By Michael Hurwitz | Date: June 30th, 2014 | Category: Chinese food
It’s well-documented that the “Chinese” food we eat in the West is quite a bit different from what people in China actually eat.
That’s not to say that it’s not delightfully delicious in its own right (the newest restaurant trend in big Chinese cities, in fact, is “American-style” Chinese food), but people traveling to China are often shocked by how different the food is from what they were expecting.
It leads to some funny culture clashes, as well: I was out to dinner with a group from my university Chinese course here, including our teacher, who was around 21 or so. When she complimented me on my chopstick skills, I had to tell her that I’d literally been using chopsticks since before she was born (though, to be fair, probably not as often as her).
Anyway, I’m going to somewhat arbitrarily come down on one side of the debate and say that authentic, China Chinese food is the superior variety.
As such, I proudly present you the top ten super authentic, can’t-really-get-them-in-America Chinese dishes. The whole Judaism thing prevents me from personally enjoying some of these but I have it on good authority that they’re delicious nonetheless!
Sichuan Dry Fried Green Beans, Gān biān sì jì dòu (干煸四季豆)
Also known as “runner beans,” this fried dish has an amazing texture and is particularly customizable in terms of the number of hot peppers involved.
You can find it or a close variation at nearly any restaurant in China. While it’s originally a Sichuan dish, it’s common everywhere these days.
The unique flavor and texture comes from the fact that it’s cooked with very little oil - known as “dry-frying,” hence the gān (干). That means the beans come out dehydrated and crumbly and sneakily delicious.
The real “Sweet and Sour Pork”, Gū lǎo ròu (咕咾肉) Sweet and Sour Pork is a common Chinese-American dish, but this version is what people in China actually eat.
Gū lǎo ròu (咕咾肉) is a classic Shanghainese dishes that differs from its Western counterpart mainly because of the sauce, which has more of a fruity flavor characteristic of some Shanghainese recipes.
It’s common to include big chunks of pineapple, bō luó (菠萝) to enhance the fruitiness.
Here’s a great authentic recipe if you’re interested in trying it out for yourself.
Double Pepper Fish Head, Shuāng jiāo yú tóu (双椒鱼头)
I really have no idea what this would be called in English. It’s basically a fish head split in two, with each half crammed full of a different kind of peppers.
It looks like a taco gone horribly wrong, but it’s actually really good if you can get over the whole fishbone issue.
It’s one of the best-known Hunan dishes but can be hard to find in the West, perhaps because of the relatively unappealing appearance of the split fish head?
Regardless, it’s a pile of salty fishy deliciousness that is not to be missed.
Fish-smelling Eggplant, Yú xiāng qié zi (鱼香茄子)
One of my personal favorites I’m not exactly sure of the English name, but the literal translation is “fish fragrant eggplant.”
Yú xiāng qié zi (鱼香茄子) is another particularly flexible dish that has a million variations, but the basics are: fried eggplant, garlic, green onions, cōng (葱) and an oily, spicy, vinegary sauce that’s to die for.
The idea behind it is to capture classic Sichuan fish sauces (why a landlocked province is famous for its fish dishes is beyond me) and apply it to eggplant, and it’s something you can find at just about any decent restaurant in China.
Authentic Chinese food utilizes eggplant so, so, so much better than we do in the West!
Lamb and Bread Soup, Yáng ròu pào mó (羊肉泡馍)
Yáng ròu pào mó (羊肉泡馍) is basically a thick lamb soup, served with this amazing flatbread that’s often just tossed wholesale into the soup itself.
It’s a traditional dish in Western China, particularly Shaanxi province, but thanks to lā miàn (拉面) restaurants it’s available in every Chinese city.
The soup is almost like a gravy in terms of texture, and I often find myself asking for extra bread, which is usually just 1-2rmb.
It’s chock full of that irresistible cumin-y, Western Chinese flavor, so if you’re at all into non-Sichuan or Hunan styles of Chinese food, Yáng ròu pào mó (羊肉泡馍) will quickly become a favorite.
