Total best Chinese Street Food Delicious You Should Try At Least Once

Though one country, China‘s vastness has allowed for many different types of Chinese cuisine to develop. We check out the dishes and delicacies you should try at least once.

Jianbing (Chinese Crepes)

Known as the Chinese crepes, jianbing is one of the most common street foods eaten for breakfast in China. It is easily accessible around street corners, outside of subway stations and tourist attractions. Though the types of Jianbing vary by city, the main ingredients are generally the same. The dough is made of wheat and grain flour and fried on a griddle with egg as the base. Meanwhile, the center is filled with scallions, lettuce, cilantro, and rich chili sauce.

Jiaozi (Chinese Dumplings)

Filled with vegetables and/or meat, jiaozi – or Chinese dumplings – are common street foods. They are shaped like ancient gold ingots, which were believed to bring you good luck. They are often shallow fried or deep-fried and eaten with a dip of soy-vinegar sauce for flavor. One bite releases a mouthful of hot, juicy broth that reaches every sense on the tongue, creating an explosive mixture of flavors. Jiaozis are eaten all throughout the year, but more so on Chinese New Years.

Jiaozi | ©Ruocaled/Flickr

Jiaozi | ©Ruocaled/Flickr

Pai gu nian gao (Pork Chop with Rice Cakes)

Pai gu nian gao is essentially a Chinese dish with pork chops and fried rice cakes. Pork chop is marinated and boiled with oil, sugar, sauce and ginger, while glutinous rice flour is ground into a paste, sliced into thin, small segments, wrapped around the pork chop and then fried. The cooking process results in a hot, slightly sticky, compact meal that conceals the juicy flavors of the pork chops as well as the sauce.

Cifantuan or Ci Faan (Glutinous rice balls)

Cifantuan or ci faan are rice balls filled with various flavorful local ingredients. The most common types are the savory kinds. These include aha cai (pickled vegetable), rousing (pork floss) and youtiao (long golden-brown strips of deep-fried dough). There are also the sweet variations, which consist of the same ingredients as the savory one but with added sugar as well as sesame. Cifantuan are one of the most popular breakfast dishes along the streets of Nanyang Lu and Xikang Lu in Shanghai.

Youtiao | ©Brian Jeffery Beggerly/Flickr

Youtiao | ©Brian Jeffery Beggerly/Flickr

Baozi (Chinese Bread Buns)

Baozi are dough buns often filled with juicy meat such as barbecued pork and/or vegetables, and steamed in steaming trays made of bamboo. They are prepared similarly to the way jiaozi dumplings are prepared – the only difference is that baozi consists of thicker dough, as well as a larger amount of filling. They often appear in two sizes: Dabao (‘big buns’), which are the most common forms of baozi sold by street vendors, and Xiaobao (‘small buns’).

Baozi | ©DavideGorla/Flickr

Baozi | ©DavideGorla/Flickr

Huo guo (Hotpot)

Huo guo, more commonly known as hotpot, is a Sichuan specialty that has spread its influence throughout the country. Over time, many variations have developed in each region of China, using different meat as well as soup bases, sauces and condiments. The most famous of all huo guo is the Chongqing ma la hotpot, which adds Sichuan pepper to the boiling meat broth. It is known to leave a burning and spicy sensation on the tongue.

Rou Jia Mo (Chinese Hamburger)

Rou Jia Mo is a Chinese version of the American hamburger, except the buns are thinner and flavored with meat gravy and chili paste – rather than ketchup and mustard. The meat is shredded rather than a large, circular patty. Each vendor sells rou jia mo with his or her own special filling of spiced mix. The two most common types are Shaanxi Province’s lazhirous jiamo, which is made with pork in gravy, and Ningxia Hui Automonous Region’s yangrou roujiamo, which is made with lamb.

Donkey Meat Sandwich

According to historical records, donkey meat has been a Chinese delicacy since the Ming Dynasty. Back then, it was eaten for military men’s survival. Today it is an easily accessible, popular, common street food that is simple to carry on the go, particularly in Baoding. The donkey meat is first shredded and then stewed with a mix of various spices and sauces. This results in a juicy, savory batch of meat that is placed in between two sandwich buns.