20 Most Popular Chinese Foods you should try


 

Who does not like Chinese food? It is fun, colorful, and full of flavor. It came and conquered. It has dominated the world for its simplicity and is always a go-to food. Chinese food culture has a long history, and it’s the result of centuries of refinement and experimenting with various cooking methods, many unique to china. The famous ancient Confucianism beliefs have also influenced the food culture. It advocates for etiquette in dietary requirements, preparation, and consumption. The philosophy dictates that food should be handled with care and consumed moderately with due consideration to seasons, in that one eats food grown within the season and avoid food that does not grow naturally. The balance in the ingredients, herbs, and spices wholesomely contributes to the philosophy. As a result, the country is known for its rich culinary culture, and the famous Chinese cuisine is second to none in the world. It has a variety of dishes, a wide range of flavors, and sophisticated and complicated cooking skills. I had a perfect opportunity to experience the Chinese ways of life and culture. 

If you are planning to plunge into the world of Chinese food, here are the most popular Chinese cuisines you should try: 

Read more on Delicious Chinese Dishes You Have to Try When Visiting China

1. Sweet And Sour Pork

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Sweet and sour pork is one of the top Chinese dishes in almost every country, but the dish’s name may vary according to different places. It has a bright orange-red color and a delicious sweet and sour taste. At the very beginning, there was only sweet and sour pork, but to meet demands, there have been some developments in this dish. The pork can be substituted with other ingredients like chicken, beef, or pork ribs. Some main ingredients of this dish are red capsicum, yellow capsicum, honey, vinegar, spices, chicken, or beef.

2. Kung Pao Chicken

This dish is savory in taste. It is a famous Sichuan-style specialty, popular with both Chinese and foreigners. It is traditionally made with unique ingredients, like Sichuan peppercorns, Chinese black vinegar, Chinese rice wine, and whole dried red chilies. The Americanized version replaces those hard-to-find ingredients with staples found in any supermarket. It has the same spicy, sweet, and sour appeal as traditional Kung pao chicken, which can be taken with rice on the side as dinner.

3. Monchow Soup

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It is one of the popular dishes of Indian- Chinese cuisine because it is prepared easily and is spicy enough to please you. Manchow soup is made with mixed vegetables, chicken, and scallion, thickened with stock and corn flour. It is flavored with salt, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, chili peppers, etc. This super flavorful umami-tasting soup is served with crispy fried noodles.

4. Peking Roasted Duck

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Peking roasted duck is a famous dish from Beijing, enjoying world fame, and is considered one of China’s national dishes. Peking duck is savored for its thin and crispy skin. Sliced Peking duck is often eaten with pancakes, sweet bean sauce, or soy sauce with mashed garlic. It is a must-taste dish in Beijing. It used to be a royal dish in medieval china. It has been a “national dish of diplomacy” since the 1970s when it was first used for the reception of foreign guests by premier Zhou Enlai (the first Premier of the People’s Republic of China). It is highly praised by heads of state, government officials, and foreign and domestic tourists.

5. Dumplings

A staple of Chinese cuisine, dumplings are the ultimate comfort food since their main ingredient is flour. Dumplings may be sweet, salty, or stuffed. Its recipes range from traditional takes to inspired versions, but all pay tribute to the beloved flavors and time-honored techniques that make Chinese dumplings one of our favorite eats. Chinese dumplings consist of minced meat and/or chopped vegetables wrapped in a thin dough skin. Popular fillings are minced pork, diced shrimp, ground chicken, beef, and vegetables. They come in different packages/forms, which I will only mention a few examples include; pork soup dumplings, pa-fried and chive dumplings with Chile crisp, steamed pork-and-mushroom Shumai, chicken pot stickers with dipping sauce, steamed shrimp Dumplings, sew Mai dumplings, etc.

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6. Gong Bao Chicken

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This dish is a famous non-vegetarian Chinese dish because of its spicy and fantastic taste. The main ingredients used are Chicken, Green Capsicum, Yellow Capsicum, and Spring Onion. It is an adaptation of one brought to The Times by Fuchsia Dunlop, The British journalist who’s also an accomplished cook of Chinese cuisine. It is a pop classic with hot chiles, crunchy peanuts, and plenty of garlic and ginger. “Everyone loves it, and it is complex enough to be interesting without being too complicated to make,” Ms. Dunlop said. Dig in with a side of white rice and enjoy.

7. Manchurian

Manchurian is fried vegetable balls; dry Manchurian is served as a snack. To bind all the ingredients, ingredients used to make Manchurian vegetable balls include cauliflower, cabbage, spring onions, French beans, carrots, and cornstarch. When we want to make gravy, we use oil, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar. Corn starch is also added to gravy for a thick consistency.

8. Hot Pot

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Hot pot is considered one of the most popular dishes in china, especially in the Sichuan province. It is called “HOT POT” because people cook in and eat from a simmered pot of soup stock (broth) on a gas/ induction hob in the middle of the dining table with foodstuffs and condiments around the pot. You can add and cook whatever you like in the broth. The secret of whether a hot pot is good or not lies in the broth. All the slices and vegetables take their flavor. Chinese people believe it is a great way to share and socialize with friends and family. Because it gives them a chance to eat while chatting.

