Do you want to level up from eating just chicken chow mein
to trying traditional Chinese dishes?
If so, stay tuned to learn how to pronounce these top 10 most symbolic Chines dishes
in Chinese properly!
大家好！我是 Everyday Easy Chinese的林老师。
And today, you'll be learning how to pronounce the names of these Chinese food dishes.
and this is for YOU!
Yes, YOU!
Who's currently travelling, studying or living in China.
because sometimes menus at restaurants in China
are only in Chinese
and if you can't read or write Chinese,
you might even be eating ......
Just joking because everyone these is so nice!
But it's always good to learn these food names.
so you can lead your friends and families in
ordering the food next time in China.
Before we start, remember to subscribe to our Youtube channel.
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Let's start.
Number 1. 饺子
When you first think of food in China, you are probably already thinking of dumplings.
And that is right.
Dumplings are widely eaten at Chinese festivals
and especially in the Northern region of China.
But there are so many different types of dumplings.
From pan fried dumplings,
to steamed dumplings,
to boiled dumplings.
Today, we'll learn how to say all the different types so you don't end up eating boiled dumplings only.
The first types of dumplings are boiled dumplings.
水饺
水饺 literally means water and dumpling.
So it literally means water dumpling.
These are dumplings that are boiled, and they often contain
meat, vegetables or a combination of both.
They are generally eaten in the Northern province where families gather during festivals,
to wrap them up individually and make them fresh at home.
The other type of dumpling is 锅贴。
锅贴
These are pot stickers.
So these are dumplings fried on one side,
so they remain crispy on the bottom
but they are softer on top.
You may have also heard of 生煎包。
生煎
which is a dumpling of the same cooking technique.
but they are in a round shape
and they are a Shanghainese specialty.
小笼包
These are also Shanghainese specialty dumplings
and these are steamed dumplings filled with hot soup or broth inside.
Be careful when you are eating it because you might burn your tongue.
I like to poke a hole in it and let the soup leak out onto my spoon.
And then let it cool down first before I eat it.
They are often filled with pork.
Another type of dumpling is 汤圆。
汤圆
These are gooey glutinous rice balls.
That are often eaten during the winter solstice or the lantern festival.
They are often filled with sweet things such as
Red bean
Sesame
or peanuts.
And they are often in hot soup, so they are not served on a plate.
They are served in a soup which is also normally sweet.
馄饨
These are known as Wontons in the western world
and they are dumplings that are often served in noodle soup.
Now moving onto the second dish,
葱油饼
Green onion pancake.
I love green onions.
This is a savory snack which originates from the Northern region of China aswell.
But can be found all over China.
It is a savory pancake which is made from flour and also green onion.
Number 3 - 炸酱面
炸酱面
This literally means fried sauce noodles.
And this is a confusing dish because from the name, you can't tell what it means or what it is.
This is a dish that also originates from the Northern provinces of China.
And it is made from
thick wheat noodles,
which is topped with a sauce that is made from simmering soybean paste.
And also ground pork or beef.
It is served with vegetables.
And sometimes with pickled vegetables such as cucumber and radish.
And if you are very familiar with Jjajangmyeon,
a Chinese inspired Korean dish.
Then you'll know exactly what this dish is.
Number 4 - 北京烤鸭
北京烤鸭
Peking Roast Duck
As you can tell from the name,
this is another dish that originates from the Northern province of China.
It is a whole roasted duck,
Roasted in fat that is not enough for it to be greasy,
but allows it to be crispy and tender.
Peking duck was one of the top things
on the menu back in the imperial court in ancient times.
And nowadays, it is one of the favorite foods of many people including my friends.
It is often eaten D.I.Y style where the duck meat is shredded
and it is eaten with pancakes.
You can even add in vegetables such as cucumber and spring onion to eat with it as well.
Number 5 - 辣子鸡
辣子鸡
Sichuan spicy chicken
Finally, one that originates from the South of China.
As you can tell, this dish originates from the Southern provinces of 重庆
and 四川。
Which is known for its spicy food.
It's basically pieces of deep fried chicken,
mixed with dried Sichuan chilli peppers
and also spicy paste.
It is often garnished with sesame seeds and also spring onion
So it is definitely a dish that you should go for if you like spicy food because it is really spicy.
Number 6 - 担担面
担担面
Dan Dan noodles or literally noodles on a pole.
This is another dish that originates from Sichuan.
I bet you can't tell from the name what this dish exactly is.
Dan Dan noodles are hand pulled noodles
that is mixed with minced pork that is seasoned.
And this is also mixed in with
chilli oil,
sesame paste and also mustard green.
It is a very affordable dish that can be found all over China
and this is actually where the name originates from
because Dan Dan is the pole that walking street vendors use to carry the noodles to sell on the streets.
And that it is why it is called Dan Dan noodles.
Number 7 - Mapo Tofu
麻婆豆腐
This literally means pock-marked grandmother's tofu
because apparently it was first sold by a granny with pocked marks in her face.
This is another dish that originates from Sichuan and it is a really spicy one.
Basically, it contains silky cubes of tofu
mixed with ground pork
green onions and also Sichuan peppercorns
which have a numbing effect on the mouth.
So try this if you are really into spicy food.
Number 8 - 龙须糖
龙须糖
This is a sweet candy that originates from the Anhui province.
It is very similar to cotton candy.
It's main ingredients are sugar, and lots of it.
And also peanuts, coconuts and syrup.
After kneading it, it turns into a doughy texture
and this is pulled and stretched to create strands of sweet goodness.
Number 9 - 皮蛋瘦肉粥
皮蛋瘦肉粥
Preserved egg and pork rice porridge.
This is one of my favorite dishes to eat when I am feeling ill
because it is a dish that goes down very easily.
Contrary to what my foreign friends think,
it is not like oat porridge,
firstly, it is not sweet.
and secondly, it is made from rice.
So normally it is savory.
And in this one you add in preserved egg and also pork
which adds flavor to the mildly flavored rice porridge.
It is a delicacy from the Guangzhou province which is from the south.
Number 10 - 火锅
火锅
Many countries have hot pots,
and this is something similar to a fondue.
In China, hot pot is a social activity,
where groups of families and friends gather together
and they basically eat from a large metal pot
Simmering with broth which can either be mild or spicy.
You can even have your own compartments as well.
So you can have different types of broth in each one.
Or you can even have your own individual hot pot as well.
I've seen so many different types of restaurants with different types of hot pot.
The main ingredients of hot pot are thinly slice pieces of beef,
lamb,
chicken or pork,
you can even have seafood,
and if you're looking for vegetables,
there's an array of vegetables and you can even add tofu in it as well.
My favorite thing about hot pot
is that you can really design it to your own liking.
For example, you can even make a dipping sauce
to dip your meats and vegetables in
using anything from soy sauce, chili oil
to sesame oil to create a taste that you like.
So these are the top 10 Chinese dishes
and how to pronounce the names in Chinese.
Have you tried any of these dishes before?
Did you like them?
Did you not like them?
Let us know in the comments below of why.
See you next time for more Chinese practice.
再见！