Looking for something different from your usual favourite Chinese dish? These top ten rated plates are what puts the universal appeal into traditional Chinese cuisine.
New to Chinese food or a longtime fan hunting for something tasty to try, you will find these dishes represent a delightful cross-section of fine, rich flavours.
Chinese people eat a diet high in rice and noodles. In fact, rice is present for most meals, much the way westerners might eat potatoes. Rice and noodles are always accompanied by a set of individually discernible, incredible flavours.
What does Chinese food consist of?
Chinese food is always fresh. Ingredients are sought out daily through markets, fishing folk, and farmers. This way, Chinese cuisine is only ever authentically fresh. Meals focus heavily on seafood, duck, and pork as main meats. Every meal served will be piping hot and freshly made.
The Chinese diet depends on fresh vegetables, preserved eggs, and soy produce such as tofu. Sweet foods are not common items as they are in the west. Instead, the Chinese favour tasty fruits for sweets, leading to a huge market in perfectly shaped and presented fruits.
Do you want to try some authentic, traditional Chinese food? These top ten dishes are worth the taste.
1. Dim Sum
Dim sum refers to a meal, rather than a single dish. This meal consists of small plates of dumplings with different fillings, served with a mix of rice and vegetables. Dumplings can have a meat or a vegetarian filling. Dim sum is ideal at lunchtime and for those sharing a family meal.
2. Bao Buns
Bao buns, also called steamed buns, are a Chinese treat. This dish can be sweet or savoury, often depending on the filling. These buns are made of a soft, spongey, slightly sweet dough. Similar to dumplings, fillings include red bean paste, duck, pork, pak choi, and other vegetables.
3. Spicy King Prawn
A Chinese-style spicy king prawn dish can come with either rice or noodles. This dish mixes the full, rich heat of spicy bean paste and freshly caught king prawns. King prawns earn their name from being larger than normal prawns, locking in more of that juicy seafood flavour. Add the freshness of Szechuan peppers and you get a sour, salty, spicy masterpiece.
4. Sanpei Chicken
Sanpei chicken is a delightful dish which meets you on multiple senses. Chinese restaurants start with fresh chicken breast, then stir-fry it with leeks, herbs, spices, and other green vegetables. The dish traditionally arrives on a piping hot skillet, sizzling as it comes to the table. Be careful not to touch the plate!
5. Wagyu Steak
Could there be a finer dish to try than a wagyu steak? Everyone should take the tasting opportunity at least once in their lives. Wagyu are traditionally reared Japanese cattle which were reserved as the best of the best. The cattle are treated wonderfully, with massages, fresh grasses, and regular exercise. As a result, the wagyu steak has its fats marbled throughout, rather than what you might see with a sirloin or western cattle cutlets. It is to die for.
6. Honeyed Pork
With the western world finally waking up to the delicacy of pulled pork, honeyed pork was bound to make an appearance as a star Chinese dish you should try. Think of the soft, tenderised ham, sticky with a honey glaze. Delicious.
7. Chinese Soup Dumplings
Although bao buns and dim sum are fantastic dishes, you should not neglect the opulent tastes of the Chinese soup bun. A type of baozi, these steamed buns come in a bamboo basket. Also known as xiaolongbao, these buns are filled with a delicious broth. Bite the top off, drink the soup, and then eat the bun. Ideal.
8. Hunan Sea Bass
Hunan sea bass uses black sea bass, often freshly caught in native waters. The fish is steamed to texture-perfection, then served with a blend of flowering garlic and fermented chillis. This makes for a pleasantly spicy fish dish which falls apart in your mouth.
9. Shanghai Pork
Shanghai-style glazed pork is a true Chinese favourite. Described as a pinnacle of Chinese cuisine, this dish features pork chops tenderised to perfection. The pork is dipped in egg, fried quickly, and braised in sweet soy. This creates a sticky exterior and a melt-in-the-mouth texture.
10. Black Truffle Roast Duck
The recipe chef Tong Chee Hwee made famous pairs roasted duck with a rich, velvety, sumptuous black truffle sauce. Over the generations, the recipe leaked out. Now you can try it for yourself. This dish features a soft, tender duck in a nutty, earthy mushroom sauce. Finish with rice or noodles and enjoy the taste explosion.
Enjoy A La Carte with Lulu Wild
If you are looking for somewhere to taste these delectable Chinese treats, Lulu Wild is one of Birmingham’s leading high quality Chinese restaurants, serving traditional, authentic Chinese dishes no matter what you choose to order.