Fried Eggs and Tomatoes, Fān qíe chǎo dàn (番茄炒蛋)
The saving grace of every vegetarian in China, Fān qíe chǎo dàn (番茄炒蛋) is as simple as it sounds: fried eggs (usually scrambled, though not necessarily) and chopped, sauteed tomatoes.
Most places will add some vinegar or even green onions, as well, and a dash of salt is pretty de rigeur.
The great thing about fān qíe chǎo dàn (番茄炒蛋) is that it’s so simple that it can be used as a component in other dishes. You can put it over noodles, add any number of vegetables to it (personal favorite: broccoli) or even as the flavoring for a soup.
I’ve been told that it’s sort of the Chinese equivalent of grilled cheese - really easy to make, tasty comfort food enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
Chinese burger, Ròu jiā mó (肉夹馍)
This is another classic Shaanxi dish, though you’ll see it as street food almost everywhere in China these days.
It’s basically diced meat, usually pork, lamb or chicken, cooked with a heap of oil, spices and peppers and served in a flatbread, pita-like pocket.
The bread is the same mó (馍) you’ll find in the yáng ròu pào mó (羊肉泡馍) above, but usually steamed somewhat to make it a bit softer.
The trick is that they stew the meat for hours and hours, and everyone has their special blend of spices and sauces they use to get the flavor just right.
My favorite part of ròu jiā mó (肉夹馍), though, is that expats have nicknamed it “the Roger Moore” because of the similar pronunciations. I’m not sure who came up with this ingenious name but the earliest reference I could find is this one from 2009.
Fried Soup Baozi, Shēng jiān bāo (生煎包)
Shēng jiān bāo (生煎包) are a legendary Shanghai specialty, and can be found on just about every street corner and small restaurant in the city.
It’s actually got even more Shanghai street cred than its more famous cousin, 小笼包 (xiǎo lóng bāo) because it’s been a city mainstay since the Great Depression when they were served alongside tea and dim sum as a cheap but tasty breakfast option that both locals and Concession-era foreigners could enjoy.
Shēng jiān bāo (生煎包) is about as simple as fried dumplings get, except that along with the pork filling, a bit of gelatin is often added in there. When cooked, the gelatin melts into a rich, savory soup, making each bite a deliciously moist combination of pork filling and fried dumpling skin.
Curry Beef, Gā lí niú ròu (咖喱牛肉)
Now, I recognize that this is an odd choice because curry, of course, isn’t really even Chinese. BUT, bear with me, because when done right, this dish is off-the-chain tasty.
It’s really just a turmeric-heavy curry sauce with some lightly fried beef and potatoes, and it’s tricky because most places don’t get the combination of spices right.
We often forget that India and China share a border and have a not-insubstantial amount of influence on each other, including cuisines.
What’s interesting here, as well, is the fact that most of the time when you find gā lí niú ròu (咖喱牛肉) in China it’s at Japanese curry restaurants, including the popular Coco Curry chain, which seems to have a location in every mall in China and has the simple but effective slogan, “Good Smell, Good Curry.”
So essentially you’ve got Indian food filtered through a Japanese lens served Chinese-style!
Three Fresh Delicacies, Dì sān xiān (地三鲜)
This classic Northeastern Chinese dish consists of potato,
eggplant, and green papers, and is widely available but never quite the same: every region, city and even restaurant has their own combination of spices or proportions to make dì sān xiān (地三鲜) all its own.
It’s an interesting dish linguistically, as well. sān xiān (三鲜) refers to the “three fresh delicacies,” or more accurately, categories of delicacies:
"Tree delicacies", shùsānxiān (树三鲜), "water delicacies", shǔisānxiān (水三鲜) and, you guessed it, "earth delicacies", dì sān xiān (地三鲜), here literally meaning “earth delicacies”).
These are categorizations used in dishes that combine different categories of food, but interestingly, dì sān xiān (地三鲜) doesn’t feature any seafood or water delicacies. What’s the deal? Who cares when it’s this delicious!
So those are the dishes that I think are the most authentically Chinese I've come across after having spent so much time here. Have you tried any of these dishes yourself?
