegetables, fish, or meat.

Some common vegetables used in Chinese cooking include Chinese cabbage, bok choy, potatoes, cucumbers, white radish, Chinese eggplant, soybean sprouts, and peanuts. These vegetables are used in a variety of dishes, from stir-fries to soups and hot pots.

• Stir-fried vegetables: Chinese cuisine often includes stir-fried vegetables, with meat or without. A variety of vegetables can be used, such as eggplant, tofu, okra, bok choy, tomato and egg, cauliflower, green beans, cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms, and more.
• Vegetable rice: This dish combines stir-fried vegetables, typically bok choy, with plain cooked rice, infusing the rice with the flavour of the vegetables.
• Vegetable dumplings: Dumplings are a traditional Chinese dish, often eaten during the Lunar New Year celebrations. They are usually filled with meat and vegetables, but vegetarian options are also available.
• Vegetable fried rice: Fried rice is a simple yet popular Chinese dish. It usually includes boiled rice mixed with scallions, minced meat, and eggs. A vegetarian version can be made by omitting the meat and including more vegetables.
• Vegetable soups: Soups are a common way to consume vegetables in China. Some examples include hot and sour soup, vegetable manchow soup, and Cantonese chicken soup.
• Steamed eggplant: Chinese-style steamed eggplant is known for its tender texture and sweet flavour. It is typically tossed in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil.

Seafood

Fish

In China, fish is often cooked whole, and most people have no problem with eating the fish's head. The bones are seldom removed, so it is considered polite to eat slowly and place any bones on a side plate. Fish has a very light flavour, so other ingredients are added to give it a stronger taste. Common additions include chillies, ginger, and salt.

Some popular fish dishes include:

• Sweet and Sour Fish
• West Lake Vinegar Fish
• Hunan Steamed Fish Head with Diced Hot Red Peppers
• Xiamen Boiled Fresh Fish
• Zhuhai Yellow Bone Fish
• Shunde Chrysanthemum Sashimi (sliced fresh fish)
• Sichuan Poached Fish Fillets in Hot Chili Oil

Shellfish

Shellfish is also commonly eaten in China, with shrimp, crab, and lobster featuring heavily in the country's cuisine.

Some popular shellfish dishes include:

• Drunken Prawn
• Kung Pao Shrimp
• Shrimp with Broccoli in Garlic Sauce
• Shrimp Egg Foo Young
• Shrimp with Lobster Sauce
• Steamed Garlic Prawns, Chinese Style
• Salt and Pepper Shrimp
• Oil Braised King Prawns
• Air Fryer Crab Rangoon
• Chongqing Sautéed Crab in Hot Spicy Sauce
• Chinese Oyster Omelet
• Shandong Braised Original Shell Abalone
• Minced Garlic Steamed Abalone
• Macao Portuguese Fresh Garden Oysters
• Scallops a la Peking House

Other Seafood

In addition to fish and shellfish, other types of seafood are also consumed in China, such as squid, cuttlefish, and turtle.

Some popular dishes featuring other types of seafood include:

• Salt and Pepper Squid
• Braised Abalone
• Seafood Congee
• Fish Balls
• Chinese Mitten Crab
• Longjing Shrimp
• Sichuan Boiled Fish

Frequently asked questions