Eating Your Way Across China 145 Pork dumplings (shao mai)—A mix of minced pork and
shrimp, cooked in an open egg-based wrapper.
Turnip cake (luo bo gao)—Steamed and mashed turnip,
mixed with sausage, pork, shrimp and mushrooms, and
pan fried. Tastes great when dipped into a little vinegar.
Congee (zhou)—Rice cooked until it is soupy and seasoned
with different meats and vegetables. This is a favourite
breakfast dish in China.
Crispy chicken (jiao yan cui ji)—Barbecued chicken that is
crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Served with
salt, pepper and soy sauce on the side.
Sweet and sour pork (gu lao rou)—Familiar at Chinese
restaurants in the West: deep-fried chunks of pork served
in a sweet sauce of ketchup, sugar and vinegar.
Stir-fried beef with onion (cong bao niu rou)—Strips of
steak stir fried in oyster sauce with onions.
Egg custard tart (dan ta)—Small pastries cooked with a
slightly sweet egg custard inside. A legacy of the Portuguese
influence on south China.
Pork dumplings (shao mai) is a very popular dim sum dish in China.