Teochew cuisine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Teo-Swa cuisine

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Cháozhōu cài
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	ciu⁴ zau¹ coi³
Southern Min
Teochew Peng'im	diê⁵ ziu¹ cai³

Chaoshan cuisine

Chinese

潮汕菜

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Cháoshàn cài
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	ciu⁴ saan³ coi³
Southern Min
Teochew Peng'im	diê⁵ suan¹ cai³

Chaoshan cuisine, also known as Chiuchow cuisine or Teo-swa cuisine, comes from the Chaoshan area in eastern Guangdong Province, China. This region includes the cities of Chaozhou, Shantou, and Jieyang. Chaoshan food is quite similar to Fujian cuisine, especially Southern Min dishes. This is because the cultures, languages, and locations of Chaoshan and Fujian are very close. However, Chaoshan cooking also uses styles and methods from Cantonese cuisine.

What Makes Chaoshan Cuisine Special?
Famous Dishes
Images for kids

What Makes Chaoshan Cuisine Special?

Chaoshan food is famous for its fresh seafood and vegetarian dishes. Chefs here use fewer strong flavors than in many other Chinese cuisines. The taste mostly comes from how fresh and good the ingredients are. This is a delicate type of cooking. They don't use a lot of oil. Instead, they focus on cooking methods like poaching (gently cooking in liquid), steaming, and braising (slow cooking in liquid). Stir frying is also common.

Chaoshan cuisine is also known for serving congee (a type of rice porridge called mue). This is often eaten with steamed rice or noodles. The Chaoshan mue is very watery, with rice grains loosely sitting at the bottom. This is different from Cantonese congee, which is a thicker porridge.

Tea Time!

Real Chaoshan restaurants serve a very strong oolong tea called Tieguanyin. They serve it in tiny cups before and after the meal. This tea is part of a special way of serving called gongfu tea. It has a thick, bittersweet taste, which people call gam gam.

Special Sauces

A popular sauce in Fujian and Taiwanese cuisine is shacha sauce. It's often linked to some Chaoshan groups. This sauce is made from soybean oil, garlic, small onions, chilies, brill fish, and dried shrimp. It tastes savory and a little spicy. You can use it in many ways: as a soup base, a rub for grilled meats, a seasoning for stir-fries, or a dipping sauce.

Besides soy sauce, which is used in all Chinese cooking, Chaoshan people living in Southeast Asia use fish sauce. It adds flavor to soups and sometimes works as a dipping sauce, like for Vietnamese spring rolls.

The Secret Broth

Chaoshan chefs often use a special soup base called superior broth. This broth stays on the stove and is always being refilled. Some chefs in Hong Kong are even said to use the same superior broth for decades! You can also see this special stock on Chaozhou TV cooking shows.

Big Feasts

There's a famous Chaoshan feast called jiat dot (meaning "food table"). Many dishes are served at this feast. These can include shark fin soup, bird's nest soup, lobster, steamed fish, roasted suckling pig, and braised goose.

Chaoshan chefs are proud of their amazing vegetable carving skills. They use carved vegetables to decorate cold dishes and the banquet table.

Late-Night Snacks

Chaoshan cuisine is also known for a late-night meal called meh siao or daa laang. Chaoshan people love to eat out close to midnight. They go to restaurants or roadside food stalls. Some places, like dai pai dong (open-air food stalls), stay open until morning.

Unlike many other Chinese restaurants, Chaoshan restaurants often have a special section just for desserts on their menus.

Chaoshan People Around the World

Many people from Chaoshan, also known as Teochiu or Chaoshan people, have moved to places like Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. You can find them in Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, and Thailand. Their cooking styles have influenced Singaporean cuisine and other local foods. A lot of Chaoshan people have also settled in Taiwan, and their influence is clear in Taiwanese cuisine. Other Chaoshan communities are in Vietnam, Cambodia, and France. A popular noodle soup in Vietnam and Cambodia, called hu tieu, actually came from Chaoshan. There's also a big group of Chaoshan people in the United States, especially in California. In Paris, France, there's a Teochew Chinese Association.