What are some of your favorite dì dao (地道), authentic Chinese dishes? Let us know in the comments below!
By Michael Hurwitz | Date: October 29th, 2013 | Category: Chinese Culture
One of my favorite parts of living in China is the delicious, diverse, and preposterously cheap array of food available. Growing up in the US, I never considered the many different types of Chinese food that existed; in the states we tend to get a mix of Sichuan/Hunan/Cantonese (四川 / 湖南 / 粤) cuisine, adapted for Western tastes, that just gets branded as “Chinese food.”
There is, however, a pretty wide variety of food that falls under the umbrella of Chinese cuisine, from hearty Dongbei (东北, northeastern China) dishes to the Middle Eastern-infused flavors from the far northwestern Xinjiang (新疆) province (kung pao lamb with falafel makes me weak in the knees).
American Chinese food is actually something of a curiosity to many Chinese people, who sometimes have a hard time believing that Westerners can use things like chopsticks correctly. I was at a dinner last summer with one of my university language instructors six years my junior when seemed astonished by my ability to use chopsticks. I then pointed out that I have been using them since before she was born!
As you may have heard there are some, shall we say, unorthodox food options on Chinese menus that you might want to avoid – I’m talking stuff like chicken feet, pig brains, all kinds of tongues, etc. If you’re into that stuff, more power to you, but if, like me, your food adventurism doesn’t go much further than bullfrog (delicious but still kind of weird if you over-think it while eating), we're here to help you keep an eye out:
1. yànwō (燕窝) – bird's nest (usually in soup or congee). This is a very expensive delicacy in some parts of China as well as in Hong Kong and Chinatowns around the world, in which bird's nests are dissolved into water which is then used as broth or added to mixes for other foods. Traditional Chinese medical beliefs hold that yànwō, made primarily from the saliva of the birds, aids in digestion and boosts the immune system, which better be worth it, as some types of nests can fetch up to US$10,000 a kilogram.
2. fèngzhǎo (凤爪), or chicken feet. They are pretty common these days; I'm not a fan but if I was, it'd be easy, as they're available literally everywhere: the wet market (fresh meat/produce markets common throughout Asia) on my block has at least four stands that sell them, andthey're commonly given out for free at bars and restaurants, much as peanuts are in the US. Often soaked in vinegar and fried or steamed, they're also sold vacuum-packed in convenience stores. Worth trying once, though the texture is hard to get used to!
3. xiēzi (蝎子) – scorpion (usually fried, on a stick). I saw these once at a street food stall in Wuhan and I did a double-take: at first I thought they were just plastic toy scorpions! Traditional Chinese medicine values scorpions and scorpion parts for ability to treat skin conditions, cure infections and even prevent mosquito bites, and they're actually a pretty common street-side snack in parts of China. Sometimes they're not even fried, they're just on a stick there for you to eat.
Full disclosure: I think scorpions are awesome and may or may not have gotten a tattoo of one on my back when I was 18 but it would take a lot of convincing for me to eat one of these bad boys. My more adventurous friends, thought say they have a chicken-like flavor and, obviously, a crunchy texture!
4. mìfēng (蜜蜂) – honeybees (fried). I've seen them on occasion here in Shanghai but they're much more common down in Yunnan (云南) Province in southwestern China, whererestaurants will sometimes feature a big bowl of fried bees as an appetizer. Known for their sweet taste and crunchy texture, bees are another thing I will probably never try but I'm told they're quite tasty as a snack.
5. chòu dòufu (臭豆腐) - “stinky tofu”. Common more or less throughout China, this dish certainly lives up to its name. Stinky tofu (that is indeed the literal translation) is fermented in a brine that varies from region to region, but can feature anything from shrimp to bamboo to goat milk. Westerners often compare it to blue cheese in that it has a strong odor but also a powerful taste; it’s an acquired taste, but is actually a very tasty dish if properly prepared.
