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Abalone

Abalone ( (listen) or ; via spanish abulón, from rumsen aulón) is a common name for any of a group of small to very large marine gastropod molluscs in the family haliotidae. other common names are ear shells, sea ears, and, rarely, muttonfish or muttonshells in parts of australia, ormer in the uk, perlemoen in south africa, and the maori name for three species in new zealand is pāua. abalones are marine snails. their taxonomy puts them in the family haliotidae, which contains only one genus, haliotis, which once contained six subgenera. these subgenera have become alternate representations of haliotis. the number of species recognized worldwide ranges between 30 and 130 with over 230 species-level taxa described. the most comprehensive treatment of the family considers 56 species valid, with 18 additional subspecies. the shells of abalones have a low, open spiral structure, and are characterized by several open respiratory pores in a row near the shell's outer edge. the thick inner layer of the shell is composed of nacre (mother-of-pearl), which in many species is highly iridescent, giving rise to a range of strong, changeable colors which make the shells attractive to humans as decorative objects, jewelry, and as a source of colorful mother-of-pearl. the flesh of abalones is widely considered to be a desirable food, and is consumed raw or cooked by a variety of cultures.

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Baiguo dun laoya

Stewed duck with gingko

Dessert, Sweet

Baobing

Tshuah-ping (taiwanese hokkien: 礤冰 or 剉冰; pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhoah-peng) or tsua bing, also known as baobing (chinese: 刨冰; pinyin: bàobīng) in mandarin, is a shaved ice dessert introduced to taiwan during taiwan under japanese rule, and then spread from taiwan to greater china and countries with large regional overseas chinese populations such as malaysia and singapore. it is especially popular in taiwan where the dish has a variation called xuehua bing (雪花冰), in which the ice is not made out of water but milk. the dessert consists of a large mound of ice shavings with various toppings on top. a wide variety of toppings exist, but the most common ones include sugar water, condensed milk, adzuki beans, mung beans, and tapioca balls. fruit are also used according to the season. mango baobing is typically only available in the summer, while strawberry baobing is available in the winter. traditionally, these shavings were created by hand using a large mallet to crush ice or a blade to shave ice. now, most stores use machines, which result in finer, thinner ice shavings.

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Beef chow fun

Beef chow fun, also known as gōn cháau ngàuh hó or gānchǎo níuhé in chinese (乾炒牛河) meaning "dry fried beef shahe noodles", is a staple cantonese dish, made from stir-frying beef, hor fun (wide rice noodles) and bean sprouts. it is commonly found in yum cha restaurants in guangdong, hong kong, and overseas, as well as in cha chaan tengs. chow fun, or stir-fried hor fun (shahe fen) noodles, is any number of different individual preparations (and could be compared to the number of pizza varieties in united states cuisine). in the philippines, it is called "beef hofan" (河粉). the main ingredient of this dish is hor fun noodles, which is also known as shahe fen, originating in the town of shahe in guangzhou. it is a wide, flat noodle that is cut into shape (qiefen.) the most common methods of cooking hor fun are in soup or stir fried. hor fun can be dry-fried (fried only with condiments such as soy sauce) or wet-fried (fried with a thickening sauce). today, the dry-fried variant is much more common, to the extent that the method is usually not specified - "hor fun" on a restaurant menu would refer to dry-fried hor fun. sliced beef is marinated first. then, the beef is seared in a wok. other ingredients and the hor fun noodles are added, then combined with the beef and sauce. the bean sprouts are then stir-fried with the rest of the chow fun until they are tender and the dish is ready to serve.an important factor in the making of this dish is wok hei (鑊氣). the cooking must be done over a high flame and the stirring must be done quickly. not only must the hor fun be stirred quickly, it must not be handled too strongly or it will break into pieces. the amount of oil also needs to be controlled very well; if not, the excess oil or dry texture will ruin the dish. because of these factors, this dish is a major test for chefs in cantonese cooking.

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Beef in oyster sauce

Beef and vegetables with oyster sauce

Main

Beef offal

Main

Braised abalone

Slow-cooked abalone with mushrooms, vegetables, oysters sauce

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Braised beef stew

Braised beef brisket stew or soup

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Braised pigeon

The chinese flying pigeon is a breed of domestic pigeon. chinese flying pigeons, along with other varieties of domesticated pigeons, are all descendants from the rock pigeon (columba livia).