Famous Dishes

English	Traditional Chinese	Simplified Chinese	Pinyin	Chaoshan Name	What it is
Bak chor mee	肉碎麵	肉碎面	ròusuì miàn	bak chor mee	Boiled noodles, dried and mixed with sauces like soy sauce, chili, and lard. Topped with vegetables, minced pork, mushrooms, and fish balls or fishcakes.
Bak kut teh	肉骨茶	肉骨茶	ròugǔchá	bak kut teh	A hearty soup with meaty pork ribs in a rich broth of herbs and spices. It's boiled for hours with pork bones. Often eaten with rice or noodles.
Braised dishes	滷味	卤味	lǔwèi	lo bah	Chaoshan cuisine is known for many braised dishes. These include geese, duck, pork, bean curd, and offal (organ meats).
Chai tau kueh	菜頭粿	菜头粿	càitóu guǒ	chai tau kueh	A savory fried cake made from white radish and rice flour. It's stir-fried with soy sauce, eggs, garlic, and sometimes dried shrimp.
Sichuan pepper chicken	川椒雞	川椒鸡	chuān jiāo jī	cuêng ziê goi	A deep-fried chicken dish, usually served with leafy greens. Basil or spinach can be used outside China.
Chwee kueh	水粿	水粿	shuǐguǒ	chwee kueh	Cup-shaped steamed rice cakes topped with chopped preserved radish.
Crystal balls	水晶包	水晶包	shuǐjīng bāo	zhui jia bao	A steamed dessert with fillings like yellow milk custard, yam paste, or bean paste. They are similar to mochi.
Fish balls / fishcakes / fish dumplings	魚丸 / 魚粿 / 魚餃	鱼丸 / 鱼粿 / 鱼饺	yúwán / yúguǒ / yújiǎo	her ee / her kueh / her kiaw	Fish paste shaped into balls, cakes, and dumplings. Often served in Teochew-style noodles and soups.
Flavored-potted goose	滷水鵝	卤水鹅	lǔ shuǐ é	lou zui gho	A well-known braised goose dish, often served with tofu.
Fried bean curd	炸豆腐	炸豆腐	zhà dòufu	za dao hu	Simple deep-fried tofu slices served with a salted water dip. Some people now use an air fryer for a healthier version.
Fried beef balls	炸牛肉丸	炸牛肉丸	zhà niúròu wán	za ghu bak ee	A simple deep-fried beef ball dish served with dipping sauce like shacha sauce or salted water. Can also be made in an air fryer.
Fish ball noodle soup	魚丸麵	鱼丸面	yúwán miàn	her ee mee	Noodles served in a light fish-flavored broth or dry. Comes with fishballs, fishcakes, and vegetables.
Fun guo	粉粿	粉粿	fěnguǒ	hung gue	A type of steamed dumpling. It's usually filled with dried radish, garlic chives, pork, dried shrimp, mushrooms, and peanuts.
Head mustard with mushrooms	厚菇大芥菜	厚菇大芥菜	hòugū dà jiècài	gao gou dua gai cai	A soup with Chinese mustard and shiitake mushrooms. It was originally vegetarian but often includes diced pork belly now.
Kway chap	粿汁	粿汁	guǒzhī	kueh chap	Flat rice sheets in a dark soy sauce soup. Served with pig offal, braised duck, bean curd, and hard-boiled eggs.
Mee pok	麵薄	面薄	miànbáo	mee pok	A popular noodle dish with minced pork, braised mushrooms, fishballs, dumplings, and sauce.
Oolong tea	烏龍茶	乌龙茶	wūlóng chá	Ou-leeng teh	Tieguanyin is a popular Teochew tea. However, Teochew people often prefer their own hong wang dan cong teh oolong tea.
Oyster omelette	蠔烙	蠔烙	háolào	or lua	An omelette cooked with fresh oysters, tapioca starch, and eggs. Teochew-style is usually deep-fried and very crispy.
Pan-fried marinated fish	烳醃魚	烳腌鱼	pǔyānyú	pu iem he	A pan-fried dish of marinated fish, often using a larimichthys crocea or other types of bass.
Patriotic soup (Protect the Country Dish)	護國菜	护国菜	hùguó cài	hu gog chai	This soup was created during a war and named by the last emperor of the Song Dynasty. It's a simple soup with stir-fried leaf vegetables (like sweet potato leaves or spinach) and edible mushrooms in a broth.
