Asia · Traditional

Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine is a vast collection of regional food systems shaped by climate, agriculture, migration and long histories of trade. Rice dominates many southern regions, wheat is central in much of the north, and techniques such as steaming, stir-frying, braising, roasting, fermenting and noodle-making create very different local styles.

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Food history

Why Chinese cuisine is worth exploring

Chinese cuisine is the product of thousands of years of agriculture, migration, imperial courts, trade and regional adaptation. Wheat dominates many northern traditions while rice is central further south, and techniques such as stir-frying, steaming, braising, roasting, pickling and fermentation developed in response to very different climates and ingredients.

Why it is famous

Among the dishes and traditions most associated with Chinese cuisine are dumplings, noodles, dim sum, roast meats, hot pot, fried rice, mapo tofu, Peking duck and an enormous range of regional dishes. They became famous for good reason, but they make more sense when seen as part of a wider food culture shaped by place, season and the way people actually eat at home.

Regional food story

Sichuan is known for chilli, broad-bean paste and numbing pepper; Cantonese cooking prizes freshness and delicate steaming; Jiangsu and Zhejiang often emphasise refined braises and seafood; Hunan is boldly hot and smoky; Shandong is associated with broths and seafood; northern cooking makes extensive use of wheat, dumplings and noodles.

How to cook it

Flavours, ingredients and menu ideas

Signature ingredients

The ingredients most closely tied to Chinese cooking include rice, wheat noodles, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, spring onion, sesame, tofu, fermented beans, chillies, Sichuan pepper and leafy greens. They form a useful map of the cuisine, although the balance shifts noticeably between coast and interior, city and countryside, and everyday food and celebration cooking.

Cooking style

Balance is central, but not in the sense of making every dish mild. Chinese meals often combine different textures, temperatures and cooking methods across the table, with knife work, wok control, steaming and long braising each playing a distinct role.

Build a menu

Think in terms of a shared table rather than starter, main and dessert. Combine a vegetable dish, a protein, something steamed or braised, rice or noodles, and perhaps soup; aim for variety in texture and intensity rather than serving several dishes with the same sauce.

Starters Mains Desserts

Cook by course

Chinese recipes

Start with a starter, choose a main, then finish with a dessert to build a complete country-inspired menu.

Starters

Chinese starters

Liangban Huanggua

Smashed cucumber dressed with garlic, vinegar, sesame and chilli.

Starter 15 mins

Suan La Tang

Hot-and-sour soup balanced with vinegar, white pepper, tofu and mushrooms.

Starter 50 mins

Sichuan Kou Shui Ji

Cold poached chicken drenched in chilli oil, sesame and numbing Sichuan pepper.

Starter 1 hr

Cong You Bing

Layered scallion pancakes fried until flaky, chewy and crisp.

Starter 1 hr 15 mins

Jiaozi

Northern Chinese dumplings filled, folded and boiled, steamed or pan-fried.

Starter 1 hr 45 mins

Xiao Long Bao

Thin pleated dumplings enclosing seasoned pork and hot savoury broth.

Starter 2 hr 35 mins

Liangpi

Cool chewy wheat or rice noodles with cucumber, chilli oil and tangy dressing.

Starter 3 hr 10 mins

Youtiao with Soy Milk

Crisp fried dough sticks served with fresh soy milk for breakfast.

Starter 8 hr 20 mins

Main courses

Chinese main courses

Cantonese Steamed Fish

Whole or filleted fish steamed gently with ginger, scallion and seasoned soy.

Main 32 mins

Ants Climbing a Tree

Glass noodles coated with spicy minced-pork sauce so the meat clings like tiny specks.

Main 35 mins

Dry-Fried Green Beans

Wrinkled green beans stir-fried with aromatics, preserved vegetables and minced meat.

Main 35 mins

Kung Pao Chicken

Diced chicken stir-fried with dried chillies, peanuts and a glossy sweet-sour sauce.

Main 35 mins

West Lake Vinegar Fish

Poached fish finished with a glossy sweet-and-sour black-vinegar sauce.

Main 38 mins

Dan Dan Noodles

Sichuan noodles with sesame, preserved vegetables, chilli oil and minced pork.

Main 40 mins

Mapo Doufu

Silken tofu and minced meat in a fiery, numbing fermented-bean sauce.

Main 40 mins

Yuxiang Qiezi

Tender aubergine in a garlic, chilli, vinegar and fermented-bean sauce.

Main 40 mins

Claypot Rice with Lap Cheong

Rice cooked in a clay pot with cured sausage and a crisp savoury crust.

Main 55 mins

Shuizhu Yu

Fish slices poached in spicy broth beneath a fragrant layer of chilli and peppercorn.

Main 55 mins

Twice-Cooked Pork

Pork belly simmered, sliced and stir-fried with leeks and fermented bean paste.

Main 55 mins

Zhajiangmian

Wheat noodles topped with savoury fermented-bean meat sauce and crisp vegetables.

Main 1 hr

Buddha’s Delight

A Buddhist-inspired braise of tofu products, mushrooms and vegetables.

Main 1 hr 15 mins

Biang Biang Noodles

Extra-wide hand-pulled noodles dressed with chilli, garlic and aromatic hot oil.

Main 1 hr 20 mins

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Poached chicken, fragrant rice, clear broth and bright chilli-ginger sauces.

Main 1 hr 30 mins

Lions Head Meatballs

Large tender pork meatballs braised with greens in Jiangnan style.

Main 1 hr 50 mins

Chairman Mao Red-Braised Pork

Hunan-style pork belly braised with caramel, chilli, soy and spices.

