25 Most Popular Chinese Dishes You Need To Try
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
Chinese food is noted for its color, fragrance, flavor, purposes, and appearance. As a huge country, Chinese cuisine is separated according to cooking techniques and religious taste into eight categories, Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Hunan cuisine, and more.
Here are the 25 most popular Chinese dishes you need to try to experience the ultimate satisfaction of your cravings with these masterpieces of culinary finesse that captivate the senses.
1. Peking Roasted Duck
One of the best-known Chinese dishes, Peking Roasted Duck, is a popular and must-taste dish in Beijing. This dish is savored for its crispy and thin skin and served with sweet bean sauce and pancakes.
It is usually grazed with ginger, oil, hoisin sauce, honey, and rice vinegar, vertically hung, and slowly burned. Thinly-sliced, delicate, roasted duck meat so aromatic that this fine Chinese cuisine will transport you back to China.
2. Xiao Long Bao
This popular XL Soup Dumpling, Xiao Long Bao, known as a soupy bun, is a small Chinese steamed dumpling that includes pork filling and flavorful soup wrapped in a thin folded dough.
This tempting and dreamy snack is a popular food from the Jiangnan region that prepares your taste buds for a delectable experience with a delicate skin and tasty soupy filling.
3. Dim Sum
One of the finest Chinese dishes, Dim Sum, includes a variety of small dishes in one palate. It consists of delicious rolls, dumplings, cakes, meat, dessert, seafood, and vegetable preparations.
Today, there are more than one thousand dim sum dishes. Enjoy a feast of flavors with this delicious spread of dim sum dishes during breakfast, lunch, and perfect for social gatherings.
4. Sweet And Sour Pork
This appetizing and tantalizing Sweet and Sour Pork delicacy boasts delicate pieces of succulent pork, expertly marinated and tossed in a sweet, zesty sauce.
The dish is represented by its exceptional balance of sweet and tangy notes, creating a tantalizing dance of flavors on your palate. You can enjoy this tender pork wrapped in a sweet and tangy sauce for dinner and lunch, served over a bed of steaming white rice.
5. Kung Pao Chicken
Sichuan cuisine's classic dish Kung Pao Chicken is a flavorful stir-fried chicken dish with the perfect balance of salty, sweet, spicy, and savory flavors. It mixes delicate chunks of marinated chicken, bell peppers, and onions in a mouthwatering sweet and spicy sauce.
You can get the ultimate stir-fried experience as you get all your favorite tastes in one popping dish that leaves you licking your plate.
6. Chow Mein
This staple noodle dish Chow Mein is a popular Cantonese cuisine invented in Jiangsu Province by Shan Gu. This stir-fired food includes noodles and your desired flavourful ingredients like mushrooms, varieties of meets, onions, and cabbage.
There are different methods to cook these noodles for a delightful and delicious taste with various ranges of toppings.
7. Spring Rolls
Spring Rolls are a favorite among Asian countries. It is a super light, crispy, and delicate vegetarian appetizer, where the pasty thinnest sheet is packed with the greatest filling, seasoned vegetables, or sometimes eggs or meat, rolled and deep-fried.
They are crispy and yummy, easy to make, and perfect as snacks that you can dip into sweet chili sauce.
8. Hot Pot
One of the most popular dishes in China is Hot Pot, mostly favored in winter when people gather. They cook in and eat from the tasty pot of broth in the middle of the dining table with varieties of food around.
However, the taste depends upon the combination of elements included in the soup stock. It is not only perfect for lunch or dinner but also for social gatherings.
9. Ma Po Tofu
Get the classic bold tastes of Sichuan in one pot with this favored Chinese dish, Mapo tofu, and sink into the delightful combination of silky tofu and tangy pork with a spicy kick.
This food combines beancurd with minced meat in a spicy sauce created from fermented broad bean & chili paste and fermented 'black' beans. This healthy and tasty dish is perfect with rice and even plain noodles.
10. Wonton Soup
As a spin on a classic soup, Wontons is a sort of Chinese dumpling covered in a much thin dough with fewer fillings.
This simple, bright, and yummy dish is loaded with juicy minced pork or chopped shrimp. It is sometimes boiled and served in a broth or sometimes deep-fried.
11. Char Siu
This classic BBQ food Char Siu, aka Roasted pork, is barbecued pork well familiar in any Chinese cuisine.
This comforting food in Cantonese cooking is so juicy, tender, and full of savor, skewed and flavored using some sweetener and spices, then stabbed with long forks and placed over a fire. This dish is perfect for serving with rice or noodles.
12. Fried Rice
One of the most common Chinese food, Fired Rice, is part of combination meals in any Chinese takeout restaurant. It is created from fried cooked rice and other nutritional elements like vegetables, eggs, or meat.
This versatile and appetizing dish is an easy way to utilize the leftover rice and other high-quality ingredients bursting with flavor, perfect for your meal preparation.
13. Sichuan Pork
Experience the ideal harmony of bold tastes and comforting textures in this culinary masterpiece, Sichuan Prok. A popular Sichuan cuisine dish combines the ultimate sweet and savory taste perfect for spicy lovers.
It contains pork coated with egg white and starch, providing a refreshing and cooling contrast, and the meaty broth highlights the spicy flavor.
14. Zhajiangmian
This famous Chinese dish Zha Jiang Mian makes people instantly think of Beijing. This signature Bejing dish is noodles served with fired bean sauce.
It includes thick wheat noodles, soybeans, and pork, topped with Zhejiang, a delicious soybean-based sauce. It is full of flavor and freshness.