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Cantonese fried rice

Fried rice with cantonese sausage, pork, garlic

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Cantonese roast duck

Savory roast duck with crispy skin

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Chaoshan beef hot pot

Beef hot pot with offal, meatballs, vegetables, serve with fu zhu (腐竹) dried tofu skin roll, shacha sauce (sha cha sauce, 沙茶酱)

Main

Chargrilled oysters

Oysters cooked over a grill

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Char siu

Char siu (chinese: 叉燒; pinyin: chāshāo; cantonese yale: chāsīu) is a cantonese style of barbecued pork. it is eaten with rice, or used as an ingredient for noodle dishes or stir fries, or as a filling for chasiu baau. five-spice powder is the primary spice, honey or other sweeteners are used as a glaze, and the characteristic red color comes from the red yeast rice when made traditionally. it is classified as a type of siu mei (燒味), cantonese roasted meat.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Chee cheong fun

A rice noodle roll (also translated as steamed rice roll) is a cantonese dish from guangdong province in southern china, commonly served either as a snack, small meal or variety of dim sum. it is a thin roll made from a wide strip of shahe fen (rice noodles), filled with shrimp, beef, vegetables, or other ingredients. seasoned soy sauce—sometimes with siu mei drippings—is poured over the dish upon serving. when plain and made without filling, the rice noodle is also known as jyu cheung fan. the name, jyu cheung fan, “jyu” means “pig” in cantonese, “cheung” means “intestine”, and “fan” means “noodles”. combining means the pig intestine noodle roll because the appearance of the noodle roll looks like pig's intestine. there is no official recording of the history of the rice noodle roll. most cooking books mention that the jyu cheung fan was begun in the 1930s. a snack or breakfast that sold in many street restaurants. in guangzhou, guangdong province, people called it laai cheung because it is a noodle roll that pulled or pushed by hand.

Dessert, Sweet

Chinese almond cookies

A chinese almond biscuit or chinese almond cookie (chinese: 杏仁餅) is a type of chinese pastry that is made with ground mung bean. it was originally made without almond, and the name refers to the almond shape of the original biscuit, but now the chinese almond biscuit is usually round-shaped and often contains almond. the biscuit is one of the most standard pastries in guangdong, hong kong, macau, and in some overseas chinese bakeries. they are small, containing no filling. in addition, they are very crumbly. in macau, the snack has been one of the most popular specialty products, especially near the ruins of the cathedral of st. paul, streets are packed with 10 to 20 stores, all selling different flavors of almond biscuits next to one another. hawkers line up on the street to push the merchandise. it is recommended on the official macau tourism website as a famous macanese snack. choi heong yuen bakery and koi kei are among the most famous brands of almond biscuits from macau.

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Chinjao rosu

Stir fried beef with bamboo shoots

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Choy sum

Choy sum (also spelled choi sum, choi sam in cantonese; cai xin in mandarin; or yu choy 油菜 in hong kong cantonese) is a leafy vegetable commonly used in chinese cuisine. it is a member of the genus brassica of the mustard family, brassicaceae (brassica rapa var. parachinensis or brassica chinensis var. parachinensis). choy sum is a transliteration of the cantonese name (chinese: 菜心), which can be literally translated as "heart of the vegetable". it is also known as chinese flowering cabbage.

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Crispy skinned roast goose

Qingyuan black-brown geese are blanched, air-dried, marinated then roasted in an oven

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Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish or cuttles are marine molluscs of the order sepiida. they belong to the class cephalopoda, which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. cuttlefish have a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone, which is used for control of buoyancy. cuttlefish have large, w-shaped pupils, eight arms, and two tentacles furnished with denticulated suckers, with which they secure their prey. they generally range in size from 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in), with the largest species, the giant cuttlefish (sepia apama), reaching 50 cm (20 in) in mantle length and over 10.5 kg (23 lb) in mass.cuttlefish eat small molluscs, crabs, shrimp, fish, octopus, worms, and other cuttlefish. their predators include dolphins, sharks, fish, seals, seabirds, and other cuttlefish. the typical life expectancy of a cuttlefish is about 1–2 years. studies are said to indicate cuttlefish to be among the most intelligent invertebrates. cuttlefish also have one of the largest brain-to-body size ratios of all invertebrates.the "cuttle" in cuttlefish comes from the old english name for the species, cudele, which may be cognate with the old norse koddi (cushion) and the middle low german kudel (rag). the greco-roman world valued the cuttlefish as a source of the unique brown pigment the creature releases from its siphon when it is alarmed. the word for it in both greek and latin, sepia, now refers to the reddish-brown color sepia in english.

Main

Dace fish balls

Minced dace (mud carp) fish balls, also made into patties (香煎鯪魚餅)

