Help with chinese menus

One of my great annoyances with studying mandarin formally (ie at Uni here) was that after 6 or 12 months of study here, many students really hadn't a clue how to order chinese food.  It also didn't help that around our university, the chinese restaurants were far from westernised, featuring chinese-only menus.  No photos, and no pinyin!  Nightmare.

 

I clearly didn't spend enough time surfing the web then.  Here are two useful links.  Well, one's more obviously useful than the other.  Included below is a copy of a PDF which alleges to originate from MIT.  It nicely explains how chinese menus work, the different ways that dishes are named (e.g. by ingredient, geography, history or fable etc.), and names some example dishes.  Very helpful.  The second is a link that gives more insight into the naming of chinese dishes, in a more humourous way.  Hilarious actually!

 

One point perhaps to make is that because of the variety of ingredients in chinese dishes, and the difficulty in a foreigner knowing what the abstract names mean (e.g. references to a famous scholar or place in china), reading a full chinese menu can be quite difficult. 

 

 

Zhōngguó càidān ‘Chinese menus’

Part I (4/05 version)

1. Zhōngguó cài de zhǒnglèi

Zhōngguó cài chángchang fēnchéng jǐ ge zhǒnglèi, xiàng tānglèi, ròulèi. Càidān cháng yǒu xiàmiàn de zhèi jǐ lèi:

[càidān ‘menu’, cf. dān ‘unit; odd’; fēn ‘divide’, cf. fēn ‘minute; cent’; chéng ‘become; into’; zhǒng ‘kind’; lèi ‘class; category’, hence zhǒnglèi ‘kinds; varieties’. Below: lìrú ‘for instance’, cf. bǐrú ‘for example’]

Liángcàilèi, also lěnghūnlèi ‘cold meats’; lìrú: làbáicài ‘hot pickled cabbage

(‘cold-dish-type’) (hot-white-veg)’

shūcàilèi, or sùcàilèi ‘vegetables’; lìrú: sùshíjǐn ‘(vegetable-assortment)’

(‘vegetable-type; simple-veg-type’)

tānglèi ‘soups’; lìrú: suānlàtāng (sour-hot-soup)

hǎixiānlèi ‘seafood’; lìrú: míngxiā ‘prawns’; hǎishēn ‘sea

(‘see-fresh-type’) cucumber’

dòufulèi: lìrú: mápódòufu ‘beancurd cooked in hot sauce’

bàochǎolèi ‘quick or stir fried’; lìrú: bàojīqiú

(‘sudden-stirfry-type’) ‘(sudden+fry-chicken-balls)’

yóuzhálèi lìrú: zházǐjī ‘(fried-young-chicken)’

(‘oil-fry-kind’)

ròulèi lìrú: huíguōròu ‘double-cooked pork (return-wok-pork’; sometimes divided into zhūròulèi ‘pork dishes’, niúròulèi etc. Unmodified, ròu implies ‘pork’.

jīyālèi lìrú: cuìpíshāojī ‘crisp-skin-cooked-chicken’

(‘chicken-duck-type’)

shāguōlèi food cooked in earthenware pots

(‘sand-pot-type’)

huǒguōlèi ‘hotpot’; lìrú: shíjǐnhuǒguō ‘assortment-hotpot’

(‘fire-pot-type’)

diǎnxīnlèi ‘light food; dimsum’; lìrú: shuǐjiǎo ‘steamed

(‘spot+to-the+heart’) dumplings (water-dumplings)’

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miànlèi: Miàn generally means noodles or pasta made from wheat flour, but it may also include, eg: mǐfěn ‘rice-flour noodles’, also called héfěn and, in Southeast Asia, guōtiáo ['Kwey Teow' in Hokkien]. Cf. tāngmiàn ‘noodle soup’ distinguished from lāomiàn ‘(ladled+out-noodles)’ ie lomein, served without the soup. Lìrú: niúròumiàn ‘beef noodles’.

zhǔshílèi, sometimes fànlèi dishes served on or with rice, lìrú: chāshāochǎofàn

(‘main-food-type’) ‘roast pork fried rice’

tānglèi ‘soups’; lìrú: dànhuātāng ‘egg-flower-soup; egg-

drop soup’

tiándiǎnlèi ‘desserts’, traditionally not a major category. Lìrú: bābǎofàn ‘8-valuables-rice’ a pudding with rice and fruit bits.