15. Tang Yuan
Tang Yuan or yuan xiao is a glutinous rice ball typically filled with different fillings. The packings are usually sweet, such as sesame seeds, peanuts, bean paste, or any combination of two or more components.
Chinese people eat this ball-shaped traditional dish during Lantern Festival as it is a way for them to wish the best for their families and future lives. They believed their round bowls represent wholeness and togetherness.
16. Jianbing
Jianbing is a popular street snack and breakfast sold across China. It is a very thin crepe with your choice of mouthwatering fillings like eggs, bean curd, and vegetables.
The street vendor adds a crisp cracker for crunch. It's tucked into a pocket shape that you can carry and eat as you walk, so it's great for a meal on the go.
17. Douhua
Douhua is an iconic Chinese dessert or savory snack known as doufuhua, tofu pudding, or soybean pudding, found in various flavor in nations. It is made with very tender tofu completing a fluffy indulgence adored by countless palates.
This dish combines gravy sauce, mushrooms, and eggs to create a tasteful delight in northern China. In contrast, the southern people preferred the soft tofu filled with sweetness.
18. Rou Jia Mo
This Chinese favorite street food Rou Jia Mo, a Chinese burger, is a Chinese pulled meat bun originating from the cuisine of Shaanxi Province.
This dish has a unique taste that features a two-element bun and fillings, where the buns are dry, crisp, and aromatic, packed with tender, juicy meat stuffing, which is not greasy, often cooked in seasonings like cloves, ginger, and star anise.
19. Shizi Tou
Shi Zi Tou, also known as Lion's Head Meatball, represents the Chinese guardian lion. There are two staple sorts of this dish, one is slow-cooked in broth with Chinese Long Cabbage for sweetness, while another is red-cooked or braised in soy sauce till they become delicate and delectable.
Although this dish can be consumed at any time of the year, it is frequently served as a celebration food.
20. Cheong Fun
Cheong Fun is a Chinese steamed rice noodle roll. This light and easy-to-digest food is consumed plain or ducked in a sauce mixed with sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and rock sugar.
It is also loaded with different varieties of meat fillings. This authentic and delicious recipe served as a snack or a small meal makes you crave more.
21. Youtiao
This beloved breakfast in China, Youtiao or Cakwe, is a fried dough popular all over Asia. This golden-brown delight retains a special spot in the hearts of many, representing ease, connection, and the simple joy of savoring moments conveyed over delicious treats.
Milk & youtiao, coffee & youtiao is a common breakfast combination. It's a simple yet delightful pairing where the barely sweet and crispy texture of the youtiao complements the taste of milk and coffee.
22. Zongzi
If you want to bring a real taste of China, dive into a unique food that adds a twist to your daily menu. Zongi, known as glutinous rice dumplings, is a traditional Chinese food enjoyed during the Dragon Boat Festivals.
The rice is mixed with different fillings like egg yolks, meat, beans, or sweets. The magic of this dish lies not only in its savor but also in the story it tells, as it holds rich history and civilization.
23. Stinky Tofu
This Chinese form of fermented bean curd Stinky Tofu has a strong odor. This dish is available as a snack, side dish, or lunch bar at roadside stands or night markets across China.
It is created from fermented milk, meat, and vegetables; tofu is soaked and marinated in brine for a few days to add fragrance.
24. Seasoned Steamed Eggplant
Chinese eggplant has different types used to make Seasoned Steamed Eggplant. When baked, boiled, or deep-fried, eggplants have a smooth, delicate texture topped with ginger, garlic, and scallions.
This delicious dish will tantalize your taste buds, and you can eat it with steamed rice for a complete meal.
25. Congee
The classic Chinese dish Congee is an ultimate comfort dish usually prepared from rice and sometimes substituted by other grains.
If you are looking for a comforting food that satisfies your body and soul, it's the perfect dish to swap with your chicken soup. You can have this dish plain or served with side dishes and ingredients like meat and fish.
Recent posts
Nutrition
Nutrition
Castor Oil Benefits For Your Health And Skin
Castor oil has been around longer than you have for terrific reasons! A good cash crop, castor seed is one of the most traded oil seeds in the world. The oil however is less heard in cooking, rather, it is more popular for its therapeutic and cosmeti...
Nutrition
20 Simple Post Workout Foods To Refuel
If you are a workoutaholic, you definitely know the importance of diet for effective post-workout recovery. A well-rounded food after a workout typically consists of a blend of carbohydrates, lean proteins, and adequate hydration, all of which suppor...
Nutrition
10 Calendula Health Benefits and Possible Side Effects
Commonly used in medicinal preparations in several medicine systems, calendula is an annual herb in the daisy family (Asteraceae) originating from southern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean area. It is suitable for borders, beds cut flower garden...
Nutrition
Benefits Of Kombucha Tea: 13 Reasons Why You Should Start Drinking It
Often termed as a "wonder drink" which can promote health in numerous ways, Kombucha tea has been gaining popularity over the recent years. To make the drink, bacteria, and yeast are used for fermentation which imparts essential nutrients to the drin...
Nutrition
13 Best Anti-Inflammatory Teas
Inflammation is a part of a body's response to injury or infection that protects the body by removing harmful stimuli and healing tissues. Acute inflammation helps protect you when you're sick or injured, but long-term chronic inflammation is though...
Nutrition
18 Best Teas For Balancing Hormones
Hormones play a very important role in controlling everything, ranging from moods to metabolism, yet achieving a balance can often feel like a burden. Luckily, nature offers a calming solution through the courtesy of tea. Mixing chamomile or peppermi...