Pig's organ soup	豬雜湯	猪杂汤	zhūzátāng	ter zap terng	A soup made with various pig organs.
Popiah	薄餅仔	薄饼仔	báobǐngzǎi	po piah	A fresh (not fried) spring roll, often eaten during the Qingming Festival. It has a soft, thin wrapper made from wheat flour. The filling is usually finely grated turnip, cooked with other ingredients like bean sprouts, carrots, and tofu.
Pork jelly	豬腳凍	猪脚冻	zhūjiǎo dòng	ter ka dang	Braised pig's leg made into a jelly, sliced, and served cold.
Prawns sautéed with olive vegetables	欖菜焗蝦	榄菜焗虾	lǎncàijúxiā	lam cai ju he	A dish of deep-fried prawns.
Red peach cake	红桃粿		ng tao guoo	ung toh kway	Pink rice flour skin wrapped around flavorful glutinous rice. It's pressed into a peach shape, then steamed. You can eat it fresh or pan-fried.
Salted vegetable duck soup	鹹菜鴨湯	咸菜鸭汤	xiáncài yātāng	kiam cai ak terng	A soup with duck, preserved salted vegetables, tomatoes, and preserved sour plums.
Spring rolls with prawn or minced meat fillings	蝦卷 / 燒卷 / 五香	虾卷 / 烧卷 / 五香	xiājuǎn / shāojuǎn / wǔxiāng	heh gerng / sio gerng / ngo hiang	Mixed pork and prawn paste, seasoned with five-spice powder, wrapped in bean curd skin, and deep-fried or pan-fried.
Steamed chives dumplings	韭菜餜	韭菜馃	jiǔ cài guǒ	gu chai gue	These dumplings are sometimes sautéed to make them crispy.
Steamed goose	炊鵝	炊鹅	chuī é	chue gho	A dish of steamed goose.
Taro paste	芋泥	芋泥	yùní	orh ni / orh nee	A traditional Teochew dessert made from steamed and mashed taro. Pumpkin is added for sweetness. It's often served with ginkgo nuts.
Teochew chicken	潮州雞	潮州鸡	Cháozhōu jī	Teochew koi	A dish of sliced chicken.
Teochew cold crab	潮州凍蟹	潮州冻蟹	Cháozhōu dòngxiè	Teochew ngang hoi	A whole crab that is steamed and then served chilled.
Teochew hot pot / Teochew steamboat	潮州火鍋	潮州火锅	Cháozhōu huǒguō	Teochew zuang lou	A dish where fresh, thin ingredients are cooked in a simmering broth right at the table. You then dip them in sauces.
Teochew rice noodle soup	潮州粿條	潮州粿条	Cháozhōu guǒtiáo	Teochew kuay teow	A classic Teochew noodle soup, also popular in Vietnam and Cambodia. It has yellow egg noodles and thin rice noodles in a light, flavorful soup with meatballs, seafood, and vegetables.
Teochew-style congee	潮州糜	潮州糜	Cháozhōu zhōu	Teochew mue	A rice soup that is more watery than Cantonese congee. It's usually served with salty side dishes like preserved vegetables or salted duck eggs.
Teochew-style steamed pomfret	潮州蒸鯧魚	潮州蒸鲳鱼	Cháozhōu zhēng chāngyú	Teochew chue chioh her	Silver pomfret fish steamed with preserved salted vegetables, lard, and sour plums.
Yusheng	魚生	鱼生	yúshēng	her sae	A raw fish salad. It's usually eaten as a starter to bring good luck for the new year, often on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year.

Images for kids

"Flavor potted" goose (滷水鵝)
Taro paste (芋泥)
Crystal balls (水晶包)
Steamed fish (炊魚)
Oyster omelette (蚝烙)
Fried chive dumplings (韭菜粿)
Patriotic Soup (Protect the Country Dish (護國菜))
A dish of fried tofu (炸豆腐) with dipping sauce.
Teochew rice noodle soup (潮州粿條).
Sautéed Prawns with Olive Vegetables (欖菜焗蝦) .
Teochew Hotpot (潮州火鍋)

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Teochew cuisine Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.