2. About the names of dishes

a) Descriptive names, in which the parts give some clue to the dish

chǎojīdīng ‘stirfried-chicken-cubes’

zhácàiròusītāng ‘picked-cabbage-meat-shreds-soup’

hǎishēnběigūpádàyā ‘sea+cucumber-northern-mushrooms-braised-big-duck’

b) Dishes incorporating proper names:

Yángzhōuchǎofàn ‘Yangzhou friend rice’ [Yángzhōu on the Yángzijiāng, or Cháng Jiāng ‘Yangtse River’, east of Nánjīng];

Dōngpōròu a fatty pork dish associated with – and possibly created by -- the Song dynasty poet, Sū Dōngpō (aka Sū Shì);

Xīhúcùyú ‘(West-Lake-vinegar-fish)’ [West Lake, near Hángzhōu]

c) Dishes with numbers: èrdōng, sānxiān, bābǎo, sānzhēn

shāo'èrdōng, usually dōnggū ‘(winter mushrooms)’ and dōngsǔn ‘(winter b-boo shoots)’

sānxiānhǎishēn, ‘3-freshes-seaslug’, ie sea cucumber (actually an animal), plus, eg shredded pork, bamboo shoots, and chicken;

gānbèisìsī ‘scallops-4-shreds, ie ‘scallops + 4 meats/vegetables’.

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d) Poetically or allusively named dishes

máyǐshàngshù: ‘ants-climb-tree’, ie spicy ground beef sauce poured over deep fried ‘bean threads’ (fěnsī) – named for the black specks that appear on the noodles.

shīzitóu: ‘lion-head’, ie large meatballs stewed with cabbage leaves, reminiscent of a lion’s head.

Zuǒgōngjī: ‘Zuǒ-duke-chicken’, often called ‘General Zuo’s chicken’

Luóhànpádàyā: Luohan < Skt. arahant; ‘Buddhist saint-braised-big-duck’

Fó tiào qiáng: ‘Buddha jumps wall’, a stew of meats and dried ingredients served in a big wine jar; Fujianese.

e) Chinese dishes are almost all associated with a region or a regional cuisine, but some have special associations with particular places, and are promoted as such; dìfāng fēngwèi cài.

guòqiáomǐxiàn: ‘cross-bridge-rice-strands’, associated with Kūnmíng, Yúnnán.

Máojiācài: ‘Mao-home-dishes’, Hunan countryside dishes, supposedly the sort of things that Mao Zedong enjoyed growing up, eg hóngshāoròu ‘braised beef’.

gǒubulǐ bāozi: ‘dog-not-obey dumplings’, from Tianjin.

ěrduoyā zhágāo: ear-duck-fried-cakes, sweet and deep fried ‘cake’, another specialty of Tianjin.

yángròu pàomò: ‘lamb-meat-broth’, a specialty of Xi’an

yānròu ‘salted pressed pork’, associated with Zhènjiāng (on the Yangtse,

east of Nanjing).

3. Some specialized menu terms

shíjǐn 什錦 ‘assortment of; mix of’; sometimes represented on menus as

subgum, after the Cantonese pronuncation.

hóng 紅 ‘red’, usually meaning ‘cooked in soysauce’; cf. hóngshāo ‘red-cooked’, ie simmered in soysauce

yúxiāng 魚香 ‘fish-scented=tasty’; a garlic sauce

chǐzhī 豉汁 a black bean sauce

chǐjiāo 豉椒 black-bean+peppers

gālí 咖喱 ‘curry’

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háoyóu 蠔油 ‘oyster sauce’

gōngbǎo 宮保 ‘palace-keep’; cooked with chilies and peanuts

jiàngbào 醬爆 ‘sauce-quickfried’; usually means cooked with a bean paste sauce

sānsī 三絲 ‘three-shredded'

èrdōng 二冬 ‘two-winter [vegetables]’; also shuāngdōng ‘pair of winter’

shícài 時菜 ‘time-vegetables’; seasonal vegetables

málà 麻辣 ‘numb-chili’; cooked with huājiāo ‘Sichuan pepper’, chili, sesame oil.

zhēn 珍 ‘treasure’; usually means ‘giblets’

jiācháng 家常 ‘home-frequent’, ie home-style

4. Bā ge càixì ‘the 8 Chinese cuisines’ (cf. Unit 8.4.4)

Zhōngguó bù tóng dìfang yǒu bù tóng de wèidào, bù tóng de zuòfǎ, bù tóng de chīfǎ. Bǐfāng shuō, Guǎngdōng fùjìn yǒu Guǎngdōng cài, Shànghǎi fùjìn yǒu Shànghǎi cài. Zhōngguó rén píngcháng shuō Zhōngguó cài yǒu bā ge càixì.

