Category: Chinese Food

This traditional Beijing snack dates back 100 years to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Baked wheaten bread, tofu, pork chop, chitterlings and pork lung are cut into pieces and then boiled in the preserved meat broth. It is served with mashed garlic, chili oil, vinegar, fermented tofu, chives and coriander. Called “lu zhu huo shao” in Chinese, the snack gained popularity among commoners in the olden days because meat was too expensive while the offal was a cheaper option.

Chao gan, or stewed liver, evolved from ao gan (stewed pork liver) and ao gei (stir-fried pork lung), both folk foods from the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The cleaned chitterlings are cut into pieces after being boiled in water. They are then stewed in mushroom soup with garlic sauce, chopped spring onion, chopped ginger and pork liver. Chicken soup and mashed garlic should be added before ready to serve. The soup is a glossy dark red and the pork liver and chitterlings are tender. Chao Gan used to be served with small dumplings, but now there is no particular way to eat it.

Bao du, or fried beef tripe, has been a famous Beijing snack since the time of Emperor Qianlong (r. 1735-1795) of the Qing Dynasty. The snack is mostly made and sold by the Hui. After being cleaned and cut into slices, fresh beef tripe or lamb tripe is cooked in boiling water. It is often served with oil, sesame sauce, vinegar, chili oil, soy sauce, fermented tofu juice, coriander, spring onion and other seasonings. It is tender and crispy, and people often eat it with beer or other alcohol.

Ai wo wo, or steamed rice cakes with sweet stuffing, is made of glutinous rice or millet flour with sweet filling. It first appeared during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and was a favorite of the imperial families of the Ming Dynasty. The cake, which has a sticky texture and is white as snow, tastes sweet and comes with a variety of stuffings, such as ground rock sugar, hawthorn, sesame, green plum fruit or mashed Chinese jujube. Traditionally, it is eaten from the Lunar New Year to the end of summer, but it is now sold throughout the year.

Lv da gun are steamed glutinous rice rolls filled with red bean paste or brown sugar that is then rolled and covered in a soybean flour crumble. Its origins can be traced to the Qing Dynasty. The cake, which has a yellowish color, is sweet and a little sticky, with a very nice bean flavor.

Da lian huo shao, or fried wheaten pancake with filling, is a pan-fried roll filled with different stuffings, including pork with fennel, pork with cabbage, lamb with green onion and multiple vegetarian options. Its origins can be traced to the time of Emperor Guangxu (r. 1662-1722) of the Qing Dynasty. The pancakes are fried golden brown, but they remain very soft and delicious. Like dumplings, they usually go with vinegar. Beijing locals like to eat the pancakes while having a bowl of sweet and sour soup made of chicken blood and tofu.

Chao ge da, or stir-fried starch knots, is a kind of Chinese pasta. A traditional Muslim snack, it was invented almost 100 years ago. The dough, made from wheat and corn flour, is chopped, boiled in water and then immersed in cold water. Fresh beef or chicken is sliced and stir-fried with oil and seasonings and then stir-fried again with the starch knots and various seasonal vegetables. The final product is a colorful and refreshing dish.

Instead of garnishing the soup with green onions, feel free to stir in fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) to taste, at

Dairy products were rarely used in China, partly because of the high incidence of lactose intolerance among the East Asian population – this Northern Court dish is a rare exception. Traditionally it would be made with whole milk, but you'll also find recipes using cream to give a creamier sauce.

Eating moon cakes while watching the full moon is an important part of the mid-autumn festival in China, and is more like a symbol of family unity. Here we provide a simple recipe that how to cook mooncake.