Main 2 hr

Hong Shao Rou

Pork belly slowly red-braised with soy, sugar, wine and aromatics.

Main 2 hr

Dongpo Rou

Large cubes of pork belly braised gently with soy, sugar and Shaoxing wine.

Main 3 hr 25 mins

Beggar’s Chicken

Whole chicken wrapped and sealed before slow cooking to trap aromatic juices.

Main 4 hr 30 mins

Eight Treasure Duck

Duck filled with a rich mixture of rice, nuts, mushrooms and preserved ingredients.

Main 4 hr 30 mins

Char Siu

Cantonese barbecued pork glazed until sweet, savoury and lacquered.

Main 4 hr 35 mins

Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup

Clear beef broth with hand-pulled noodles, radish, chilli oil and coriander.

Main 7 hr

Peking Duck

Lacquered roast duck with brittle skin, pancakes, scallions and sweet bean sauce.

Main 25 hr 30 mins

Desserts

Chinese desserts

Douhua with Ginger Syrup

Silken tofu pudding served with warm aromatic ginger syrup.

Dessert 40 mins

Mango Pomelo Sago

Chilled Hong Kong dessert with mango, pomelo, sago and coconut milk.

Dessert 40 mins

Tangyuan

Glutinous-rice balls, often filled with sesame, served in a light sweet broth.

Dessert 1 hr

Red Bean Soup

A gently sweet adzuki-bean dessert soup served warm or chilled.

Dessert 1 hr 45 mins

Nian Gao

Sticky glutinous-rice cake associated with Lunar New Year and upward progress.

Dessert 1 hr 50 mins

Wife Cake

Flaky Cantonese pastry with a soft winter-melon filling.

Dessert 1 hr 55 mins

Eight Treasure Rice Pudding

Glutinous rice arranged with fruit and nuts around a sweet bean filling.

Dessert 2 hr

Mooncakes

Festival pastries with dense fillings enclosed by patterned baked crusts.

Dessert 2 hr 25 mins

Wine and drink pairings

What to drink with Chinese food

When pairing wine with Chinese food, match the structure of the dish first: fresh whites for seafood and herbs, medium reds for tomato, spice or roast meat, sparkling wines for fried or salty starters, and sweet or fortified wines for desserts.

Red

Beaujolais / Gamay

Juicy light red with cherry, raspberry and low tannin. Excellent slightly chilled with charcuterie, poultry, pâté, saus…

Grape: Gamay Region: Beaujolais, Loire, Switzerland

Red

Grenache / Garnacha

Warm, generous red with strawberry, red plum, herbs and soft tannin. Great with roast vegetables, lamb, paprika, herbs…

Grape: Grenache, Garnacha, Cannonau Region: Rhône, Priorat, Navarra, Sardinia

Red

Nebbiolo / Barolo Style

High-acid, high-tannin Italian red with rose, cherry, tar and earth. Ideal for truffle, braised meat, game and rich mus…

Grape: Nebbiolo Region: Piedmont, Valtellina

Red

Pinot Noir / Burgundy

Elegant red with red cherry, earth, spice and fine tannins. Great with duck, mushroom, poultry, pork and lighter beef d…

Grape: Pinot Noir, Spätburgunder Region: Burgundy, Oregon, Central Otago, Baden

Red

Spätburgunder

German Pinot Noir with red cherry, earth and gentle spice. Excellent with pork, sausages, roast poultry, mushroom sauce…

Grape: Spätburgunder / Pinot Noir Region: Baden, Ahr, Pfalz

White

Albariño / Vinho Verde

Fresh coastal white wine with citrus, peach, sea-spray minerality and bright acidity. Excellent with seafood, salt cod…

Grape: Albariño, Alvarinho, Loureiro, Arinto Region: Rías Baixas, Minho, Vinho Verde

White

Assyrtiko

Greek white with piercing acidity, lemon, salt and volcanic minerality. Ideal for tzatziki, feta, seafood, grilled fish…

Grape: Assyrtiko Region: Santorini, Macedonia, Crete

White

Chablis / Unoaked Chardonnay

Lean Chardonnay with citrus, apple, chalk and shell-like minerality. Perfect with white fish, butter sauces, shellfish…

Grape: Chardonnay Region: Chablis, Mâcon, Margaret River, Limarí

Local beers

Chinese beers

Wine can lead the meal, but local beer tells another story: what people drink in bars, restaurants and shops alongside everyday food.

Explore local beers

Tsingtao

Pale lager 4.7% ABV

Tsingtao Brewery

China’s most internationally recognisable beer, originally from Qingdao.

Snow Beer

Lager 4% ABV

China Resources Snow Breweries

A huge-volume Chinese lager widely sold across the country.

Harbin Beer

Lager 4.8% ABV

Harbin Brewery / AB InBev

One of China’s oldest beer brands, originally from Harbin in the north-east.

Yanjing Beer

Lager 4.5% ABV

Beijing Yanjing Brewery

A Beijing beer and common choice in northern China.

Wusu Beer

Lager 4% ABV

Xinjiang Wusu Beer / Carlsberg China

A Xinjiang beer with a strong regional following and growing national visibility.

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Plan the full table

Build a Chinese menu

Build a practical pantry with light and dark soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, sesame oil, dried mushrooms, rice wine, chilli products, fermented beans, noodles and good rice. Then buy region-specific items for the dish, such as Sichuan pepper, Shaoxing wine, preserved mustard greens or Cantonese dried seafood. Fresh ginger, spring onion and garlic should smell clean and lively.

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