[-fǎ ‘way of …’; càixì ‘food-systems’; biéchēng ‘other name’; bāokuò ‘include’; huángdì ‘emperor’]

Shāndōng cài: yě jiào Lǔ cài; Lǔ shi Shāndōng de biéchēng. Shāndōng cài yě bāokuò Běijīng cài.

Guǎngdōng cài: yě jiào Yuè cài. (Yuè shì Guǎngdōng de biéchēng.)

Sìchuān cài: yě jiào Chuān cài. (Chuān shì hé de yìsi; Sìchuān yǒu sì tiáo hé; Chuān jiùshi Sìchuān de biéchēng.)

Jiāngsū cài: yě jiào Huáiyáng cài. (Huái shì Huái Hé, zài Jiāngsū; Yáng shì Yángzhōu, yě zài Jiāngsū.)

Zhèjiāng cài yě jiào Zhè cài.

~ Shànghái cài

Ānhuì cài: yě jiào Wǎn cài. (Wǎn shi Ānhuì de biécheng.)

Húnán cài: yě jiào Xiāngcài. (Xiāng shì Húnán de biéchēng.)

Fújiàn cài: yě jiào Mǐn cài. (Mǐn shì Fújiàn de biéchēng; Táiwān cài shì Mǐn cài de yì zhǒng.)

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Zhèi bā ge càixì, zuì yǒumíng de zuì pǔbiān de yěxǔ shì Lǔ cài, Yuè cài, Chuān cài, hé Xiāng cài. Chúle nèi bā ge càixì yǐwài, yě yǒu jǐ ge tèbié de, xiàng:

gōngtíng cài: ‘palace food’; shì huángdì chī de, hěn tèbié, hěn guì.

kǒngfǔ cài: ‘Confucius-residence food’; Yīnwéi Kǒngfūzǐ de lǎojiā shì Shāndōng, suǒyǐ kǒngfǔ cài hěn xiàng Shāndōng cài, huòzhě shì Shāndōng cài de yì zhǒng.

qīnggzhēn cài: ‘Moslem food (qīngzhēn ‘clear-truth = Islam; cf. qīngzhēnsì ‘a mosque’

Zhōngguó rén cháng shuō Zhōngguó dōng-nán-xī-běi de cài gè yǒu gè de wèidào. Tāmen shuō: nán tián, běi xián, dōng là, xī suān. Nà bú shì shuō nánbiān měi gè cài dōu shì tián de huòzhě běibiānr měi gè cài shì xián de, shì yìbān lái shuō dōu shì zhèi yàngr.

[gè yǒu gè de [ ] ‘each has its own [ ]’; měi ge cài ‘each dish’; yìbān ‘general; ordinary; common’; yìbān lái shuō ‘generally speaking’]

5. Pēngtiáo fàngfǎ ‘methods of cooking’

Zhōngguó rén yě shuō Zhōngguó cài yǒu xiē zhǔyào de zuòfǎ – yě jiùshi shuō pēngtiáo fàngfǎ:

[zhǔyào ‘main; chief; major’; pēngtiáo fāngfǎ ‘methods of cooking’]

jiān ‘shallow-fry [in a little oil]’; jiānyú ‘fried fish’

chǎo ‘stirfry [in a little oil]’; chǎofàn; chǎomiàn

zhá ‘deepfry [in deep, hot oil]’; zhájī ‘fried chicken’

bào ‘quick fry’; bàoyāohuār ‘(quickfry- kidney-flower)’

pēng ‘sautee [in very hot oil]’; pēng dàxiā

shāo ‘fry in light vegetable oil, stirring’; shāosānsī ‘(cook-3-shredded)’

dùn ‘boil in water, low heat; stew’; dùnniúròu ‘stewed beef’

zhēng (or qīngzhēng) ‘steam over water’; qīngzhēngyú ‘steamed fish’

huì ‘boil in water and (thickened) soy sauce’: huìxiārénr ‘braised shrimp’

bá ~pá ‘boil or steam, then thicken with starch’: páhǎishēn ‘braised seaslug’

zhǔ ‘boil; cook [general term]’; shuǐzhǔniúròu ‘boiled beef’ [Sìchuān cài]

kǎo ‘bake; roast; toast’; kǎomiànbāo ‘toast’; kǎoyā ‘ roast duck’

tángcù ‘(sugar-vinegar) deep fry, then add sweet and sour sauce’: tángcùyú

hóngshāo ‘(red-cook) boil in soysauce; braise’; hóngshāoqiézi ‘braised eggplant’

bàn ‘mix’ -- of various foods, served cold; bànhǎizhé ‘mixed jellyfish’

xūn ‘to smoke [food] after boiling’; xūnyú ‘smoked fish’

kòu ‘steam in a mold’; kòuròu ‘potted meat’

jiàng ‘boil in a little soysauce’; jiàngbàojīdīng ‘fried chicken cubes’

cuān ‘boil in soup for a short time’; cuānwánzi ‘boiled-meat-balls’