Dessert, Sweet

Dan ta

Portuguese egg custard tart

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Dim sum

Dim sum (traditional chinese: 點心; simplified chinese: 点心; pinyin: diǎnxīn; cantonese yale: dím sām) is a large range of small chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch. most modern dim sum dishes originated in china and are commonly associated with cantonese cuisine, although dim sum dishes also exist in other chinese cuisines. in the tenth century, when the city of guangzhou (canton) began to experience an increase in commercial travel, many frequented teahouses for small-portion meals with tea called yum cha, or "drink tea" meals. yum cha includes two related concepts. the first is "yat jung leung gin" (一盅兩件), which translates literally as "one cup, two pieces". this refers to the custom of serving teahouse customers two pieces of delicately made food items, savory or sweet, to complement their tea. the second is dim sum (點心) and translates literally to "touching heart", the term used to designate the small food items that accompanied the tea drinking. teahouse owners gradually added various snacks called "dim sum" to their offerings. the practice of having tea with dim sum eventually evolved into the modern yum cha (brunch). cantonese dim sum culture developed rapidly during the latter half of the nineteenth century in guangzhou. cantonese dim sum was based originally on local foods. as dim sum continued to develop, chefs introduced influences and traditions from other regions of china.there are over one thousand dim sum dishes in existence today. some estimates claim that there are at least two thousand types of dim sum, though only about forty to fifty types are commonly sold outside of china. cantonese dim sum has a very broad range of flavors, textures, cooking styles and ingredients, and can be classified into regular items, seasonal offerings, weekly specials, banquet dishes, holiday dishes, house signature dishes, travel-friendly, as well as breakfast or lunch foods and late night snacks.dim sum restaurants typically have a wide variety of dishes, usually totaling several dozen. the tea is very important, just as important as the food. many cantonese restaurants serve dim sum as early as five in the morning, while more traditional restaurants typically serve dim sum until mid-afternoon. dim sum restaurants have a unique serving method where servers offer dishes to customers from steam-heated carts. it is now commonplace for restaurants to serve dim sum at dinner time and sell various dim sum items a la carte for takeout. in addition to traditional dim sum, some chefs also create and prepare new fusion-based dim sum dishes. there are variations designed for visual appeal on social media, such as dumplings and buns made to resemble animals, that also exist.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Dipping sauces for white cut chicken

Dessert, Sweet

Double skin milk

Steamed milk egg pudding

Drink

Dou jiang

Soy milk, used to make hot soup, serve with youtiao (deep-fried dough sticks), the combination of soy milk soup with fried dough is dou jiang you tiao (doujiang youtiao)

Dessert, Sweet

Dowry cake

Marry girl cake or dowry cake is a traditional chinese cake that was once a ceremonial cake used as a wedding gift in the traditional chinese wedding ceremony, hence the name. today, this cake is known more as a classic chinese pastry rather than a wedding gift because it has lost most of its original significance due to cultural change. it can be found in hong kong and in some chinatowns overseas.

Main

Eight treasure winter melon soup

An eight ingredient soup, including meat and seafood, served in a white gourd

Dessert, Sweet

Fa gao

Fa gao (simplified chinese: 发糕; traditional chinese: 發粿; pinyin: fāgāo; pe̍h-ōe-jī: hoat-koé), also called fat pan (發粄; fa ban) by the hakka, prosperity cake, fortune cake, cantonese sponge cake, is a chinese steamed, cupcake-like pastry. because it is often characterized by a split top when cooked, it is often referred as chinese smiling steamed cake or blooming flowers. it is commonly consumed on the chinese new year. it is also eaten on other festivals, wedding, and funerals by the hakka people.

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Fish

Many species of fish are caught by humans and consumed as food in virtually all regions around the world. fish has been an important dietary source of protein and other nutrients throughout human history. the english language does not have a special culinary name for food prepared from fish like with other animals (as with pig vs. pork), or as in other languages (such as spanish pescado vs. pez). in culinary and fishery contexts, fish may include so-called shellfish such as molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms; more expansively, seafood covers both fish and other marine life used as food.since 1961, the average annual increase in global apparent food fish consumption (3.2 percent) has outpaced population growth (1.6 percent) and exceeded consumption of meat from all terrestrial animals, combined (2.8 percent) and individually (bovine, ovine, porcine, etc.), except poultry (4.9 percent). in per capita terms, food fish consumption has grown from 9.0 kg (19.8 lb) in 1961 to 20.2 kg (45 lb) in 2015, at an average rate of about 1.5 percent per year. the expansion in consumption has been driven not only by increased production, but also by a combination of many other factors, including reduced wastage, better utilization, improved distribution channels and growing consumer demand, linked with population growth, rising disposable incomes and urbanization.europe, japan and the united states of america together accounted for 47 percent of the world's total food fish consumption in 1961, but only about 20 percent in 2015. of the global total of 149 million tonnes in 2015, asia consumed more than two-thirds (106 million tonnes at 24.0 kg per capita). oceania and africa consumed the lowest share. the shift is the result of structural changes in the sector and in particular the growing role of asian countries in fish production, as well as a significant gap between the economic growth rates of the world's more mature fish markets and those of many increasingly important emerging markets around the world, particularly in asia.

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Fried chicken

Fried chicken, also known as southern fried chicken, is a dish consisting of chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and pan-fried, deep fried, pressure fried, or air fried. the breading adds a crisp coating or crust to the exterior of the chicken while retaining juices in the meat. broiler chickens are most commonly used. the first dish known to have been deep fried was fritters, which were popular in the european middle ages. however, the scottish were the first europeans to deep fry their chicken in fat (though without seasoning). meanwhile, many west african peoples had traditions of seasoned fried chicken (though battering and cooking the chicken in palm oil). scottish frying techniques and west african seasoning techniques were combined by enslaved africans and african-americans in the american south.

Main

Fried noodles

Fried noodles are common throughout east asia, southeast asia and south asia. many varieties, cooking styles, and ingredients exist.

