Tantalizing the palate with Yunnan cuisine
haicai, xiaogua, xiaogua haicai,
Yunnan food has been my favorite among all the regional cuisines in China ever since I visited the province 11 years ago.
I’ve eaten at many restaurants that serve Yunnan cuisine in Shanghai and Beijing but have never been able to find one where the food tastes like those from the province. After all, many of the ingredients used in this cuisine are unique to Yunnan and are hard to preserve and transport.
When talking about Yunnan food, many diners will first mention the wellknown ham and flowers used in the dishes. My recommendation, however, would be to try the dishes made using local wild vegetables that are only be available in Yunnan.
The first must-try dish is or sea vegetable, which grows in lakes. This fragrant green vegetable has a smooth texture and a nice crispy and can be stir-fried with minced garlic or used in soups.
Another memorable vegetable dish choice is the or small melon. It is similar to vegetable marrow in Shanghai but is a little more chewy. Local people often stir-fry with minced garlic and ham or bacon to achieve a good balance of flavors.
Yunnan is also famous for its dried or fresh mushrooms. To have them all at a
baba,
go, head to a hotpot restaurant where you can feast on an assorted of them.
Yunnan has some notable local snacks as well, such as the
a baked pie made of wheat flour that can be found in Xizhou town of Dali city. The charcoal-baked pie, which has an addictive crispy exterior,
Xizhou
comes in sweet and salty options.
Most people prefer the sweet one, which has a red bean filling that is mixed with rose sauce. I found that the salty option, which is filled with minced preserved pork or ham and topped with chopped scallion, was just as delicious.