9. Spicy/Ma Po Tofu

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It is a brownish-red ground beef stuffed with chopped onions, famous in China, Korea, and Japan. It is a substitute for paneer, a popular Chinese dish from the Sichuan province, where spicy food is king and the signature spice of the region. The Sichuan peppercorn gives dishes a unique “numbing” effect. It is there to add fragrance and flavor and to numb your tongue so it can take more heat. It is rich in protein and is simple and quick to prepare, as it takes about 10-12 minutes. Though it tastes different from paneer, children still love it. The dish’s name roughly translates to “pockmarked grandma’s tofu.” It takes many forms as restaurants, and takeout joints have put their spin on it, often lessening spice levels, adding different vegetables, and transforming the dish into something else entirely. Like paneer, we may cook tofu bhurji, palak tofu, butter masala, etc.

10. Cantonese Chow Mein

 It’s stir-fried noodles or simply supreme soy sauce pan-fried noodles, a Chinese dish very popular in India and other countries. Chowmein contains a good amount of protein as it is made with lots of vegetables like capsicum, onion, carrot, cabbage, soy sauce, and vinegar, which is added to Chowmein to give it a tangy taste. It can be cooked with beef or anything else you would like.

11. Kung Pao Chicken

It is a very popular Chinese dish in America and other countries it has a Savory taste. It’s a stir fry dish made with vegetables, chicken, peanuts, etc. it is a less spicy dish ingredients are soy sauce, vinegar, corn starch, and boneless chicken. It is also a Sichuan cuisine originating in the Sichuan province of southwestern China and includes Sichuan peppercorns. Although the dish is found throughout china, there are typically less spicy than the Sichuan serving. It is also a staple of westernized Chinese cuisine.

12. Egg-Fried Rice

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It is a dish made from fried rice and other ingredients, including eggs, vegetables, seafood, and meat. Fried rice is one of the most common Chinese foods. It is easy to make fried rice it takes only 30 minutes to cook it is full of nutrition and is one of the most common Chinese foods. It is easy to make fried rice at home using leftover rice and other meat or vegetables from the last meal. They can be served with Manchurian balls and make a good combination with Manchurian thick gravy.

13. Wonton Soup

Wontons are a kind of Chinese dumpling. Unlike jiaozi, wontons have less filling and are wrapped in much thinner dough wrappers. The shape of the wonton is generally a simple right triangle; it can be boiled and poured into soup, or deep fried and poured into soup. It has become customary for people to drink wonton soup in winter. it has the filling of diced shrimp or pork inside it.

14. Sichuan Pork

A style of Chinese cuisine from Sichuan province, with a coating made from egg white and starch to preserve its freshness and tenderness, is boiled in broth. The meaty broth is a Sichuan cuisine featuring a peppery and spicy taste. Each piece of meat contains abundant juices with a fresh and fragrant spicy aroma. Examples are Kung Pao Chicken and Yuxiang shredded pork.

15. Twice-Cooked Pork Slices

 The Chinese name is huiguorou meaning “return-to-the-pot meat “it is said that this dish was created by a Chinese poet called Su Dongpo. Twice-cooked pork or double-cooked pork is one of the most famous Sichuan pork dishes, pork is boiled in a pot first, then cooked again with other ingredients, including broad bean paste(doubanjiang), fermented black soybeans(douchi), garlic, ginger, etc.

16. Zhanjiangmian

In Chinese, Zhanjiang means “fried sauce” while mian means “noodles” It is one of the most popular Shandong cuisine dishes. It is a thick wheat noodle dish topped with Zhanjiang sauce. The sauce is made by simmering pork or beef with salty fermented soybean paste.

17. Spring Rolls

It is made in two variants-vegetarian and non-vegetarian. In a former variant, these cylindrical-shaped rolls are stuffed with vegetables like cabbage, onion, ginger, and chili. The latter variant stuffed the rolls with vegetables and meat wrapped with refined flour. They are fried to add crispiness to the rolls.

18. Egg Noodles

It is made from dough that is extruded, stretched, rolled flat, and cut into a variety of shapes and sizes. It is found in many cultures. This dish is made by adding eggs to noodles, making it healthy as eggs contain a good amount of protein, which is required by the body. The egg noodles contain some vegetables like capsicum, cabbage, onion, and carrot and are tossed with some spices and chilies with added soy sauce.

19. Fried Shrimp And Cashews

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This dish is rich in nutrients because of the vegetables included in it, the dish is made by mixing soy sauce, wine, and sesame seeds in a medium bowl with added ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Broccoli, dry fruits like cashew nuts, green capsicum, and carrot.

20. Darsaan

It is a dish that is mainly served as dessert, its main content includes honey and noodles, so the sweet element of honey in the dish makes it a dessert. It is garnished with sesame seeds to add a good texture and flavor.