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6. Zuóliao ‘spices and seasonings’

Zhōngguó cài bǐjiào cháng yòng de zuóliào:

cōng ‘onions’ jiāng ‘ginger’

suàn ‘garlic’ jiàngyóu ‘soy sauce’

liàojiǔ ‘cooking wine’ yán ‘salt’

táng ‘sugar’ cù ‘vinegar’

yóu ‘oil’ xiāngyóu; máyóu ‘sesame oil’

diànfěn ‘starch’ huājiāo ‘Sichuan pepper’

làjiāo ‘chilies’

7. Zhōngguócài de qiēfǎ ‘ways of cutting’

dīng ‘cubes’; jiàngbàojīdīng

piàn ‘slices’; yúpiàn ‘sliced fish’

sī ‘shredded’; ròusīchǎomiàn ‘fried noodles with shredded pork’

qiú ‘ball; curl’; chǎoxiāqiú ‘fried shrimp balls [‘curls of shrimp’]

8. Gōngjù ‘tools’, with example sentences

Vocabulary

shícài ‘(timely-food) seasonal food’;

náshǒu cài ‘(take-hand) special; expert; signature [dishes]’;

gěi wǒ tuījiàn […] ‘recommend […] for me’;

diǎn (cài) ‘order [food] -- also jiào [cài];

zài lái [ ] ‘bring another [ ]’;

féi ‘fatty; rich; sleek’;

sùcài ‘(simple-food) vegetarian food’

càidān (dish-list) menu:

Qǐng gěi wǒ càidān kànkan. May I look at a menu please.

kuàizi chopsticks

Qǐng gěi wǒ lái yí fù kuàizi. May I have a set of chopsticks, please.

Shǎo le yífù kuàizi. [We]’re short a pair of chopsticks.

dāochā; dāozi; cházi knifes and forks

Zài lái yì bǎ dāozi, zhèi bǎ bù Bring another knife, this one’s dirty.

gānjìng

sháor; sháozi; tángsháor; yí ge sháor ‘spoon’

Méiyou sháor, bù néng hē tāng! Without a spoon, [you] can drink soup.

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bēizi ‘cup; glass’

Máfan nǐ zài lái ge bēizi, zhèi ge May I trouble you for another glass, this

bù gānjìng! one’s not clean.

guō guōtiēr, guōtiáo, guōba ‘pot; pan; frying pan’;

wǎn yì wǎn; yí ge wǎn ‘bowl of; bowl’

pán; pánzi yì pán; yí ge pánzi ‘plate of; plate, tray, dish’

máojīn ‘napkin’

9. Shuōfǎ some usages

Nǐmen zhèr yǒu shénme shícài? What seasonal vegetables do you have [here]?

Nǐmen zhèr yǒu shénme náshǒu cài? What specialties do you do here?

Wǒ shì yí ge rén; néng bù néng gěi I’m alone; could you recommend one of

wǒ tuījiàn nǐmen yí ge bǐjiào your better dishes?

náshǒu de cài.

Màidān ba; zhàngdān ba. The bill/check please. [In recent years, the Cantonese màidān(‘sell-list’) seems to have gained ground over zhàngdān ‘account-list’.

Gòu bù gòu sì ge rén chī? Enough for 4?

Bú gòu wǒmen zài diǎn, hǎo ma? [If it]’s not enough, we’ll order more, okay?

Sān ge cài yí ge tāng yīnggāi gòu 3 dishes and a soup should be enough

[yīnggāi zúgòu]. [should be sufficient].

Zài lái yì wǎn báifàn. Bring another bowl of rice.

Xiànzài, shénme yú zuì féi? What kind of fish is best [‘plump’] these days?

Qǐng bú yào tài là. Not too hot please.

Yǒu méiyou sùcài, wǒ bù chī ròu. Do you have any ‘vegetable dishes’ – I don’t

eat meat.

