China – An Introduction to Yunnan Food

Though born in China, this is the first time I’ve had a chance to explore my own country as a tourist. I came to Australia when I was 5, and every visit back since has been to see family. However, one upside of that is, it’s not a proper Chinese family gathering without heaps and heaps of good food. So even though I didn’t get to visit China’s capital until I was past 30, I’ve had plenty of chances to really get to know the amazingly varied cuisine China has to offer (or pockets of it, anyway). With the country being so large, and so geographically and ethnically diverse (there’s a total of 56 ethnic groups in China), the culinary range is truly spectacular; imagine the variety you see in the whole of Europe, but crammed into a single country. Chinese food can be broadly split into 8 major cuisines – Aussies will likely be most familiar with Cantonese and Sichuan – but there will be regional specialties no matter where you go. So today, instead of doing full-on restaurant reviews, I thought I would give an introduction to Yunnan food – aka the province I was born in, and the food I grew up with. Given most people are not familiar with Yunnan food, I thought I would make this simple – the food will be ranked tier A through C, and essentially reflects what (in my opinion) would be the must-try dishes for first-time visitors.

Landlocked, and on a plateau almost 2km above sea level, Yunnan is a very arid place. However, Kunming enjoys a wide range of culinary influences from its neighbours, which includes Vietnam, Laos, Burma, and Sichuan. Combined with the large population of ethnic minorities in the region, Yunnan cuisine ends up being a very diverse one, though its strongest influence is from Sichuan, resulting in a palate that is quite heavy and spicy. In addition, Yunnan also benefits from the excellent foraging in the area, which means that depending the season, there will be different local specialties on offer – edible flowers in spring, mushrooms in summer, and fresh fruits in autumn.

Hot tip: if you want to eat authentic Yunnan food in Melbourne, hit up Colourful Yunnan. Their stuff is legit, especially their cross-bridge rice noodles. In fact they’re so legit I didn’t even bother having the noodles when I was in China.

Note: all the prices here are listed in RMB. The conversion between AUD and RMB is about one-to-five, so if you want to know much things would cost in Australia, just take the prices listed and divide by 5.

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Yunnan – Tier A Foods

The smoked meats in Yunnan are excellent. Props to the Smoked Pork Hock (35RMB), which combines the best of both worlds – succulent slow-cooked meat and sticky edges, infused with a robust charcoal smokiness. The Smoked Free-Range Chicken (30RMB) wasn’t as decadent, but I appreciated the smaller bird and chewier meat; that’s how you know it’s actually free range and not hormone-laden.

This here represents a classic Yunnan breakfast. Xi Dou Fen 稀豆粉 (5RMB) is a sort of a thick split pea soup, which comes lightly salted, and is up to you to add your condiments, which traditionally consist of minced garlic, coriander, and chilli powder. You can have it by itself, but it’s more commonly had with a crisp baton or two of Chinese Doughnuts (2RMB). If this all sounds a little too heavy for you, you can also have it with a cup of freshly ground Soy Milk (3RMB).

Ah yes, Er Kuai 饵块 (12RMB), Yunnan’s version of rice cakes. This take on the classic carb is a bit chewier and drier than most varieties, and can be eaten in a lot of ways – cut into strips and served as part of a cold noodle(ish) salad, grilled over flames and wrapped around fillings burrito-style, or in this case, sliced and stir fried in a spicy sauce with veggies. It is super moreish, and super filling. Speaking of varieties, Suan Cai Yu 酸菜鱼 (55RMB) is a common dish that’s done a little differently no matter where you go, but the basics consist of a whole fish (freshwater fish, given Yunnan is landlocked), cooked in a soup flavoured with pickled vegetables. In this rendition, there are also plenty of spices, and an intimidating amount of chilli oil that’s actually more numbing than spicy.