Main

Fried pork skin curry

Main

Fun guo

Steamed dumplings

Dessert, Sweet

Ginger milk curd

Sweet ginger pudding made with milk, sugar and ginger

Main

Ginger scallion lobster

Drink

Guilin oil tea

Main

Gu lu rou

Sweet and sour pork

Main

Hakka salt baked chicken

Chicken is covered in salt, then baked, a hakka creation

Main

Hakka stuffed tofu

Steamed tofu stuffed with minced meat and prawns

Main

Har gau

Har gow (sometimes anglicized as "ha gow", "haukau", "hakao"; chinese: 蝦餃; cantonese yale: hā gáau; pinyin: xiājiǎo) is a traditional cantonese dumpling served in dim sum.

Dessert, Sweet

Hong dou tang

Hong dou tang (simplified chinese: 紅豆汤; traditional chinese: 紅豆湯; pinyin: hóngdòutāng; jyutping: hung4 dau6 tong1; lit. red bean soup) is a popular chinese dish served in mainland china, hong kong, and taiwan. it is categorized as a tang shui 糖水 (pinyin: táng shuǐ) (literally translated as sugar water) or sweet soup. it is often served cold during the summer, and hot in the winter. leftover red bean soup can also be frozen to make ice pops and is a popular dessert. in cantonese cuisine, a red bean soup made from rock sugar, sun-dried tangerine peels, and lotus seeds is commonly served as a dessert at the end of a restaurant or banquet meal. common variations include the addition of ingredients such as sago (西米, pinyin: xī mi), tapioca, coconut milk, ice cream, glutinous rice balls, or purple rice. the two types of sugar used interchangeably are rock sugar and sliced sugar (片糖).

Main

Hot pot

Hot pot or hotpot (simplified chinese: 火锅; traditional chinese: 火鍋; pinyin: huǒguō; lit. 'fire pot'), also known as soup-food or steamboat, is a cooking method that originated in china. a heat source on the dining table keeps a pot of soup stock simmering, and a variety of chinese foodstuffs and ingredients are served beside the pot for the diners to put into the hot stock.

Main

Hu guo cai

Leafy greens, beef, chicken, pork, cooked in a meat broth

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Jook sing mein

Jook-sing noodles is a rare type of cantonese noodle found in some parts of hong kong, macau, and some parts of canton in guangdong province, china.

Main

Lao huo tang

Slow cooked soup made with duck, fish, beef

Main

Lettuce soup

Lettuce soup is a soup prepared with lettuce as a primary ingredient. it may be prepared with myriad lettuces and other ingredients, and some lettuce soups may use several cultivars of lettuce in their preparation. it is a part of french cuisine and chinese cuisine. cream of lettuce soup is a type of lettuce soup prepared using milk or cream. the soup may be served with toast or rolls as a side dish or with the soup atop them. it may be served as an appetizer, a side dish or as a main dish, and may be served hot or cold.

Main

Lobster poached in chicken consomme

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Lo soi

A master sauce made with spices, cho guor, licorice root, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, used to make the dish old water duck

Main

Mee pok

Mee pok is a chinese noodle characterized by its flat and yellow appearance, varying in thickness and width. the dish is of teochew origin and is commonly served in the chaoshan region of china and countries with a significant teochew chinese immigrant population such as singapore, malaysia and thailand. mee pok is commonly served tossed in a sauce (often referred to as "dry", or tah in hokkien (pe̍h-ōe-jī: ta)), though sometimes served in a soup (where it is referred to as "soup", or terng). meat and vegetables are added on top. mee pok can be categorised into two variants, fish ball mee pok (yu wan mee pok), and mushroom minced meat mee pok (bak chor mee). bak chor mee is usually prepared using thin noodles ("mee kia")< widely known as wanton style noodles or in this case mee pok, while yu wan mee both styles can be cooked with other noodle varieties. mee pok is a staple commonly offered in hawker centres and coffee shops (kopitiams in parts of southeast asia) in singapore, together with other chinese noodle dishes. “mee pok” is commonly misused as a lazy term to cut short naming. technically mee pok is actually a reference to the type of noodles not the dish. you will see that the dishes as mentioned are meant to be bak chor mee or fish ball noodles.

Dessert, Sweet

Nai huang bao

Sweet egg bun

Main

Old water duck

Duck simmered in lo soi (old water), a sauce made with spices, cho guor, licorice root, ginger, soy sauce, sugar

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Orange cuttlefish

Orange cuttlefish or orange squid is the most common english name used for the cuttlefish dish in cantonese cuisine. it is a siu mei although it is not quite roasted. the dish is most commonly found in southern china, hong kong and overseas chinatowns.

Main

Orange cuttlefish

Orange cuttlefish or orange squid is the most common english name used for the cuttlefish dish in cantonese cuisine. it is a siu mei although it is not quite roasted. the dish is most commonly found in southern china, hong kong and overseas chinatowns.

