Luosifen (螺蛳粉) is the rebel of Chinese noodle culture: a bowl of rice noodles from Liuzhou, in Guangxi, famous for a pungent, earthy aroma that divides diners before the first bite — and hooks them for life after. Fermented bamboo shoots give the broth its signature “fragrant” smell (locals insistContinue Reading
Xiaolongbao (小笼包) — Shanghai soup dumplings — are among the most beloved creations in Chinese cuisine: delicate, pleated parcels of paper-thin dough holding a savory pork filling and a burst of hot, gelatin-rich soup. The name translates to “small basket bun,” a nod to the bamboo steamers they are bornContinue Reading
Siu Yuk (脆皮烧肉) is the crown jewel of Cantonese siu mei — a slab of pork belly roasted until the skin erupts into crackling, golden blisters while the meat beneath stays juicy and impossibly tender. Served simply with a dab of mustard or hoisin, it is the dish Hong KongContinue Reading
Bo Bo Chicken (钵钵鸡) is the street-food soul of Leshan, the small Sichuan city that also gave the world Qiao Qiao Beef and sweet water noodles. Bite-size pieces of poached chicken and vegetables are skewered on bamboo sticks, then soaked in a chilled, heady broth of chili oil, Sichuan peppercorn,Continue Reading
Zhang Cha Duck (樟茶鸭) is Sichuan’s most elegant banquet dish — a whole duck that is first marinated, then steamed, then smoke-kissed over green tea leaves and camphor wood, and finally deep-fried until the skin turns burnished amber. The result is a crisp, lacquered bird with impossibly tender meat andContinue Reading
Mao Xue Wang (毛血旺) is the fiery soul of Chongqing hotpot culture — silky duck blood curd, tender beef tripe, and savory luncheon meat swimming in a crimson broth of fermented chili bean paste and chili oil, crowned with a cloud of numbing Sichuan peppercorn. It is the dish youContinue Reading