Zhēn qiàdào hǎochù! Hit’s the spot! (‘appropriate-to good-place’)

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Part II. Sample menu items

菜单／菜單

1. Lěnghūnlèi = lěngcàilèi ‘(cold) appetizers’ 冷 荤 类／ 冷 葷 累

pīnpánr ‘(put+together-dish) appetizers; hors 拼 盘 儿 ／拼 盤 兒

d’oeuvres’

málàyāzhǎng ‘(numb-hot-duck-feet)’ 麻辣鸭掌／麻辣鴨掌

málà’ěrsī ‘(numb-hot-ear-shreds)’ 麻辣耳丝／麻辣耳絲

sōnghuā = pídàn ‘preserved egg’, aka 1000 year 松花-皮蛋／松花-皮蛋

old eggs

shāndōngshāojī ‘(Shandong-cooked-chicken)’ 山东烧鸡／山東燒雞

xūnyú ‘(smoked-fish)’ 熏鱼／燻魚

bànyāzhǎng ‘(mixed-duck-feet)’ 拌鸭掌／拌鴨掌

bànsānxiān ‘(mixed-three-freshes)’ 拌三鲜／拌三鮮

bànhǎizhé ‘(mixed-jellyfish)’ 拌海蛰／拌海蟄

wǔxiāngniúròu ‘(5-spice-beef)’ 五香牛肉／五香牛肉

làhuángguā ‘(spicy-yellow-gourd)’; cucumber with chillies 辣黄瓜／辣黃 瓜

bàngbàngjī ‘shredded boiled chicken, spicy 棒棒鸡／棒棒雞

sauce’, served cold

báiqiējī ‘(white-cut-chicken)’ 白切鸡／白切雞

Sìchuānpàocài ‘(Sichuan+pickles)’ 四川泡菜／四川泡菜

dōngjī ‘(jellied-chicken)’ 冻鸡 / 凍雞

2. Hǎixiānlèi ‘fresh seafood’

fènghuángyúchì ‘(phoenix-fish-fins) shark fin with 凤凰鱼翅／鳳凰魚翅

shredded chicken’

sānsīyúchì ‘(3-shreds-fish-fins) shark fin with shred- 三丝鱼翅／三絲魚翅

ded chicken’

sānxiānhǎishēn ‘(3-fresh-seaslug) sea cucumber + 三鲜海参／三鮮海參

shredded pork, bamboo shoots, chicken’

gānzhámíngxiā ‘(dry-fried-prawns) dry-fried prawns’ 干炸明虾／乾炸明蝦

guōbāxiārén (~ xiārénrguōbā) ‘(pan-crust-shrimp-meat)’ 锅巴虾仁／鍋巴蝦仁

shrimp over scorched rice – aka ‘bombs over

Moscow’

Dòngtíngxiāpiàn ‘Dongting [Lake]-shrimp-slices’ 洞庭虾片 ／洞庭蝦片

xuědòuxiārénr ‘(snow-peas-shrimp)’ 雪斗虾仁／雪豆蝦仁

cuìpíxiāqiú ‘(crisp-skin-shrimp-ball) crispy shrimpballs’ 脆皮虾球／脆皮蝦球

qīngzhēnghémán ‘(steamed-river-eel)’ 清蒸河鳗／清蒸河鰻

tángcùyú ‘(sugar-vinegar-fish) sweet and sour fish’ 糖醋鱼／糖醋魚

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Xīhúcùyú ‘(West-Lake-vinegar-fish) West Lake [Hang 西湖醋鱼／西湖醋魚

Zhōu] fish’

wǔliǔyú ‘(5-willow-fish) sweet and sour fish pieces’ 五柳鱼／五柳魚

huóyúsānchī ‘(live-fish-3-eat)’; a fish cooked 3 ways – 活鱼三吃／活魚三吃

as soup, with sweet sauce, and with brown sauce.

chǎoyúpiàn ‘(stirfried-fish-slices)’ 炒鱼片／炒魚片

tángcùyúpiàn ‘(sugar-vinegar-fish-slices) sweet and sour 糖醋鱼片／糖醋魚片

fish’ [Cant.]

tángcùquányú ‘(sugar-vinegar-whole-fish) sweet and 糖醋全鱼／糖醋全魚

sour whole fish’ [Cant.]

hóngshāojiǎyú ‘(braised –carapace-fish) [Nánjīng region] 红烧甲鱼／ 紅燒甲魚

braised soft-shelled turtle’

qīngdùnníqiū ‘clear-stew-loach’ [loach or ‘smelt’, a fish] 清炖泥鳅／清燉泥鰍

stewed in clear broth’.