Dessert, Sweet

Ox tongue pastry

Ox-tongue pastry (chinese: 牛脷酥; pinyin: niúlìsū; jyutping: ngau4 lei 6 sou1) or horse-ear pastry (chinese: 马耳; pinyin: mǎěr), also referred to as chinese doughnut, is a chinese pastry that is popular in south china in the provinces of guangdong and fujian. it is a fried dough food that is elliptical in shape and resembles an ox tongue or a horse ear. the pastry texture is chewy, with a soft interior and a crunchy crust. ox-tongue pastry is lightly sweetened, and eaten as part of breakfast with soy milk. the pastry is made in a similar way as youtiao, however, sugar is added to the flour.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Oyster sauce

Oyster sauce describes a number of sauces made by cooking oysters. the most common in modern use is a viscous dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts, sugar, salt and water thickened with corn starch. some versions may be darkened with caramel, though high-quality oyster sauce is naturally dark. it is commonly used in chinese, thai, malay, vietnamese, and khmer cuisine.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Pao cai

Pao cai (chinese: 泡菜; pinyin: pàocài; wade–giles: p'ao4 ts'ai4), also romanization as pao tsai, also known as chinese pickles (chinese: 葅), chinese sauerkraut, or pickled cabbage, is referred to fermented vegetables in chinese, which typically use different vegetables (e.g. chinese cabbage, cabbage, radish, mustard stems, long beans, peppers, daikon, carrots, and ginger) as raw materials. the different vegetables are then fermented in an anaerobic jar which contains a special pao cai brine. to improve the flavours and create antibacterial effects, garlic, ginger, chilli, onion and cloves can be added during the process of pickle fermentation. in chinese, pao cai is particularly found in sichuan cuisine. it is most commonly found in northern and western china; however, there is also a unique form of pao cai, called suan cai, which is prominent in northeastern china. it is often eaten with congee as a breakfast food. there exists more than 11 types of pao cai in china.similar fermented vegetables can be found all over the world with various favors, and they are also referred to as pao cai in chinese, such as the sichuanese zha cai, central american curtido, french cornichons, and the german sauerkraut.

Main

Pigeon

Roast pigeon (烤乳鴿), braised, fried, in soup

Main

Pijiu yu

Beer fish, stir fried freshwater fish with ginger, garlic, tomatoes, bell peppers, spring onions and beer

Main

Pinecone fish

Sweet and sour deep-fried fish that has been cut so the meat forms a pinecone-like shape during cooking

Main

Pork and taro

Braised, steamed or stewed pork with taro

Main

Pork offal soup

Main

Pork trotter jelly

Stewed and congealed pig's feet jelly, serve with ginger and zhenjiang vinegar

Dessert, Sweet

Put chai ko

Put chai ko (chinese: 缽仔糕 or 砵仔糕; cantonese yale: butjái gōu) is a popular snack in hong kong. the pudding cake is palm size and is sweet in taste. it is soft, but can hold its molded shape outside a bowl. the cake is made from white or brown sugar, long-grain rice flour with a little wheat starch or cornstarch. sometimes red beans are also added. the batter is poured into porcelain bowls and steamed until cooked through. then it is let cooled and served at room temperature. traditionally, the hawker inserts two bamboo skewers into the cake to turn it out and the eater holds the skewers to consume. at present, most put chai ko are sold in plastic bags.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Rice vermicelli

Rice vermicelli is a thin form of noodle. it is sometimes referred to as 'rice noodles' or 'rice sticks', but should not be confused with cellophane noodles, a different asian type of vermicelli made from mung bean starch or rice starch rather than rice grains themselves.

Main

Roast suckling pig

Main

Sautéed bass balls

Bass filets cut in a shallow manner that makes the filets curl up into balls

Main

Scallop

Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks (saltwater clams) in the taxonomic family pectinidae, the scallops. however, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families within the superfamily pectinoidea, which also includes the thorny oysters. scallops are a cosmopolitan family of bivalves which are found in all of the world's oceans, although never in fresh water. they are one of very few groups of bivalves to be primarily "free-living", with many species capable of rapidly swimming short distances and even of migrating some distance across the ocean floor. a small minority of scallop species live cemented to rocky substrates as adults, while others attach themselves to stationary or rooted objects such as sea grass at some point in their lives by means of a filament they secrete called a byssal thread. the majority of species, however, live recumbent on sandy substrates, and when they sense the presence of a predator such as a starfish, they may attempt to escape by swimming swiftly but erratically through the water using jet propulsion created by repeatedly clapping their shells together. scallops have a well-developed nervous system, and unlike most other bivalves all scallops have a ring of numerous simple eyes situated around the edge of their mantles. many species of scallops are highly prized as a food source, and some are farmed as aquaculture. the word "scallop" is also applied to the meat of these bivalves, the adductor muscle, that is sold as seafood. the brightly coloured, symmetric, fan-shaped shells of scallops with their radiating and often fluted ornamentation are valued by shell collectors, and have been used since ancient times as motifs in art, architecture, and design. owing to their widespread distribution, scallop shells are a common sight on beaches and are often brightly coloured, making them a popular object to collect among beachcombers and vacationers. the shells also have a significant place in popular culture, including symbolism.

