Guangdong

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Wife Cake: The Sweet Pastry with a Romantic Soul

    Among the countless traditional pastries of Guangdong, few carry a name as intriguing – or as romantic – as the Wife Cake (老婆饼). Known also by its elegant alias “Winter Melon Pastries” (冬茸酥, 冬蓉酥, Dongrong Su), this golden, flaky pastry is one of the most beloved dim sum treats in southern China. But what…

  • Shenhui’s awakening under the Sixth Patriarch

    In his childhood, Shenhui studied classics and history under a teacher, mastering the philosophies of Laozi and Zhuangzi. Later, after reading the Book of the Later Han, he encountered Buddhism and devoted himself to its teachings.