Guangzhou cuisine

  • Braised Pigeon

    Walk past any banquet hall in Guangdong, and you’ll likely spot a whole, golden-brown pigeon on the table, its skin glistening and its aroma irresistible. This is braised pigeon (红烧乳鸽) – one of the most beloved dishes in Cantonese cuisine. With its paper-thin crispy skin, tender juicy meat, and flavourful bones that practically melt…

  • Crispy Roast Goose

    Walk past any siu mei (烧味) shop in Guangdong, and you’ll be stopped by the sight of glistening, mahogany-coloured geese hanging in the window. This is crispy roast goose (脆皮烧鹅) – the undisputed king of Cantonese barbecue. With its armour-like crispy skin, tender, juicy meat, and that signature crunch with every bite, it is…

  • Char Siu

    Walk past any siu mei (烧味) shop in Guangdong, Hong Kong, or any Chinatown around the world, and you’ll be stopped by the sight of glistening, deep-red strips of pork hanging in the window. This is char siu (叉烧) – Cantonese-style barbecued pork. With its sticky-sweet glaze, tender interior, and irresistibly charred edges, it…

  • White Cut Chicken

    In the culinary landscape of Guangdong Province, there is a dish so simple yet so profound that it has become the very soul of Cantonese cuisine. It is called white cut chicken (白切鸡) — or, as some know it, white sliced chicken. With its glistening yellow skin, tender ivory flesh, and a subtle, clean…

  • Cantonese Congee

    In the culinary landscape of Guangdong, few dishes are as beloved – or as deeply woven into the fabric of daily life – as a steaming bowl of congee. Known as juk (粥) in Cantonese, this humble rice porridge is more than just a meal; it is a comfort, a medicine, and a cultural…

  • Crispy Grass Carp

    In the culinary landscape of Guangdong Province, few ingredients are as distinctive – or as beloved – as Zhongshan crispy grass carp, known locally as cui rou huan (脆肉鲩). This isn’t your ordinary fish. With its signature bouncy, crunchy texture and clean, sweet flavour, it’s a culinary marvel that has earned a devoted following…

  • Slow-Boiled Soup

    In the culinary world of Guangdong, one dish stands above all others – not because it’s the most extravagant or complex, but because it is the most intimate. It is slow-boiled soup (老火汤), the everyday elixir that Cantonese families have been brewing for generations. Often called the “soul of Cantonese cuisine,” this humble yet…

  • Lap Cheong: The sweet, savory sausage that defines Cantonese cuisine

    In the culinary landscape of southern China, few foods evoke as much nostalgia and warmth as lap cheong (腊肠) – the beloved Cantonese cured sausage. With its deep mahogany colour, glistening appearance, and distinctive sweet-savoury flavour, this dried sausage is more than just an ingredient; it is a cultural icon, a taste of home,…

  • Liangcha: Cantonese Herbal Tea

    Walk down any street in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, or Macau, and you’ll see them: small shopfronts with gleaming brass or copper kettles, their shelves lined with mysterious dried herbs. These are liangcha (凉茶) shops – herbal tea shops – and they are as much a part of Guangdong’s cultural landscape as dim sum or…