Main

Seafood

Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus and squid), crustaceans (e.g. shrimp, crabs, and lobster), and echinoderms (e.g. sea cucumbers and sea urchins). historically, marine mammals such as cetaceans (whales and dolphins) as well as seals have been eaten as food, though that happens to a lesser extent in modern times. edible sea plants such as some seaweeds and microalgae are widely eaten as sea vegetables around the world, especially in asia. seafood is an important source of (animal) protein in many diets around the world, especially in coastal areas. semi-vegetarians who consume seafood as the only source of meat are said to adhere to pescetarianism. the harvesting of wild seafood is usually known as fishing or hunting, while the cultivation and farming of seafood is known as aquaculture and fish farming (in the case of fish). most of the seafood harvest is consumed by humans, but a significant proportion is used as fish food to farm other fish or rear farm animals. some seafoods (i.e. kelp) are used as food for other plants (a fertilizer). in these ways, seafoods are used to produce further food for human consumption. also, products such as fish oil and spirulina tablets are extracted from seafoods. some seafood is fed to aquarium fish, or used to feed domestic pets such as cats. a small proportion is used in medicine, or is used industrially for nonfood purposes (e.g. leather).

Main

Seafood bird nest

Seafood birdsnest is a common chinese cuisine dish found in hong kong, china and most overseas chinatown restaurants. it is also found within cantonese cuisine. it is usually classified as a mid to high-end dish depending on the seafood offered.

Main

Seafood soup

Cantonese seafood soup

Main

Sha cha noodles

Satay noodles with chicken, beef, seafood, pork, vegetables

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Sha cha sauce

Shacha sauce (chinese: 沙茶; pe̍h-ōe-jī: sa-te; also spelled sa cha sauce) is a savory, slightly spicy chinese condiment used in teochew, fujian, and taiwanese cuisines. it is made from soybean oil, garlic, shallots, chilies, chinese brill, and dried shrimp. it is also sometimes sold as "chinese barbeque sauce".shacha sauce is used many different ways; as a soup base, a barbeque meat rub, a dipping sauce (for hot pot), or a seasoning for stir-fries. it is also included with instant noodles manufactured in vietnam, in their own packet alongside packets of soup base, dried vegetables, or other seasonings.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Shahe fen

Shahe fen (沙河粉), or simply he fen (河粉), is a type of wide chinese noodle made from rice. its minnan chinese name, translated from the mandarin 粿條 (guotiao), is adapted into alternate names which are widely encountered in southeast asia, such as kway teow, kwetiau, and kuetiau. shahe fen is often stir fried with meat and/or vegetables in a dish called chao fen (炒粉; pinyin: chǎo fěn). while chao fen is a transliteration of mandarin, chow fun from cantonese (see the main article at beef chow fun) is the name most often given to the dish in chinese restaurants in north america.

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Shahe fen

Shahe fen (沙河粉), or simply he fen (河粉), is a type of wide chinese noodle made from rice. its minnan chinese name, translated from the mandarin 粿條 (guotiao), is adapted into alternate names which are widely encountered in southeast asia, such as kway teow, kwetiau, and kuetiau. shahe fen is often stir fried with meat and/or vegetables in a dish called chao fen (炒粉; pinyin: chǎo fěn). while chao fen is a transliteration of mandarin, chow fun from cantonese (see the main article at beef chow fun) is the name most often given to the dish in chinese restaurants in north america.

Main

Shrimp

Shrimp are crustaceans with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly caridea and dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are referred to as "shrimp". more narrow definitions may be restricted to caridea, to smaller species of either group or to only the marine species. under a broader definition, shrimp may be synonymous with prawn, covering stalk-eyed swimming crustaceans with long, narrow muscular tails (abdomens), long whiskers (antennae), and slender legs. any small crustacean which resembles a shrimp tends to be called one. they swim forward by paddling with swimmerets on the underside of their abdomens, although their escape response is typically repeated flicks with the tail driving them backwards very quickly. crabs and lobsters have strong walking legs, whereas shrimp have thin, fragile legs which they use primarily for perching.shrimp are widespread and abundant. there are thousands of species adapted to a wide range of habitats. they can be found feeding near the seafloor on most coasts and estuaries, as well as in rivers and lakes. to escape predators, some species flip off the seafloor and dive into the sediment. they usually live from one to seven years. shrimp are often solitary, though they can form large schools during the spawning season.they play important roles in the food chain and are an important food source for larger animals ranging from fish to whales. the muscular tails of many shrimp are edible to humans, and they are widely caught and farmed for human consumption. commercial shrimp species support an industry worth 50 billion dollars a year, and in 2010 the total commercial production of shrimp was nearly 7 million tonnes. shrimp farming became more prevalent during the 1980s, particularly in china, and by 2007 the harvest from shrimp farms exceeded the capture of wild shrimp. there are significant issues with excessive bycatch when shrimp are captured in the wild, and with pollution damage done to estuaries when they are used to support shrimp farming. many shrimp species are small as the term shrimp suggests, about 2 cm (0.79 in) long, but some shrimp exceed 25 cm (9.8 in). larger shrimp are more likely to be targeted commercially and are often referred to as prawns, particularly in britain.