Now, allow me to wax nostalgic for a sec. Juan Fen 卷粉 (12RMB) is really no more than just wide rice noodles, usually cooked in a light soup and topped with a scoop of pickled vegetables. But this was my favourite breakfast growing up, and my grandma would always go down to the market every morning to buy the noodles fresh and make it for me. And now that she’s gone (‘fun’ fact; she passed away literally as our plane was departing for China. Absolute worst start to a holiday), this dish is even more special to me. But thankfully, I still have grandpa, and he absolutely loves Fresh Flower Cakes 鲜花饼 (5RMB), a Kunming specialty of flaky pastry wrapped around a centre of sugared flower petals. Rose is the classic, but osmanthus is also common, and you can even get one studded with Yunnan ham in crystallised sugar (much tastier than it sounds). And finally, though more of a Southern China rather than Yunnan-only specialty, you should try the Grilled Ci Ba Ba 糍粑把 (8RMB) – a delicious snack of freshly made rice cakes grilled over charcoal, so not only is it infused with its smoky aroma, but also takes on a slightly crunchy shell to contrast with the chewy centre.

This is not a Yunnan dish per se, but the Fried Sweet and Sour Pork is mega delicious and moreish, having been gently marinated in caramelised vinegar, then fried in a light batter. Same goes for the Sizzling Eggplant, which soaks up the savoury sauce beautifully, and boasts lusciously caramelised edges.

Chris was obsessed with these tiny dumplings, which are known as Finger Dumplings 拇指饺子 (10RMB) – maybe because of their bitty size? It’s basically the love child of a pan-fried dumpling and an XLB, so not only do you get the crispy golden bottom, you also get the delicate skin and juicy centre. And most stalls will even have a DIY condiment station for you to customise to your heart’s content. And of course, you can’t go past a bowl of Braised Meat on Rice (15RMB). This version is a bit different to the traditional Taiwanese version, but nonetheless comforting and tasty.

Now this is not a meal you can get anywhere in Yunnan – it’s actually a family lunch just ‘casually’ whipped up by one of my aunties for our visit – but it includes several very traditional dishes of the Yunnan region, so I thought it a worthy inclusion to this guide. Plus, you can definitely find all these dishes around, so it’s not just me showing off how well my family can cook!

(1) Ru Bing 乳饼: this is China’s answer to haloumi, and one of the rare forays the country has into dairy. It’s a specialty of the Bai minority, which are a traditionally agricultural population found in the highlands of Yunnan. Made with goats’ cheese, ru bing is served pan-fried, and has a squeaky texture with a mild, creamy gaminess.

(2) Chou Dou Fu 臭豆腐: stinky tofu is nothing new, but rather than deep fried with plenty of condiments (which you can get in many parts of China), this more purist version is soft, unset, and much stinkier. It’s usually steamed with chives, and eaten more like a condiment, rather than standalone dish.

(3) Local Mushrooms: Yunnan is well known for its variety of rare fungi, and summer to autumn is the time to indulge. Apparently you can get a whole bag of truffles (as in, a good half dozen whole truffles) for about 1000RMB, aka 200AUD!! My aunty apparently cuts them up into chunks and cooks them into a chicken soup! A single soup! Half a dozen truffles!

(4) Xuan Wei Ham 宣威火腿: this is one of the most well-known products to come out of Yunnan. Salted and dry-cured, this is reminiscent of prosciutto, though instead of being eaten raw, it’s usually sliced up and steamed until the fat begins to render, or diced and mixed into rice alongside fluffy potato chunks, then baked until the bottom is crispy. Mmm-mm.

(5) Wan Dou Fen 豌豆粉: remember the awesome breakfast xi dou fen I was talking about earlier? This is what happens when you make it a little thicker – you can cut it into strips, and dip the slightly nutty, jelly-like pieces into a spicy sauce. Absolute tier A snack.

(6) Yunnan Potato Chips: rustic-styled potato chips. For some reason the taste is really distinctive, even though they’re just potato chips. Honestly, these are pretty low on my potato scale, but I’ll happily eat them any day.

(7) Gan Ba 干巴: slightly less famous than Xuan Wei ham, gan ba is Yunnan’s dry cured beef. A little tough and much less fatty, this tastes better stir fried (like it is here), though you can definitely just give it the ol’ steam-and-eat.

