Most Popular Chinese Dishes

The following are the 3 most popular dishes among foreigners and Chinese. These dishes are available in most large restaurants in China. For convenience ordering, we also give their Chinese names.

1. Hotpot

Hotpot (火锅 huǒguō) is a “dish” to tell apart real Chinese food lovers. If you really appreciate hotpot rather than just ordering fired rice, chow mein, and dim sum all the time, you are truly a Chinese cuisine fan!

The secret of whether a hotpot is good or not lies in the broth, in which all the meat slices and vegetables are cooked. Normally you get to choose your own broth flavor, such as mushroom, tomato, original, or spicy. But still, the flavor can be different according to the sauce you choose to go with the meat. There are hundreds of kinds: a classic one is peanut butter with smashed garlic and chopped onion dressed with sesame oil.

2. Sichuan Pork

Sichuan Pork, actually, poached spicy slices of pork (水煮肉片 shuǐzhǔ ròupiàn) is a famous Sichuan cuisine dish. Rather than cooking pork by stir-frying or deep-frying, which consumes lots of oil and can very easily overcook the pork, it is boiled in water with a coating made from egg-white and starch to preserve its freshness and tenderness. The meaty broth is typical Sichuan cuisine, featuring a peppery and spicy taste. When eating, you’ll find each piece of meat contains abundant juices with a fresh and fragrant spicy aroma.

3. Braised Pork in Gravy

Braised pork balls in gravy (四喜丸子 sì xǐ wánzi) are also known as “Chinese meatballs” (many of our clients call them this). If you like meatballs and spaghetti, you’ll probably appreciate Chinese meatballs as well. The super-smooth and flavory gravy is almost like a “drug sauce” keeping your taste buds wanting more and more. How many calories does it have? Trust me, you wouldn’t care at all!

Tip: We suggest that you only order this dish in a decent restaurant where the meat quality is guaranteed and the prescribed lean: fat pork ratio of 7:3 is achieved in each meat ball.

Sources:

Chinahighlights