3. Bàochǎolèi ‘quick-stirfried’

chǎoyāohuā ‘(stirfried-kidney-flowers) fried pork 炒腰 花／炒腰花

kidney’

chǎozhūgān ‘(stirfried-pork-liver)’ 炒猪肝／炒豬肝

bàosānzhēn ‘(quickfried-3-treasures) fried chicken 爆三珍／爆三珍

giblets and pork stomach’

chǎojīdīng ‘(stirfried-chicken-cubes) fried diced 炒鸡丁／炒雞丁

chicken’

làzitiánjī ‘(chili-young-field-chicken) frog-legs in 辣子田鸡／辣子田雞

hot sauce’

jiàngbàotiánjī ‘(sauce-fastfried-field-chicken) frog-legs 酱爆田鸡／醬爆田雞

sautéed in duck sauce’

bàosānyàng ‘(quickfry-3-kinds) fried pork kidney, 爆三样／爆三樣

liver, plus other fried meat’

4. Ròulèi ‘meat [pork]’

jīngjiàngròusī ‘(Běijīng-sauce-meat-shreds)’ 京酱肉丝／京醬肉絲

dōngsǔnchǎoròusī ‘(winter-bambooshoots-stirfried- 冬笋炒肉丝／冬筍炒肉絲

meatshreds)’

cōngbàoniúròu ‘(onions-quickfried-beef) beef with 葱爆牛肉／蔥爆牛肉

green onions’

hóngshāodǔkuài ‘(red-braised-stomach-pieces) 红烧肚块／紅燒肚塊

braised pork stomach’

huíguōròu ‘(return-wok-meat) double-cooked pork’ 回锅肉／回鍋肉

9

jiàngbàoròu ‘(sauce-fastfried-meat) pork sautéed in 酱爆肉／醬爆肉

duck sauce’

nánjiānwánzi ‘(south-lightfry-balls) fried meat balls, 南煎丸子／南煎丸子

[southern style]’

quánjiāfú ‘(complete-home-fortune)’, like chopsuey. 全家福／全家福

gānbèisìsī‘(scallop-4-shreds) scallop + 4 meats or 干贝四丝／乾貝四絲

vegetables’

gúlǎoròu ‘sweet and sour pork’ [Cantonese] 咕老肉／咕老肉

mùxūròu ‘(wood-whiskers-meat) shredded pork with 木须肉／木須肉

vegetables, egg, stirfried’; mooshoo

tángcùpáigǔ ‘(sugar-vinegar-spareribs)’ 糖醋排骨／糖醋排骨

méicàikòuròu ‘(preserved-vegetable-stewed pork)’ 梅菜扣肉／梅菜扣肉

[Hakka dish]

5. Yóuzhálèi ‘oil-fried’

zházǐjī ‘(deepfried-young-chicken) 炸子鸡／炸子雞

zhábákuài ‘(deepfried-8-pieces)’ 炸八块／炸八塊

qīngzháféicháng ‘(clear-deepfried-fat 清炸肥肠／清炸肥腸

intestines’

zházhēngān ‘(deepfried-treasure-liver) 炸珍肝／炸珍肝

deepfried chicken giblets’

zhápáigǔ ‘(deepfried-spareribs)’ 炸排骨／炸排骨

6. Jīyālèi ‘chicken and duck’

hóngshāojī ‘(red-cooked-chicken)’ 红烧鸡／紅燒雞

tiánsuānjīkuài ‘(sweet-sour-chicken-pieces)’ 甜酸鸡块／甜酸雞塊

gōngbǎojīdīng ‘(gongbao-chicken-cubes)’; chicken 宫保鸡丁／宮保雞丁

cubes, chili and peanuts, stirfried.

jiàngbàojīdīng ‘(sauce-quickfry-chicken-cubes)’ 酱爆鸡丁／醬爆雞丁

yóulínzǐjī ‘(oil-baste-young-chicken)’ 油淋子鸡／油淋子雞

máogūjīpiàn ‘(mushrooms+chicken-slices) moogoogaipan 毛菇鸡片／毛菇雞片

yāoguǒjīdīng ‘(cashews-chicken-cubes)’ 腰果鸡丁／腰果雞丁

shícàijīqiú ‘(seasonal-vegetables-chicken-balls)’ 时菜鸡球／時菜雞球

zhábākuài ‘(deepfried-8-pieces)’- Peking style 炸八块／炸八塊

Zuǒgōngjī ‘(Zuo-duke-chicken) General Zuo’s 佐公鸡／佐公雞

chicken’, aka zuǒzōngtángjī; chicken pieces （佐宗棠鸡）

with chili, ginger, garlic.