By Michael Hurwitz | Date: November 29th, 2013 | Category: Chinese Culture
American fast food brands have made a big impact here in China, and nearly every city features at least one KFC or McDonald's; bigger cities, in fact, are practically littered with American fast food outlets (my block has 2 Starbucks', and McDonald's delivery drivers are ubiquitous on the Shanghai streets). While the menus are generally pared-down versions of their American counterparts, there are some crazy foods available that adapt American cuisine to a Chinese audience and tend to come out...a bit strange. Here are my 5 favorites!
[Disclaimer: they're not my favorite in the sense that I enjoy eating them, but rather in that I find them hilarious or interesting]
1. McDonald's Shrimp Patty Burger
McDonald's in China features all the standard favorites like Big Macs and Chicken McNuggets (not to mention the fact that they deliver 24 hours a day...it's so glorious there's even a song about it), but also some seriously localized items. Foremost among these is the Shrimp Patty Burger, which is mashed shrimp meat pressed into a patty and served on a burger bun. I'm told it's actually not that bad, and has a unique zing to it...but it’s a bit tough to get over the concept of it! They aren’t available in every McDonald’s, though I see it from time to time here in Shanghai and it was featured prominently on the menu of the McD’s I went to in Sanya, Hainan.
2. KFC Cold Corn Cups
KFC is enormously popular in China, a country known for its chicken proclivity. Almost every office party or gathering I’ve been to has featured various KFC products as the food offerings, and there’s one in every last shopping mall and train station in China, it seems. Their menu is actually pretty similar to that of the US outlets, with a couple exceptions, most notably the cold corn cups. This is a side dish that, while not particularly odd, is pointlessly bland and unappetizing. I mean, for real guys, corn cups? Not even on the cob? and cold?
It comes in a lot of forms, including a milky soup-like side dish/dessert.
3. Pizza Hut Beefsteak Pizza
It’s worth noting that Pizza Hut in China has little in common with American Pizza Hut; it’s much more upmarket, and is considered a good mid-price sit-down restaurant, though it’s still located mostly in malls and other retail plazas. The menu item I found strangest was the Texas beefsteak pizza, a personal-sized pizza covered in very tough, oddly spiced bits of steak. I’ve gotta be honest, it’s actually pretty good! Something about the flavor and texture of their “steak” works well with pizza, somehow. I’ve heard rumors of escargot pizza at Pizza Huts in smaller cities, but I’ve never personally seen it.
[note: comically, their “Chicago-style” pizza is deep dish, but it features deep, thick dough rather than thick sauce and cheese. As any proud Chicagoan would tell you, that’s not Chicago-style pizza!]
4. Dunkin Donuts Dry Pork and Seaweed Donut
I randomly came upon this one day last year and did a bit of a double take, if only because everything else on offer seemed pretty normal. Also, it’s THREE bizarre things that I’d never think to put on a donut:
seaweed (if I don’t want it touching my foot underwater, I don’t want to dip it in my coffee)
pork (I don’t eat pork personally but would it really go well on a sweet dessert?)
DRY pork (“hey guys, let’s take this meat and dehydrate it until it’ll taste good on a donut...somehow”)
I dared my girlfriend to try it, but she opted for the adjacent but much lamer and less adventurous Oreo donuts.
5. McDonald's Taro Pie
A staple of every desperate, tipsy man’s 4:00 AM McDonald’s delivery order, the taro pie is actually a pretty tasty dessert treat, though it’s something of an acquired taste. It’s just like a McDonald’s apple pie you’d find in the States, but instead of sweet apple filling, it contains sweet taro, a potato-like vegetable that’s a staple food in much of East Asia. It’s kind of purple and the McDonald’s version is sweetened a bit too much, but it’s a nice way to top off a meal you’re going to regret eating anyway! Not sure if it’s available in the US but Chinese McDonald’s outlets also have pineapple pies, which are magnificent.
6. Starbucks Red Bean Frappucino with Green Tea
Red bean (红豆, hóngdòu) is a common ingredient in Chinese adaptations of Western food, especially inexpensive pastries - many a time I’ve reached for a chocolate roll in a convenience store only to find that’s it’s filled with a slightly sweet red bean taste instead. Starbucks takes it to a whole other level, though, with a blended red bean and green tea frappucino. Like most people I love a good frappucino on a hot summer day, but this was pretty disappointing. I think the problem derives from how the red bean has a very paste-like consistency that you can taste remnants of even after blending, as well as the fact that red bean paste just isn’t very good to begin with, in my opinion.