(8) Cow Cud Rice Noodles: Ok listen, this is my cousin’s favourite, not mine. I’ve never had it before and I wasn’t even going to try it, but aunty insisted. It’s another ethnic minority specialty, but instead of haloumi, this is vermicelli dressed in (you guessed it), half-chewed cow cud. Admittedly it just likes like a lemon and herb dressing but, the mental image is truly repulsive. Not to mention the thought of how they get said cud from the cows.

(9) Can Dou Men Fan 蚕豆焖饭: my favourite version of baked rice is the Xuan Wei ham and potato one, but there’s something to be said about replacing the potato with fresh fava beans, which gives it an alluring nuttiness, as well as a hint of freshness.

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Yunnan – Tier B Foods

Yunnan is the land of potatoes, and I loved the stuff so much as a kid that my family called me potato head. So getting to eat my childhood favourite of Charcoal Potatoes and Tofu (10RMB) was such a treat. You can even DIY your own dipping sauce from the twenty or so condiments they have on offer.

Remember Er Kuai (饵块) from earlier? Well another way to have it is as Er Kuai Si 饵块丝 (15RMB) – sliced into noodle-like threads, then mixed with your choice of sauces and toppings (but usually it’s spicy). Also big shout out to the Mu Gua Shui 木瓜水 (8RMB) in the background, which I absolutely adore but forgot existed until now! It’s basically a dessert-drink hybrid of papaya water and clear jelly, and just something about the sweet slipperiness is just so refreshing and moreish. It’s definitely a Tier A for sure. On the bottom right we have Dou Hua Mi Xian 豆花米线 (10RMB), which is classic dish of Yunnan rice noodles, served cold with spicy sauce, and a scoop of silken tofu on top for texture and its cooling effect. Finally, at the top is Spicy Century Quail Eggs, which may not sound particularly delightful, but if you like the creaminess of century egg, as well as spices, you’ll love this one. And why, what gave you the impression that the spiciness can get a bit repetitive at times?

None of this is Yunnan food – it’s actually all Beijing food here. But we were out late one night and this was the only decent thing we could find around our hotel. These are some of the most commonly found Beijing dishes, including Fried Sauce Noodles, Scallion Pancakes, and Sesame Pancakes.

Once again, not quite Yunnan food – more Guangdong/Cantonese this time around. The Char Siu Pork is much less sweet compared to what you get in Australia, with firmer meat and a higher fat-to-lean ratio. And these cute little Custard Buns are just darling, and had a delicious smooth, eggy filling that had just the right amount of sweetness.

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Yunnan – Tier C Foods

We came across this little restaurant in a food court, and I immediately fell in love with the concept. You build your own meal with individual dishes which are kept warm in a giant bain marie (minus the trays), and if the advertising is to be believed (it should not), the steam means that the dishes are healthier (never mind that the dishes themselves weren’t steamed to start off with). Unsurprisingly, these were pretty ordinary – I chose a combination of braised chicken and shiitake, pork meatballs with black fungus, stir fried cabbage, and steamed tofu with Yunnan ham – but it’s hard to deny the appeal of being able to build a balanced meal with plenty of variety at 4-8 RMB per dish.

Historically, Yunnan is a relatively poor and agriculture-heavy party of China, so among the more traditional dishes, there’s a lot of what would be considered ‘peasant food’. And common examples include the Bamboo Rice – sticky rice steamed inside hollowed out bamboo – and Steamed Cornmeal Buns. They’re both perfectly reasonable, but are more along the lines of staple foods, rather than a specific specialty dish. Same goes for the Flower Omelette up top, which is just your regular fried egg omelette, mixed with the seasonal flowers that are so prevalently eaten in Yunnan in Spring.

Ngl, the Sweet Buns and Coconut Buns are hella tasty – Yunnan is known for doing good sweets and pastries. But they get C-tier because they’re not really a specialty.

Same goes for these Ice Creams (25 RMB), which are sold at every vaguely touristy destination in both Yunnan and Beijing. They’re really cool looking and taste perfectly good, but they’re not all that special. Plus. You can have a whole meal for two for that price.