There’s nothing better than treating your taste buds to new and exciting foods when you’re travelling. When you’re travelling to a country where you don’t speak the language, and you can’t even hazard a guess – like Mandarin – then it can be difficult to know what to try. Here are our favourite street food dishes that are an absolute must-try for anyone travelling in China!
Jian Bing – 煎饼
Jian bing is a traditional style of street food that is best described as a savoury breakfast pancake! It originated in north-east China, but it’s become an incredibly popular street food staple all across the country! It won’t be hard to find a Jianbing stall in any major city when you’re travelling in China. And, what’s more, it won’t cost you more than 10RMB, which is roughly just £1! Did we mention they’re huge portions?
One of jian bing’s greatest appeal is that it’s prepared in front of you, so you know it’s going to be fresh and steaming hot! A thin layer of mixture is spread out on a hot place in the same manner as a crepe, before being topped eggs, scallions, chilli or hoisin sauce, and a meat of choice. It’s then wrapped up, cut in half and served to you in a bag, so you can take it with you on your way to work! Although jian bing is traditionally a breakfast dish, stalls tend to pop up in and around the bar areas of Beijing in the early hours of the morning. It really does make for a great post-night out treat or as a hangover cure the next day!
Chuan – 串
Chuan is essentially a type of kebab, where small pieces of meat on skewers are roasted over burning charcoal. The Simplified Chinese character for chuan, 串, even looks like two pieces of meat on a skewer, so if you see a sign with this then you’re headed in the right direction! If you’re searching for chuan in northern areas like Beijing, you’ll want to say it slightly differently. The Beijing dialect differs significantly to other regions in China, as people add tend to add an ‘r’ sound at the end particular words. So, if you’re asking around for chuan, you’re going to want to say ‘chuaar’ (串儿 chuan’r) instead!
The traditional type of kebab is lamb, known as yang rou chuan (羊肉串), but other meats like chicken, pork, beef and a variety of seafood are widely popular. You can even choose from different types of vegetables and bread. Each skewer will cost you around 2-3RMB, so around 30p, so don’t be scared to grab a bunch! You can pick whichever skewers you want and put them on a tray to give to the stall owner. The best things about chuan is that it’s cooked fresh in front of you, and you can customise the seasoning as it’s being cooked – so if you don’t want it to be so spicy then you can tell them!
Some helpful phrases:
• 不辣 bu la – not spicy
• 辣的 la de – spicy
Yu Dan – 鱼蛋
Fish balls are a common street food dish in southern parts of China, Hong Kong, and Macau. The balls are made out of a fish paste and deep fried in oil. There are many regional variations of yu dan, which directly translates to ‘fish eggs’, but our favourite is curry fish balls – the yellow ones!
This type is mainly found in Hong Kong and is commonly served on a skewer similar to chuan, where you get 5 or 6 balls. However, rather than cooking them over charcoal, the balls are deep-fried and dipped into a spicy, curry sauce. Every street vendor has a different recipe for their own special curry sauce, so why not try a few as you explore the city. They’re super easy to eat on the go, and will only cost you 6-7HKD, which is only around 70p!
Baozi – 包子
Baozi is a type of stuffed bread-like bun, with various meat fillings, although there are also vegetarian ones available. They can come in different sizes, but our favourite is da bao (大包), which directly translates to ‘big bun’. These are usually around 10cm in diameter, so they’re great to eat on the go like a small burger. Traditionally, baozi is a breakfast dish, although you’ll easily find stalls all around China throughout the day.
Baozi is freshly cooked by steaming them, so you’re guaranteed to have it piping hot when you get to the front of the queue! They’re especially good at the weather starts to cool down, as they’ll keep you warm as you explore!
Have we got your tummy rumbling and your mouths watering? Take a look at our 2019 tour dates for our 25-day China Loop, our 15-day Half China Loop and more!
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