Main

Shrimp roe noodles

Noodles topped with dried shrimp roe

Main

Shrimp wonton soup

Noodle soup with shrimp dumplings

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Shumai

Shumai (simplified chinese: 烧卖; traditional chinese: 燒賣; pinyin: shāomài; cantonese yale: sīu-máai; pe̍h-ōe-jī: sio-māi) is a type of traditional chinese dumpling. in cantonese cuisine, it is usually served as a dim sum snack. in addition to accompanying the chinese diaspora, a variation of shao mai also appears in japan as (焼売, shūmai) and various southeast asian countries.

Main

Siew yuk

Siu yuk (chinese: 燒肉; pinyin: shāo ròu; cantonese yale: sīu yuhk; lit. 'roast meat') is a variety of siu mei, or roasted meat dishes, in cantonese cuisine. it is made by roasting an entire pig with seasonings, such as salt and vinegar in a charcoal furnace at high temperature. roasted pigs of high quality have crisp skin and juicy and tender meat. usually the meat is served plain with its skin, but it is sometimes served with soy sauce or hoisin sauce.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Silver needle noodles

Silver needle noodle (simplified chinese: 银针粉; traditional chinese: 銀針粉; pinyin: yín zhēn fěn), rat noodle (chinese: 老鼠粉; pinyin: lǎo shǔ fěn), bee tai bak (simplified chinese: 米筛目; traditional chinese: 米篩目; pe̍h-ōe-jī: bí-thai-ba̍k), runny nose vermicilli(chinese: 鼻涕嘜; jyutping: bei6 tai3 mak1) or lot (khmer: លត), เกี้ยมอี๋ (thai : เกี้ยมอี๋; gîam-ǐi) is a variety of chinese noodles. it is short, about 5 cm long and 5 mm in diameter. it has a white semi-transparent colour. the noodle is available in many chinese markets in chinese populated areas such as hong kong, taiwan, cambodia, indonesia, malaysia , thailand and singapore.

Main

Soy sauce chicken

Soy sauce chicken is a traditional cantonese cuisine dish made of chicken cooked with soy sauce. it is considered as a siu mei dish in hong kong.another cantonese dish, white cut chicken, often served with a salty ginger-onion paste, is more savoured for the taste of the meat, where the freshness of the chicken is noticeable. singapore's hong kong soya sauce chicken rice and noodle, formerly the cheapest michelin-starred restaurant in the world (having lost its star in 2021), specializes in this dish and offers it for the equivalent of us$2.

Main

Soy sauce duck

Soy glazed roast duck, flavored with soy sauce, ginger, five spice powder

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Spring roll

Spring rolls are rolled appetizers or dim sum commonly found in chinese and other southeast asian cuisines. the kind of wrapper, fillings, and cooking technique used, as well as the name, vary considerably within this large area, depending on the region's culture. they are filled with vegetables and other ingredients.

Breakfast

Steamed eggs

Chinese steamed eggs or water egg is a traditional chinese dish found all over china. eggs are beaten to a consistency similar to that used for an omelette and then steamed. it is sometimes referred to as egg custard on menus. if eaten cold, it has a taste and texture of a gelatin without sugar (unless added).

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Steamed eggs

Chinese steamed eggs or water egg is a traditional chinese dish found all over china. eggs are beaten to a consistency similar to that used for an omelette and then steamed. it is sometimes referred to as egg custard on menus. if eaten cold, it has a taste and texture of a gelatin without sugar (unless added).

Main

Steamed fish

Main

Steamed ground pork with salted duck eggs

A meatloaf-type dish of steamed pork mixed with salted duck eggs, serve with rice

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Stir fried vegetables

Stir frying (chinese: 炒; pinyin: chǎo) is a chinese cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. the technique originated in china and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of asia and the west. it is similar to sautéing in western cooking technique. scholars think that wok (or pan) frying may have been used as early as the han dynasty (206 b.c. – 220 a.d.) for drying grain, not for cooking, but it was not until the ming dynasty (1368–1644) that the wok reached its modern shape and allowed quick cooking in hot oil. well into the 20th century, while only restaurants and affluent families could afford the oil and fuel needed for stir fry, the most widely used cooking techniques remained boiling and steaming. stir fry cooking came to predominate over the course of the century as more people could afford oil and fuel, and in the west spread beyond chinese communities.stir frying and chinese food have been recommended as both healthy and appealing for their skillful use of vegetables, meats, and fish which are moderate in their fat content and sauces which are not overly rich, provided calories are kept at a reasonable level.the english-language term "stir-fry" was coined by yuen ren chao in buwei yang chao's book how to cook and eat in chinese (1945), to describe the chǎo technique. although using "stir-fry" as a noun is commonplace in english, in chinese, the word 炒 (chǎo) is used as a verb or adjective only.

