Hainan cuisine facts for kids

Hainan cuisine is the delicious food from Hainan Province in China. It's known for being lighter and less oily than many other Chinese foods. The flavors are usually milder, letting the natural taste of the ingredients shine through. Because Hainan is an island, you'll find lots of fresh seafood like prawns, crabs, and different kinds of fish.

For breakfast, people often eat congee (a type of rice porridge), mantou (steamed buns), and baozi (filled buns). A popular breakfast is also a noodle dish. It uses thin, vermicelli-like noodles with tasty toppings and a special gravy. Besides lunch and dinner, you can also find yummy outdoor barbecue dishes served late at night!

Hainan's Famous Four Dishes

Hainan is famous for four special dishes that everyone loves. They are often called the "Four Most Famous Dishes." Let's learn about them!

Dongshan Lamb

Dongshan lamb comes from a place called Wanning. What's cool about this dish is that it doesn't have the strong smell that lamb sometimes has. The meat, which is actually goat, is cooked until it's super tender and soft. It can be stewed, roasted, or braised in coconut milk, giving it a unique flavor.

Hele Crab

Hele crab comes from Hele Town, which is close to Wanning on Hainan's southeastern coast. This crab is special because its yellow meat is a bit oily and smells wonderful. It's usually steamed and then served with a dipping sauce made of ginger, garlic, and vinegar. Yum!

Jiaji Duck

Jiaji duck comes from Qionghai, near the Wanquan River. This dish uses a special duck that is fed a mix of cereal and bean curd three times a day. This makes the duck extra tasty. The duck is then steamed or boiled to perfection.

Wenchang Chicken

Wenchang Chicken is a famous dish from Hainan.

Wenchang chicken is a very famous dish from Wenchang. It's made from a special kind of free range chicken. The chicken is boiled and then cut into pieces. You eat it by dipping the pieces into a mix of spices, often with chopped ginger and salt. The chicken skin is usually yellow and looks a bit oily, which is a sign of how delicious it is!

Other Tasty Hainan Dishes

Hainan has many other wonderful dishes to try!

Coconut Chicken

Coconut chicken soup is boiled with coconut water.

This dish is like a hot pot but with a sweet twist! Coconut water is boiled in a pot, and chicken cooks inside it. This gives the chicken a slightly sweet and refreshing taste that is truly unique.

Hainan Rice Noodles

Hainan rice noodles are a popular breakfast dish.

Hainan rice noodles, or Hǎinán fěn, are very common all over Hainan. These rice noodles are served at room temperature. They come with different toppings like roasted peanuts, fresh coriander, pickled vegetables, and thin strips of meat. A thick sauce, sometimes with bamboo strips, is added. It often comes with a free bowl of clear broth made from pig or chicken.

Hainan-Style Hot Pot

Hainan-style hot pot is usually served in a small pot with a flame underneath to keep it warm. The broth already has some meat pieces in it, but the meat isn't fully cooked when it arrives. You need to wait about 15 minutes for everything to cook perfectly. You can add things like mushrooms, thin slices of beef, lettuce, and other green vegetables to cook in the pot. This dish can be a bit different depending on where you are in Hainan.

Lingao Suckling Pork

This delicious dish comes from Lingao County. It uses young pigs that weigh about 10 kilograms. These pigs are cooked in different ways, like roasting, sautéing, barbecuing, or steaming. The goal is to make sure the skin is super crispy when it's served!

Lingshui Sour Noodles

Lingshui sour noodles are popular all over Hainan. This dish is served at room temperature. It uses thin vermicelli noodles in a thick, pinkish, clear sour sauce. Dried strips of beef and dried fish are also added, giving it a unique and tangy flavor.

Wanquan River Carp

This dish is made from one of three types of carp fish that live in the Wanquan River. Locals call them Xijing, Phoenix Tailed, and Quan carp. These fish can be prepared in many ways, but steaming and stewing are the most popular methods.

Wenquan Goose

Wenquan goose uses a special hybrid type of goose. These geese are fed a mix that includes bran and silage to make them plump and tasty.

Yi Bua

Yi Bua is a sweet steamed dumpling.

Yi bua is a sweet and yummy steamed dumpling. It's made from glutinous rice and filled with palm sugar, grated coconut, peanuts, and different spices. It's a perfect treat!