China is known for its diverse and delicious food scene, making it challenging to create a definitive list of the “best” Chinese dishes. However, to ensure a well-rounded culinary experience, it is helpful to have an introductory list of essential dishes. Here are some can’t-miss options:
Peking Duck: This dish includes crispy duck skin, juicy meat, radish, cucumber, scallion, and sweet bean sauce wrapped in a thin pancake.
Vermicelli Soup with Duck Blood: Made with duck-bone broth, duck blood curds, and bits of duck offal, this street food dish offers intense flavors.
Cantonese Steamed Fish: Cooked to perfection, this dish requires precise timing to ensure the fish is tender and flaky. It is usually served in sweetened soy sauce and scallions.
Dan Dan Noodles: Originally sold by street hawkers on a carrying pole, this Sichuan specialty combines minced meat, chopped scallions, spices, crushed peanuts, and various sauces. It can be served dry or in a hot and spicy broth.
Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Salted Chili: A staple in Hunan cuisine, this dish incorporates a salted chili relish made with dried chili peppers, ginger, garlic, and Chinese liquor. The fish head is steamed with the relish for a salty and spicy kick.
Cantonese-style Woodfire Oven-roasted Goose: With its crispy skin, melted fat, and tender meat, this dish is incredibly flavorful and unforgettable.
Chaozhou-style Cold Fish/Crab: This dish highlights the fresh flavors of the seafood and is lightly seasoned with salt before being steamed. It is typically served at room temperature with soy bean paste or garlic and vinegar sauce.
Cross-the-Bridge Rice Noodles: Legend has it that this dish was invented by a loving wife who delivered scalding hot chicken broth along with rice noodles and raw ingredients to her husband studying on an island. The ingredients are cooked in the hot broth for a comforting meal.
Kungpao Chicken: This stir-fried dish combines diced chicken, scallions, ginger, peppercorns, chili, and deep-fried peanuts for a flavorful and spicy experience.
Sweet and Sour Pork/Lychee Pork: These dishes offer a refreshing twist on deep-fried pork with the addition of pineapple and a sauce made with sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce. Lychee pork resembles lychees’ uneven skins due to incisions made on the pork.
Dumplings (Jiaozi): Whether steamed, boiled, or pan-fried, dumplings are a satisfying option packed with carbs, proteins, and vegetables. Condiments like vinegar and chili oil complement them well. Fujian’s rouyan version, with pork and flour wrappers, is particularly delicious.
Hainanese Chicken Rice: Although not originally from China’s Hainan province, this dish was inspired by the region’s famous Wenchang chicken. The chicken is blanched and air-dried, and the dish is usually served with chicken fat rice and chicken soup.
These dishes represent the diversity and richness of Chinese cuisine and provide a taste of the country’s culinary delights.