Since I am back in Shanghai I have fallen into my old addictions. China has tons of great food. But you don’t always have to go to the twenty dishes banquets in one of Shanghai’s fancy restaurants. In the spirit of real local lifestyle, you have to try these five most delicious street foods.
Xiaolongbao 小笼包 (soup dumpling)
This little dumpling, filled with ground pork and a steaming hot broth, are maybe the most popular steamed dumpling in Shanghai.
They are traditionally steamed in bamboo baskets, but as you can see on the picture, in fancy restaurants they also come on plates (sometimes even filled with crab meat, instead of the traditional pork filling). You can get them in nearly every corner of Shanghai. You shouldn’t miss it!
Here’s a fun explanation on how to eat this soup dumpling :)
Shengjianbao 生煎包
These crispy – bottomed dumplings are filled with pork and broth, pan-fried, and garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
I have to admit, I had them nearly every night since I arrived in Shanghai. You kind find shop selling them everywhere in Shanghai.
If you live near People’s Square 人民广场, come over to Fengyang Road 凤阳路, a street behind People’s Square Metro exit No. 9. Here you can get all kinds of street food 24/7 and I recommend the Shengjiaobao dealer in the middle of the street. Four Shengjiaobao cost 6RMB nowadays.
Jianbing 煎饼
This is a traditional breakfast crepe, but you can also get them in the evening. The crepe made from mung bean flour is topped with an egg, chopped pickled greens, scallions and coriander. When the crepe is golden brown, the cook will also smear a sweet sauce made from red bean paste and hoisin sauce. If you don’t like it to spicy, tell him/her to leave out the chili sauce. The final and most important ingredient is a fried wonton skin or dough (youtiao 油条, see below). I recommend the fried wonton skin though.
If you work in Pudong, you can find vendors selling Jianbing in the morning and in the evening at nearly every important metro exit (line 2), like Zhangjiang Gaoke 张江高科 or Century Avenue 世纪大道. It’s perfect to start a long working day, or finish one off.
Youtiao 油条 (fried dough stick) and doujiang 豆浆 (soy milk)
While in Germany we drink coffee and eat buns for breakfast, here in Shanghai, I usually get steaming hot soy milk and a freshly fried dough stick for take away.
The deep-fried, golden-brown dough isn’t sweet, so it is perfect to combine with some congee.
The soy milk can be served sweet, with added sugar, or savory.
I recommend the sweet version. You’ll find youtiao where ever they sell buns, dumplings or other things are being fried in the morning.
Chuaner 串儿 (skewers)
One of my favourite midnight snack. Traditionally the chuaner, or skewer, originated in Xinjiang province, home to a predominately Muslim community.
At many places you find solely lamb skewers, but they also come with chicken, beef, seafood or vegetarian versions with eggplants or my favourite pak choi.
Usually you find skewer stands close to night clubs or other crowded nightlife places. Just follow the smell of freshly barbecued lamb, chicken and beef meat. Very easy to find.
There are so many more delicious street foods you can try. Those are just the most popular ones I have been addicted to recently. But one cautious note on the side: If you go for street food and have a sensitive tummy, try to avoid the really dirty looking street stands. Or if possible ask some friends or even locals about specific locations. Especially if it comes to skewers, I am not going into detail, so not to ruin the fun of eating delicious lamb skewers, but no matter, how hungry you are, always go to the street vendor you know and trust.
A great selection of different skewers
Fried dough stick and warm soy milk for breakfast
Jianbing – I always leave out scallions and coriander, because I don’t really like it.
Four Shengjianbao cost 6RMB
That is, however, the joy of the term "xī cān (西餐)" and its nonchalant embodiment of pretty much everything edible west of India.
'Sour Fish Ball Crisps'. 'Sweet Cheese-on-Toast'. 'Peking Duck Pizza'. These are just some of the amazing things that happen when thousands of years of Chinese culinary history collides with the often misunderstood concept of 'Western Food'.
