Chongqing Cuisine

Chongqing Hotpot (重庆火锅)

Chongqing Hotpot has long been the symbol of Chongqing’s food culture. The most famous thing in Chongqing is the hotpot. With the spicy and hot characteristic, Chongqing Hotpot can be regarded as one wonder of Chinese food. Chongqing Hotpot is mainly divided into two kinds – one is red soup and the other is clear soup. The red soup is mainly characterized by being spicy, delicious and fragrant, while the clear soup is mianly characterized by light color and delicious taste. Yuanyang Hotpot is the combination of these two kinds of soup. Namely, the hotpot is divided into two parts by an s-shaped metal slice and forms a pattern of Taiji. The colors of the two parts are distinct, with a half white and a half red. Chongqing Hotpot can use many things as materials. “Hun” (meat or fish diet) can be taken from poultry, domestic animal, viscera organ and aquatic products. Almost all vegetables can be used as the vegetable dish. As regards oil dish, Chongqing people like to mix castor oil with crushed garlic. It has the function of clearing away heat and can make the taste more delicious. In Chongqing, all seasons are suit to eat hotpot. It’s perfectly justifiable to eat it in winter, but the hotpot business is more flourishing in summer.

Shanjiang Hechuan Peach Slices (合川桃片)

With a history of more than 140 years, Hechuan Peach Slices is made from best-quality glutinous rice, Sichuan white sugar, gingili, lard, walnut kernel, rose, etc. It tastes soft, fragrant and sweet. It has the functions of nourishing Kidney, moistening lung and reducing cough.

Mayuan (麻元)

Mayuan is a kind of food which is a small ball of glutinous rice balls, with sweet filling inside and some sesame outside. It’s fried until its color changes into brown. It’s characterized by crisp surface and soft inside, round shape with empty core, and sweet taste with fragrance.

Small Glutinous Rice Dumplings (小汤圆)

Knead glutinous rice powder evenly into small balls, fill in sweet filling, and then cook them. It’s characterized by white color like pearl, transparent surface, indistinct filling, and sweet taste with fragrance.

Jiangjin Rice Sugar (江津米花糖)

This traditional famous local product has already had a history of nearly one hundred years. Jiangjin Rice Sugar is synthesized by refined glutinous rice, white sugar, maltose, oil made out of animals and plants, shelled peanut, peach kernel, rose candy, sesame, etc. It has many characteristics. It’s crisp, sweet and tasty with faint scent. It has the functions of nourishing kidney, stimulating appetite, and invigorating the spleen etc.

Lai Walnut Crisp Cake (桃酥)

Invented in the twenties, Lai Walnut Crisp Cake is a famous traditional dessert in Chongqing. It’s famous for being fragrant, sweet, crisp and loose. The surface presents the pattern of the walnut shell, with the natural breaches. It is deep yellow, shiny and smooth. It tastes delicious.

Other typical Chongqing dishes:

Hui Guo Rou (Twiced cooked spicy pork slices. 回锅肉)
Suan Cai Yu (Fish slices in sour and spicy pickled vegetable soup. 酸菜鱼)
Tang Cu Li Ji (Fried pork fillet slices in sweet and sour sauce. 糖醋里脊)
Shao Bai (Steamed fatty pork with preserved vegetables. 烧白)
Dou Fu Yu (Fish with tofu. 豆腐鱼)
Yu Xiang Rou Si (“Fish flavoured” pork shreads. 鱼香肉丝)
Hong Shao Rou (Chinese bouilli. 红烧肉)
Gong Bao Ji Ding (Gongpao Chicken. 宫爆鸡丁)
Mu Er Rou Pian (Black Agaric and pork slice stir-fries. 木耳肉片)
Shui Zhu Rou Pian (Pork/beef slices in hot and spicy soup. 水煮肉片)
Ma Po Dou Fu (Numbing and spicy tofu. 麻婆豆腐)

Noodle

Xiao Mian (Noodle with no tops. 小面)
Niu Rou Mian (Beef noodle. 杂酱面)
Liang Mian (Spicy cold noodle. 凉面)
Liang Fen (Spicy rice/soybean pudding slices. 凉粉)
Chao Shou (Szechuan dumplings. 抄手)

(Source: http://www.cqexpat.com)

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