Nineteen foods, one wider table

Wheat wrappers hold meat, vegetables, or a mixture of both. Jiaozi may be boiled, steamed, or pan-fried, with regional differences in shape, wrapper thickness, and dipping sauce.

A whole duck is roasted until its skin turns crisp and the meat stays tender, then sliced for thin pancakes with scallion, cucumber, and sweet bean sauce. Open and closed ovens represent two Beijing traditions.

Thin wrappers enclose seasonal vegetables, shredded meat, or other local fillings before frying until golden. Spring rolls retain a link to springtime customs but are now enjoyed throughout the year.

Neat cubes of skin-on pork belly are slowly braised with soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, and aromatics until glossy and yielding. The name connects the dish with the Song-dynasty writer Su Shi, also known as Dongpo.

Clear beef broth, white radish, red chili oil, green herbs, and hand-pulled noodles create a vivid bowl. Diners choose from several noodle shapes and widths; in Lanzhou it is commonly shortened to “beef noodles.”

Meat, tofu products, and vegetables are threaded onto bamboo skewers and cooked in a chile-and-Sichuan-pepper broth. The format makes it easy to sample many ingredients in one meal.

Springy sweet-potato noodles sit in a sharp, chile-warmed broth, often layered with vinegar, chili oil, peanuts or soybeans, and preserved vegetables for crunch.

Crayfish are wok-cooked with chilies, Sichuan pepper, garlic, or layered spice blends. Peeling them by hand slows the meal down, making the dish a social fixture of warm-weather nights.

Rice batter is steamed into delicate sheets, wrapped around beef, pork, shrimp, or egg, then cut and dressed with seasoned soy sauce. It appears at breakfast counters and in Cantonese teahouses.

A thin wrapper encloses minced meat and chilled aspic, which melts into hot broth as the dumpling steams. Move one to a spoon and open it gently before sipping the soup.

Cuts of beef or lamb tripe are briefly plunged into boiling water to keep them crisp and tender, then eaten hot with a sesame-paste dip sharpened by vinegar and herbs.

Smooth, resilient rice noodles appear across Yunnan in broths, chilled preparations, and stir-fries. Crossing-the-Bridge noodles are one expression within a much wider family of local bowls.

Millet flour is cooked into a thick porridge, striped with sesame paste, and finished with seasoned sesame salt. Despite the word “tea” in its name, this is a savory breakfast bowl.

Two strips of leavened dough are joined, stretched, and fried until crisp outside and airy within. Youtiao accompany soy milk, congee, tofu pudding, rice noodles, and many wrapped breakfasts.

Pepper and layered spices give this thickened breakfast soup its warming bite. Wheat gluten, wood ear mushrooms, and noodles are common, while beef, lamb, and other additions vary by place.

A metal divider splits one pot of chile-red broth into nine cooking zones, helping diners organize ingredients and cooking times. The grid does not mean the pot contains nine different broths.

Morning tea is a meal built around tea and small dishes rather than one recipe. Cantonese tables may hold shrimp dumplings, siu mai, rice rolls, and buns; Yangzhou adds tofu shreds, filled buns, and noodles.

A thin wrapper holds minced meat and plentiful broth, with prominent pleats gathered at the top. Kaifeng versions are generally larger than Jiangnan xiaolongbao, though both reward careful sipping.

Ropes of dough are twisted together and fried crisp, with sweet and savory versions in many sizes. Tianjin is known for large, crunchy, filled twists, while other regions favor lighter everyday styles.