Iconic dishes & drinks in China

Home of the stir-fry, Chinese food is all about eating with the eyes and the stomach. There is no set ingredient list for any stir-fry. It’s all about colourful, fresh ingredients cooked quickly on a high heat and constantly moving in their most prized cooking implements – the wok.

Yum Cha

One of the most popular and classically Chinese meals is definitely the practice of Yum Cha. Beginning as a form of snacking whilst in the tea houses of Guangzhou, Yum Cha has a language of its own and always begins and ends with a fragrant tea and serves bamboo baskets of dumplings, wontons, fried prawn toasts, steamed greens, the list goes on!

Peking Duck

Another Chinese meal that’s been picked up and loved worldwide is Peking Duck. Whole ducks are braised in hot soy sauce then roasted in a hot oven with five-spice until super-crisp then served with soft pancakes, plum or hoisin sauce and fresh batons of cucumber and spring onion.

Iconic dishes & drinks in China

Hot Pot

The fundamentals of Chinese cooking are all about aromatics, especially in traditional dishes such as Char Siu Pork where a delicate combination of hoisin, sherry, honey, vinegar, five-spice powder and shallots are combined and used to marinate strips of pork loin before barbequing. Combinations like this are also used throughout to cook things like whole fish or slow-cooked beef or chicken in the traditional ‘Hot Pot’.

Iconic dishes & drinks in China

Custardy egg tarts

When it comes to sweet treats at the end of the meal, the Chinese do not see it as necessary as Western cultures. However, some are still popular, like custardy egg tarts with a crispy pastry called Dan Tarts or Mango pudding – a sweet, creamy mango jelly to enjoy after a savoury banquet.

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Spiced Soy-Poached Chicken

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