My Ten FAVORITE Chinese dishes... from John's blog

1. Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, an all time favorite that can be cooked anywhere, it’s easy to order anywhere in China or any Chinese cafe in the world. It is so easy to cook and really tasty Chinese families cook it at home often.


2. Red-Braised Belly Pork. We know that some Westerners flinch when they first see the amount of fat served on belly pork; however, please don’t be put off. This is a China tour favorite – it’s an elegant combination of all the flavors of the pork combined with sugar, soy, a few spices and some local wine. It goes particularly well with noodles or rice.

3. Fried peanuts are something that hints of your home during your China vacation, they are usually mixed with a little salt, spice and some sugar and are served at nearly every restaurant in the nation. They are a little challenging to eat with chopsticks though.


4. Beijing Duck you can’t travel to China and not try this. It’s served very differently from most Chinese restaurants in the West, but it’s just as tasty. Pancakes, soybean paste, spring onions, etc. are all available and it tends to be incredibly well presented in most places.


5. “Fish-flavored shredded pork” is a bit of a misnomer as the dish has never seen a fish or indeed resemble seafood in its life. The spices used to prepare it are more commonly used in seafood preparation – hence the name.

6. Chicken soup. If there’s one thing most people agree on during a China vacation, it’s that Chinese chicken soup is superb. It takes at least a day to prepare and the rich broth, soft chicken with a hint of ginger and black pepper is both nourishing and a tasty sensation.

7. Potatoes with vinegar. We don’t know if it’s true that this lowers the blood pressure, but it's  an interesting dish. It’s very easy to cook but takes an age to prepare. Crisp with salt and sour edge, it’s quite lovely.

8. Mitten/Hairy Crabs. These are a big deal when they’re in season. Steamed crabs are very good to eat and most places keep serving them until you’re full.

9. One for the vegetarians, braised tofu. Not to be confused with the somewhat less easy on the nostrils – stinky tofu. This is usually served in soy sauce with a hint of onions and sugar.

10. Cucumbers and soybean paste – this is nearly ubiquitous throughout China and may be the healthiest food around with next to zero calories.

Have more favorites please add to my list...