fúróngjīpiàn ‘(fooyong-chicken-slices)’ 芙蓉鸡片／芙蓉雞片

10

xiāngsūyā ‘(aromatic-crisp-duck)’ 香酥鸭／香酥鴨

Běijīngkǎoyā ‘(Peking-roast-duck) Peking duck’ 北京烤鸭／北京烤鴨

chǎoyāzhǎng ‘(stirfried-duck-feet)’ 炒鸭掌／炒鴨掌

7. Shūcàilèi / sùcàilèi ‘vegetable dishes; vegetarian dishes’

háoyóujièlán ‘(oyster-sauce-Chinese-broccoli)’ 蚝油芥兰／蠔油芥蘭

yúxiāngqiézi ‘(fish-aroma-eggplant)’ 鱼香茄子／魚香茄子

chǎo’èrdōng (~ shāo’èrdōng) ‘(stir-fried-2-winter [veg]) 炒二冬／炒二冬

bamboo shoots and dried mushrooms （烧二冬）

chǎosāndōng ‘(stirfried-3-winters)’, bamboo shoots, 炒三冬／炒三冬

mushrooms, preserved cabbage （烧三冬）

bá ~ páshuāngcài ‘(boiled-pair-vegetables) cabbage and 扒双菜／扒雙菜

mustard greens’

jīyóubáicài ‘(chicken-fat-cabbage)’ 鸡油白菜／雞油白菜

sùshíjǐn ‘(vegetable-assortment)’ 素什锦／素什錦

fānqiéchǎojīdàn ‘(tomato-fried-eggs)’; fānqié 'foreign+ 番茄炒鸡蛋／番茄炒雞蛋

eggplant’

jiāchángdòufu ‘(home-frequent-doufu) home style 家常豆腐／家常豆腐

beancurd’

hóngshāodòufu ‘(red-braised-doufu) braised 红烧豆腐／紅燒豆腐

beancurd’

mápódòufu ‘(numb-old+woman-doufu) ‘Mother Po’s 麻婆豆腐／麻婆豆腐

toufu’, ie beancurd cubes, minced pork, spicy

sauce with Sichuan pepper

dōnggūdòufu ‘(mushroom+beancurd)’ 冬菇豆腐／冬菇豆腐

8. Shāguō ‘earthenware pot’

shāguōyútóu ‘(+fish-head)’ 沙锅鱼头／沙鍋魚頭

shāguōshízitóu ‘(+lion-head) large meatballs stewed 沙锅狮子头／沙鍋獅子頭

with cabbage leaves’

shāguōshíjǐn ‘(+ [veg] assortment)’ 沙锅什锦／沙鍋什錦

shāguōdòufu 沙锅豆腐／沙鍋豆腐

shāguōsānxiān 沙锅三鲜／沙鍋三鮮

9. Huǒguō ‘(fire-pot) hotpot; fondue’

shíjǐnhuǒguō ‘(assortment+hotpot)’ 什锦火锅／什錦火鍋

sānxiānhuǒguō 三鲜火锅／三鮮火鍋

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10. Tānglèi ‘soups’

bàoyútāng ‘(abalone)’ 鲍鱼汤／鮑魚湯

cuānyāzhǎng ‘(drop-in-boiling-water-duck-feet) 汆鸭掌／汆鴨掌

duck feet soup’

sānxiāntāng ‘(3-fresh-soup)’ with shrimp, pork, 三鲜汤／三鮮湯

and chicken’

suānlàtāng ‘(sour-hot-soup)’ 酸辣汤／酸辣湯

dànhuātāng ‘(egg-flower-soup) egg-drop soup’; more 蛋花汤／蛋花湯

often known as jīdàntāng in China. （鸡蛋汤）

cuānwánzi ‘(drop+in+boiling+water-meatballs) 汆丸子／汆丸子

zhūgāntāng ‘(pork-liver-soup)’ 猪肝汤／豬肝湯

húntuntāng ‘wontan soup’ 馄吞汤／餛吞湯

jiāchángdòufutāng ‘(home-often-dòufu-soup)’ 家常豆腐汤／家常豆腐湯

zhàcàiròusītāng ‘(picked-cabbage-pork-shreds-soup)’ 榨菜肉丝汤／榨菜肉絲湯

báicàidòufutāng ‘(white-cabbage-beancurd-soup)’ 白菜豆腐汤／白菜豆腐湯

huǒtuǐdōnggūtāng ‘(ham-mushroom-soup)’ 火腿冬菇汤／火腿冬菇湯

11. Miànlèi, often divided into tāngmiàn ‘noodle soup’ and lāomiàn ‘(ladle out-noodles) without soup’

ròusīchǎomiàn ‘(meat-shreds-stirfried-noodles)’ 肉丝炒面／肉絲炒麵

zhájiàngmiàn ‘(fried-sauce-noodles)’ noodles with bean 炸酱面／炸醬麵

paste and pork

shíjǐnchǎomiàn ‘(assorted-stirfried-noodles)’ 什锦炒面／什錦炒麵

dàlǔmiàn ‘(hit-stewed-noodles)’ 打卤面／打鹵麵

páigǔmian ‘(ribs-noodles)’ 排骨面／排骨麵

sānxiānmiàn ‘(3-freshes)’ 三鲜面／三鮮麵

dàndànmiàn ‘noodles with spicy sesame sauce’ – 担担面／擔擔麵

[Sichuan]