As China opens up to Western markets, so too has the Chinese nation's appetite for exotic foreign cuisine expanded into a multi-billion dollar industry.
Usual suspects, McDonald's and KFC were two of the first on the scene, opening their first branches in the late 80's and spreading across the country ever since.
The vast financial power and marketing campaigns of these industry giants helped to shape the idea in China that Americans wouldn't eat anything unless it's pressed between two pieces of bread or deep fried.
This uncontested assumption lasted until European staples like pizza and pasta entered public consciousness, broadening the considered scope of the Western palate to something less akin to that of a caveman and more akin to that of a student.
"xī cān (西餐)" menus pay homage to some of the finest transliterations in the Chinese language. Some of my favorites are listed below.
• Pizza – bǐ sà (比萨)
• Salad – shā lā (沙拉)
• Pasta / Spaghetti – yì dà lì miàn (意大利面), or literally, 'Italian noodles'
• Hamburger – hànbǎo(bāo) (汉堡(包))
• Sandwich – sān míng zhì / sān wén zhì (三明治 / 三文治)
• Baguette – fǎ gùn (法棍), or literally, 'French rod'
Expect to find měi shì (美式) "American style" and fǎ shì (法式) "French style" aplenty.
"xī cān (西餐)" offerings can broadly be separated into two categories: Chinese owned for Chinese tastes and foreign owned for Chinese tastes.
Historically, brands that have attempted to enter the Chinese market with authentic foreign recipes have been largely unsuccessful.
Oreo, now a widely available and popular biscuit in China, was once deemed an utter failure on the Chinese market until manufacturers reduced the sugar content to better suit local tastes.
Whilst many companies have learned this lesson the hard way, others have retaliated by adapting their own produce accordingly.
Pizza Hut is a great example of a Western chain that has changed both its brand image and menu to succeed in the Chinese market. Current offerings include items like the following:
• fǎ shì xiān měi xīa zhī shì qiān céng miàn (法式鲜美虾芝士千层面), French shrimp cheese lasagne
• fǎ shì nán gūa xiān měi xīa tāng (法式南瓜鲜美吓汤), French pumpkin & shrimp soup
These dishes are a veritable delight to young urban Chinese professionals, but are perhaps not to Western tastes.
KFC's mashed potatoes not your jam? How about a nice steaming cup of congee?
While savvy foreign companies have profited, Chinese owned, Western style establishments can be found across China serving an equally odd array of fusion cuisine.
Stylised 'bakeries' are perhaps the most popular, in which the aesthetics of Western food meet the demanding Chinese palate. Here, products are made to look like foreign goods whilst maintaining a level of Chineseness which allows them to proliferate.
Dried pork floss and seaweed on bread
As marketing men attempt to marry the romance of Western culture with the realities of a Chinese diet, the definition of Western food becomes less and less clear.
In more recent years, entrepreneurs have begun to put international talent on the ground, with China now hosting many Western chefs producing genuine Western style cuisine in major hotels and restaurants.
In the larger cities, there are movements to bring genuine, quality foreign food to China. Trendy cafes and doting critics have ensured that Western food retains its cultural status as both a food of luxury and decadence.
As palates gradually grow to accept foreign flavors in their purer forms, so too have eating habits changed in cities like Beijing and Shanghai where, these days, you're much more likely to see someone sipping a morning "měi shì kā fēi (美式咖啡)", American Style Coffee, than a hot "dòu jiāng (豆浆)", soy milk.
However unpalatable many "xī cān (西餐)" culinary creations may appear, are they really any more bastardised than unidentified 'Chinese sauce' poured over fries or 'Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls' that can be bought in microwaveable bags?
As far from the mark as the Chinese idea of "xī cān (西餐)" may sometimes be, Western appropriation of China's vast and distinguished cuisine can be equally misguided.
As long as we don't take our cuisines too seriously, it can be great to see another culture develop it with a new perspective and appreciation.
And, you know what, Peking Duck Pizza is actually pretty damn good
.