Top 10 Chinese Foods & Dishes to Try

Silken tofu swims in a crimson broth of fermented black beans, minced pork, and Sichuan peppercorns that produce a numbing, lip-tingling heat unlike anything else.

Shanghai's soup dumplings conceal a nugget of pork and a pool of hot broth inside a pleated dough wrapper — eating one cleanly is an art form in itself.

The Cantonese tradition of yum cha encompasses dozens of small dishes wheeled on carts, from steamed shrimp har gow to flaky egg tarts and char siu bao.

Diced chicken, peanuts, and dried chillis are flash-fried in a wok over ferocious heat to produce a dish of perfectly balanced sweet, sour, salty, and spicy notes.

Diners gather around a bubbling cauldron of spiced broth — Chongqing's volcano-red version is the gold standard — dipping thinly sliced meat and vegetables.

Cantonese barbecued pork marinated in fermented red bean curd and honey, roasted until its edges caramelise to a deep mahogany glaze.

A Sichuan street classic of wheat noodles topped with minced pork, preserved vegetables, sesame paste, and enough chilli oil to stain your shirt permanently.

A prized delicacy in Hong Kong and Guangdong, roasted until the skin is shatteringly crisp and the meat stays juicy with the bird's natural rich fat.

A vegetarian feast of tofu, glass noodles, lotus root, and lily buds braised together — traditionally eaten on the first day of the Lunar New Year for good fortune.

Silken tofu swims in a crimson broth of fermented black beans, minced pork, and Sichuan peppercorns that produce a numbing, lip-tingling heat unlike anything else.

Shanghai's soup dumplings conceal a nugget of pork and a pool of hot broth inside a pleated dough wrapper — eating one cleanly is an art form in itself.

The Cantonese tradition of yum cha encompasses dozens of small dishes wheeled on carts, from steamed shrimp har gow to flaky egg tarts and char siu bao.

Diced chicken, peanuts, and dried chillis are flash-fried in a wok over ferocious heat to produce a dish of perfectly balanced sweet, sour, salty, and spicy notes.

Diners gather around a bubbling cauldron of spiced broth — Chongqing's volcano-red version is the gold standard — dipping thinly sliced meat and vegetables.

Cantonese barbecued pork marinated in fermented red bean curd and honey, roasted until its edges caramelise to a deep mahogany glaze.

A Sichuan street classic of wheat noodles topped with minced pork, preserved vegetables, sesame paste, and enough chilli oil to stain your shirt permanently.

A prized delicacy in Hong Kong and Guangdong, roasted until the skin is shatteringly crisp and the meat stays juicy with the bird's natural rich fat.

A vegetarian feast of tofu, glass noodles, lotus root, and lily buds braised together — traditionally eaten on the first day of the Lunar New Year for good fortune.