Main

Stir fried watermelon rind

Stir frying (chinese: 炒; pinyin: chǎo) is a chinese cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. the technique originated in china and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of asia and the west. it is similar to sautéing in western cooking technique. scholars think that wok (or pan) frying may have been used as early as the han dynasty (206 b.c. – 220 a.d.) for drying grain, not for cooking, but it was not until the ming dynasty (1368–1644) that the wok reached its modern shape and allowed quick cooking in hot oil. well into the 20th century, while only restaurants and affluent families could afford the oil and fuel needed for stir fry, the most widely used cooking techniques remained boiling and steaming. stir fry cooking came to predominate over the course of the century as more people could afford oil and fuel, and in the west spread beyond chinese communities.stir frying and chinese food have been recommended as both healthy and appealing for their skillful use of vegetables, meats, and fish which are moderate in their fat content and sauces which are not overly rich, provided calories are kept at a reasonable level.the english-language term "stir-fry" was coined by yuen ren chao in buwei yang chao's book how to cook and eat in chinese (1945), to describe the chǎo technique. although using "stir-fry" as a noun is commonplace in english, in chinese, the word 炒 (chǎo) is used as a verb or adjective only.

Dessert, Sweet

Sweetheart cake

A sweetheart cake or wife cake or marriage pie is a traditional cantonese cake with a thin crust of flaky pastry, and made with a filling of winter melon, almond paste, and sesame, and spiced with five spice powder. "wife cake" is the translation of lou po beng from cantonese, and although the meaning is "wife", the literal translation is "old lady cake", paralleling the colloquial usage of "old lady" for "wife" in american english. in hong kong, it is known as a specialty of yuen long.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Tofu skin roll

Tofu skin roll or tofu roll is a dim sum dish. it can be found in hong kong and among overseas chinese restaurants. it is usually served in a small plate in twos or threes. in all cases, the outer layer is made of tofu skin.

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Vegetables

Sweet potatoes (yam), taro, water chestnuts

Dessert, Sweet

Water chestnut cake

Water chestnut cake (traditional chinese: 馬蹄糕; simplified chinese: 马蹄糕; cantonese yale: máhtài gōu) is a sweet cantonese dim sum dish made of shredded chinese water chestnut. when served during dim sum, the cake is usually cut into square-shaped slices and pan-fried before serving. the cake is soft, but holds its shape after the frying. sometimes the cake is made with chopped water chestnuts embedded into each square piece with the vegetable being visible. one of the main trademark characteristics of the dish is its translucent appearance. it is one of the standard dishes found in the dim sum cuisine of hong kong, and is also available in select overseas chinatown restaurants.

Main

White cut chicken

White cut chicken or white sliced chicken (simplified chinese: 白切鸡; traditional chinese: 白切雞) is a type of siu mei. unlike most other meats in the siu mei category, this particular dish is not roasted, but steamed. the dish is common to the cultures of southern china, including guangdong, fujian and hong kong.

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Wonton noodles

Wonton noodles (chinese: 雲吞麵; cantonese yale: wàhn tān mihn, also called wanton mee or wanton mein) is a noodle dish of cantonese origin. wonton noodles were given their name, húntún (餛飩), in the tang dynasty (618-907 ce). the dish is popular in southern china, hong kong, indonesia, malaysia, singapore and thailand. the dish usually consists of egg noodles served in a hot broth, garnished with leafy vegetables and wonton dumplings. the types of leafy vegetables used are usually gai-lan, also known as chinese broccoli or chinese kale. another type of dumpling known as shui jiao (水餃) is sometimes served in place of wonton. shrimp wonton are mostly known as hong kong dumplings. the wontons contain prawns, chicken or pork, and spring onions, with some chefs adding mushroom and black fungus. in indonesia especially in north sumatra, west kalimantan and south sulawesi, wonton noodles are called mie pangsit.

Breakfast

Xiasu

Savory doughnuts or fritters made with minced shrimp, water chestnuts, scallions, five spice

Side, Snack, Appetizer

Yi mein

Yi mein (chinese: 伊麵; pinyin: yī miàn; cantonese yale: yī mihn) is a variety of flat cantonese egg noodles made from wheat flour. they are known for their golden brown color and chewy characteristics. the slightly chewy and slightly spongy texture of the noodles is due to the soda water used in making the dough, which is then fried and dried into flat patty-like dried bricks.

Breakfast

Youtiao

Youtiao (simplified chinese: 油条; traditional chinese: 油條; pinyin: yóutiáo), known in southern china as yu char kway is a long golden-brown deep-fried strip of dough made from wheat flour, first eaten in china and (by a variety of other names) also popular in other east and southeast asian cuisines. conventionally, youtiao are lightly salted and made so they can be torn lengthwise in two. youtiao are normally eaten at breakfast as an accompaniment for rice congee, soy milk or regular milk blended with sugar. youtiao may be known elsewhere as chinese cruller, chinese fried churro, chinese oil stick, chinese doughnut, chinese breadstick, and fried breadstick. in other asian countries, they may also be called bicho, you char kway, cakwe, cakoi, kueh, kuay, shakoy or pathongko, among others.