Sweet & Sugar

Beijing · Fermented mung bean sour soup + deep-fried dough rings, soul of old Beijing

Beijing · Glutinous rice with red bean paste rolled in soybean flour, three-layer yellow-white-red

Changchun · Tender pork belly and pork blood sausage simmered with sour cabbage and sweet potato noodles

Changchun · Changbai Mountain forest frog oviduct stewed with rock sugar—a prized herbal delicacy

Changsha · Deep-fried glutinous rice balls coated in sugar, crispy outside, chewy inside

Chengdu · Glutinous rice balls thrown against a brass plate, three bangs, then coated in soybean flour and brown sugar

Chongqing · Handmade sweet potato noodles + vinegar + chili, sour and fiery

Chongqing · Handmade ice jelly + brown sugar water + crushed peanuts + raisins

Fuzhou · Pork cross-cut and deep-fried into lychee-like shapes, in sweet and sour sauce

Guilin · Water chestnut starch jelly, translucent, refreshingly sweet and crisp

Harbin · Pork loin battered and fried, then drenched in sweet and sour sauce

Haikou · Coconut milk dessert soup with red beans, taro balls, grass jelly, and seasonal fruits — Hainan's summer soul

Hangzhou · West Lake grass carp draped in sweet and sour sauce, the hallmark of Hangzhou cuisine

Jinan · Yellow River carp deep-fried and draped in tangy sweet-and-sour sauce, Lu cuisine icon

Jinan · Pork intestine braised with soy, sugar, and spices — nine twists of flavor in every bite

Jinan · Millet and mung bean porridge with peanuts and dried yams, sweet and frothy

Kunming · Thousand-layer flaky steamed buns with ham and sugar filling

Lanzhou · Black peas slow-cooked with alkaline water into a paste, served with sugar

Lanzhou · Fermented oat sweet soup, refreshing and heat-relieving

Macau · Flaky, caramelized custard tarts — the iconic Macanese pastry born from Portuguese heritage

Nanjing · Taro + osmanthus + brown sugar, sticky-sweet and fragrant

Shanghai · Pork ribs + rice cakes + sweet bean sauce, memories of old Shanghai lanes

Shanghai · Mugwort-infused glutinous rice wrapped around red bean paste, a Qingming must-eat

Shenyang · Double-fried pork loin in sweet and sour sauce—crispy outside, tender inside

Shijiazhuang · Fine shredded dough deep-fried and coated in granulated sugar—crispy, airy, golden threads

Suzhou · Mandarin fish cut and fried into a squirrel shape, draped in sweet and sour sauce

Suzhou · Lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice + osmanthus syrup, Suzhou-style sweet elegance

Suzhou · Fermented rice wine + mini glutinous rice balls + osmanthus

Taipei · Oysters + sweet potato starch batter + egg + greens

Taipei · Taiwan's birthplace of bubble tea—brown sugar pearls + milk tea

Tianjin · Mung bean crepe + egg + fried dough stick + fermented sauce

Tianjin · Deep-fried glutinous rice cake with red bean paste, crispy outside and chewy inside

Tianjin · Assorted stuffed fried dough twists, crispy and sweet

Tianjin · Mung bean jelly sheets cut into strips, served with savory gravy and chili oil

Xiamen · Fresh oysters + sweet potato starch + egg + sweet chili sauce

Xiamen · Peanuts stewed until they melt in your mouth, even better with a swirl of egg

Xi'an · Hand-torn flatbread soaked in lamb soup, served with sweet garlic and chili paste

Xi'an · Layered glutinous rice and red dates steamed into sweet, soft bliss

Hong Kong · Honeycomb-shaped egg waffles, crispy outside and soft inside

Xining · Creamy, tangy yogurt made from yak milk, topped with a drizzle of wild honey

Yinchuan · Eight treasures — longan, red dates, rock sugar, goji berries, and tea — steeped in a gaiwan

Yinchuan · Steamed glutinous rice cake studded with Ningxia's famed goji berries, lightly sweet

Zhengzhou · Caught from the Yellow River, braised in soy and sweet bean sauce—tender flesh, bold flavor