Vegetables

Beijing · Fermented soybean paste with diced pork over noodles, served with cucumber and bean sprouts

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

Changchun · Korean-style buckwheat noodles in freezing beef broth with pickled radish and boiled egg

Changchun · Fermented Napa cabbage stewed with pork ribs, aromatic and warming for winter

Chongqing · Alkaline noodles with chili, Sichuan pepper, scallions, and crushed peanuts

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

Dalian · Dalian-style chilled wheat noodles with shredded cucumber, sesame paste, and chili oil

Guangzhou · Flat rice noodles wok-fried with beef and bean sprouts—wok hei is the soul

Guilin · Taro and pork belly slices steamed to melting perfection

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

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

Hangzhou · Scallion and fried dough stick rolled in a spring pancake and pressed-grilled

Hangzhou · Noodle soup with pickled greens, bamboo shoots, and shredded pork—the Hangzhou noodle

Hefei · A legendary stew of sea cucumber, fish maw, chicken, and ham — named after the Qing dynasty statesman

Hohhot · Hohhot-style shaomai with paper-thin wrappers, generously filled with mutton and scallion

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

Kunming · Piping hot chicken broth + thinly sliced meat and vegetables, a ritual experience

Lanzhou · Clear broth, white radish, red chili, green cilantro, yellow noodles—from extra-thin to thick

Lhasa · Hand-pleated Tibetan dumplings filled with yak meat and onion, served with spicy chili chutney

Macau · Minced beef and pork with diced potatoes, soy and molasses, served over rice — the comfort dish of Macau

Nanchang · Small clay pots of nourishing soup slow-steamed with pork, lotus root, and Chinese herbs

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

Nanning · Old friend rice noodles with garlic, fermented black beans, pickled bamboo shoots—sour-spicy Nanning soul food

Nanning · Duck simmered with local lemon leaves and sour bamboo shoots—bright, tangy, distinctly Guangxi

Nanning · Mashed taro steamed into a cake, sliced and pan-fried golden—crispy outside, creamy within

Qingdao · Plump mussels steamed open in Qingdao's own beer with ginger and scallion

Shanghai · Scallion oil simmered until dark then poured over noodles—simplest yet deepest

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

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

Taiyuan · A rich vegetable and noodle breakfast soup thickened with sorghum flour — Taiyuan's morning bowl

Urumqi · Chicken, potatoes, peppers, and wide noodles in one giant plate

Urumqi · Braised rice with lamb, carrots, and raisins

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

Xi'an · Wheat-starch cold noodles + cucumber strips + sesame paste + chili oil

Xining · Wheat-starch cold noodles with chili oil, vinegar, and cucumber shreds — a Xibei street essential

Xining · Thick hand-pulled noodles tossed with lamb, peppers, and onions over blistering heat

Yinchuan · Thin-sliced lamb flash-fried with cumin, onion, and green peppers

Yinchuan · Wild-picked Helan Mountain mushrooms stir-fried simply with garlic and green onion

Zhengzhou · Henan-style thick noodles braised with pork belly, soybean sprouts, and celery—rich and comforting

Zhengzhou · Whole chicken poached in master stock, pulled apart tableside, served with scallion ginger dip