ròusīliángmiàn ‘(meat-shred-cold-noodle)’ 肉丝凉面／肉絲涼麵

ròusītāngmiàn ‘(meat-shreds-soup-noodle)’ 肉丝汤面／肉絲湯麵

chāshāotāngmiàn ‘(red+braised-noodle-soup)’ 叉烧汤面／叉燒湯麵

yúpiàntāngmiàn ‘(fish-slice-..)’ 鱼片汤面／魚片湯麵

xiāqiútāngmiàn ‘shrimp-ball-…)’ 虾球汤面／蝦球湯麵

gèshìlāomiàn ‘(any-style-lomein) lomein with either 各式捞面／各式撈麵

pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, veg. etc.

běnlóulāomiàn ‘(local-restaurant-lomein) house lomein’ 本楼捞面／本樓撈麵

gānchǎoniúhé ‘(dry-stirfried-beef-hefen) dry noodles 干炒牛河／乾炒牛河

chǐjiāoniúhé ‘(blackbean-chillies-beef-hefen)’ dry noodles, 鼓椒牛河／鼓椒牛河

and beef with black bean sauce.

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12. Zhǔshílèi ‘main-food-type = rice dishes’, not usually eaten alone in China.

chāshāochǎofàn ‘(roast-pork-fried-rice)’ 叉烧炒饭／叉燒炒飯

yúpiànchǎofàn ‘(fish-slices-friedrice)’ 鱼片炒饭／魚片炒飯

yángzhōuchǎofàn ‘Yangzhou style fried rice’ 扬州炒饭／揚州炒飯

xiārénrchǎofàn ‘shrimp meat fried rice’ 虾仁炒饭／蝦仁兒炒飯

sānxiānchǎofàn ‘fried rice with three fresh’ 三鲜炒饭／三鮮炒飯

13. Diǎnxīnlèi, ie Cantonese ‘dimsum’, as well as light fare from other regions.

jiǎozi ‘dumplings’ 饺子／餃子

shuǐjiǎo ‘(water) boiled dumplings’ 水饺／水餃

zhēngjiǎo ‘(steamed) steamed dumplings’ 蒸饺／蒸餃

bāozi ‘steamed buns’ 包子／包子

xiǎolóngbāo ‘(little-dragon-bao) small steamed buns’ 小龙包／小龍包

guōtiē ‘(pot-stick) potstickers’ 锅贴儿／鍋貼兒

shāomài ‘(cook-sell)’; steamed open ravioli or 烧卖／燒賣

dumplings.

chūnjuǎnr ‘(spring-rolls)’ 春卷儿／春卷兒

jiānbǐng ‘(fried-chapatti) + fried chapatti’ [zǎofàn] 煎饼／煎餅

xiànrbǐng ‘(stuffing-chapatti) meat filled chapatti’ 馅儿饼／餡兒餅

báobǐng = jiāchángbǐng ‘thin chapatti’ 薄饼／薄餅

shāobǐng ‘(cooked+chapatti)’ [zǎofàn] 烧饼／燒餅

mántou ‘steamed white buns; steamed bread’ 馒头／饅頭

huājuǎnr ‘flower twists’, a type of bread or bun 花卷儿／花卷兒

yóutiáo ‘(oil-lengths)’, sometimes called Chinese 油条／油條

doughnuts’; eaten with zhōu, shāobǐng etc.

zòngzi ‘rice and savories in a banana leaf packet’ 粽子／粽子

zhōu ‘porridge; gruel’; jīzhōu ‘chicken porridge’ 粥／粥

[zǎofàn]

14. Tiándiǎnlèi ‘desserts; sweets’

bābǎofàn ‘(8-jewel-rice)’ 八宝饭／八寶飯

hǔpòliánzǐ ‘(amber-lotus-seeds) lotus seeds 虎魄莲子／虎魄蓮子

steamed in sweet sauce’

básīxiāngjiāo ‘(pull-silk-bananas)’ candied bananas 拔丝香蕉／拔絲香蕉

xìngrénrdòufu ‘almond beancurd’ 杏仁儿豆腐／杏仁兒豆腐