Blog

Chinese restaurants are restaurants that serve basically Chinese cuisine. When you are searching for Chinese food near me, the first thing to remember is that there are basically two types of Chinese restaurants: the classic restaurants and the authentic restaurant. The classic restaurant prepares Chinese dishes that have been adapted to Western tastes. From a classic restaurant, you can order recipes such as spring rolls, three delicacies rice, and lemon chicken, to mention a few examples. On the other hand, there are authentic traditional Chinese food restaurants where you can discover and order more traditional Chinese cuisine.

Generally, traditional Chinese cuisine are from different origins: Sichuan cuisine which is spicy, Shandong cuisine which is salty and crispy, and Cantonese cuisine which is sweet. Searching for Chinese food near me will make you explore the Chinese culture by enjoying their dishes. If you stay in Montreal, you can use the eezly food delivery app to order for delivery or take out. 

What to Order in a Chinese Restaurant – Chinese Food Near Me

It is good to remember that in a Chinese restaurant it is customary to order everything at once and alternate bites of one dish and the other, sharing everything ordered at the table. However, for better organization, you can order the dishes by type to make it easier for you. As a starter, the classic dishes to start ordering in Chinese restaurants are the three delicacies fried rice, the special fried rice, the fried spring rolls, with different fillings and rolls made with rice pasta. Here we present dishes to find when looking for Chinese food near me.

1. Chinese Fried Rice – Chinese food near me 

The Chinese fried rice is rice sautéed with different ingredients which include delicacies such as prawns, French omelet, and the York ham. Other ingredients such as carrots, peas, and bean sprouts are sometimes included, but always with a base of long-cooked rice and later sautéed, garnished with other pieces of different colors and flavors. It is an excellent garnish for both oriental dishes and for all kinds of fish or seafood preparations. 

2. The Special Fried rice 

The Special Chinese Fried Rice is special because it is not like an ordinary three delicacies rice. It has other series of ingredients such as bean sprouts, soy sauce, ginger, and chives. Those are a series of ingredients that make the fried rice special.

3. Chinese Vegetable and Meat Rolls.

The Chinese vegetable and meat rolls have vegetables as the main ingredient. Also, a little minced beef is added as an accompaniment. It is usually served hot and accompanied by soy sauce or any other type of sauce that gives the food an oriental touch.

4. The shark Fin Soup 

This soup is considered one of the most important Chinese delicacy. The soup is made from shark fins, which are processed before preparation. The skin is removed and subsequently dried before being used for preparations. It is usually served at banquets, celebrations, and special occasions and is considered a symbol of health and prestige.

5. The Chinese Cabbage Salad

You might be used to taking salad made of lettuce, spinach, arugula, and lamb’s lettuce,  the Chinese cabbage is similar. Chinese cabbage salad is delicious and it is seasoned with a vinaigrette with oriental nuances that gives it a spectacular flavor. It can be eaten alone and it is perfect to lower the fat of the body. Also, it can be served as a garnish for fish and meat or some oriental style preparation such as Chinese vegetables and meat rolls.

6. Dim Sum

The term dim sum (點心 in traditional Chinese) means “something that touches the heart” and refers to a multitude of small dishes (usually one bite) designed to be eaten at breakfast, lunch and often accompanied by tea because tradition mandates it. Dim sum can be boiled, steamed, grilled, or fried and can take any shape, fillings, and ingredients. The first thing to be clear about is that there is no single type of dim sum. There are hundreds of different varieties of Chinese bites.

The restaurants that offer special dim sum menus are characterized by serving the dishes on trolleys full of steam baskets and other stuff, carrying a multitude of small plates from table to table. As a general rule, a kettle is received as soon as you arrive, with tea. The custom dictates you start drinking before eating. The usual garnish is white rice. In addition, the food is accompanied by sauces and everything is served with chopsticks.

Main types and varieties of Dim Sum That You Can Buy at a Chinese Restaurant.

The variety of dim sum is almost endless, we put together some of the most popular types of this dish.

(a) Dumplings: It is undoubtedly the most famous dim sum within and outside China. It is made of small portions of dough that can hold very different fillings, and also have very varied closures and shapes. The generic term for the most popular Chinese dumpling is jiaozi, although there are many variations. Gyozas is a Japanese specialty created from a type of jiaozi, steamed and then finished on the grill to give it a crunchy base. Gyozas is a delicious snack but it’s not strictly dim sum. Don’t order gyozas in a Chinese restaurant.

(b) Siu Mai, Pork, and Shrimp Dumplings: Chinese dumplings are also classified by the composition of the dough, which can be wheat, rice, tapioca, potato starch, or a combination of all. Sometimes the dough is translucent, rubbery, and very elastic if starch is used instead of a full flower. Siu mai with mushrooms can be served with fish roe or some grated vegetables.

(c) Har Gow or Hakao: This is one of the most difficult dough to prepare due to its fineness and elasticity. It is made of wheat and tapioca starch and it is filled with shrimp. It can be filled with pork, bamboo, and other vegetables. 

(d) Chiu-chao Fan Guo: Closed in the shape of a small bowl, its filling is very tasty because of its juicy and crisp textures. The filing is prepared with pork, gamas and peanuts, coriander, and crunchy jicama.

(e) Xiao long bao: This is a mythical dumpling. The delicate dough is filled with pork or prawns or crab and accompanied by stock gelatin that is liquefied with the heat of the steam. Basically, it is bunches of liquid broth that you have to prick with chopsticks to be able to eat them without creating a mess.

(f) Wanton or wonton: In Cantonese cuisine, it is stuffed with pork and prawns and served in traditional noodle soup with vegetables. In other areas of China, they prepare fried versions with different fillings.

(g) Wu gok, fried purple taro dumpling: this is a crispy fried dumpling made from purple taro, a sweet tuber very popular in some parts of Asia, accompanied by pork.

(h) Haam sui gau: Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it is made with fried rice dough stuffed with pork.

(i) Jiu cai bau: With a wheat dough and rounded shape, this variety is stuffed with chives and meat and deep-fried after steaming. It is very crispy on the outside, with a well browned mark.

(j) Wo tip: Very similar to Japanese gyozas, shaped like a half-moon dumpling with different fillings that usually include pork. However, it is not steamed, it is passed through the iron directly to which water or broth is added. This creates a cloud of steam that finishes cooking the dumplings, leaving a crisp and juicy exterior at the same time.

(k) Gai bao: Steamed white buns filled with chicken meat, vegetables, mushrooms and different herbs.

(l) Cha siu bao: The dough is somewhat sweet, soft, and fluffy, contrasting with the Chinese-style barbecue pork filling with a very juicy and somewhat sweet sauce. The meat is usually marinated with a mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil.

(m) Cha siu bao in the oven: The base is very similar to the previous one, but smoother and rounder buns are formed, which are baked and finished with a glaze.

(n)Dai Bao: Usually steamed, stuffed with a mixture of minced chicken, sausage, mushrooms and egg.

(o) Siu Sou: A kind of Chinese puff pastry cake that takes many fillings, with pork being the most popular. The dough has a sweet spot that contrasts with the salty interior.

(p) Cheong Fan or Cheung Fan: This is a steamed rice flour rolls, a kind of thick stuffed pasta that takes combinations of ingredients for filing: pork or beef, vegetables, mushrooms, prawns… it is served with abundant soy sauce and are very popular.

(q) Zhaliang: Variant of the previous one in which a crispy fried braided dough roll is prepared, then wrapped with the glutinous steamed rice dough. It brings an interesting contrast of textures when taken fresh.

(r) Pei Guen: This is a preparation in which the tofu skin is used to wrap chicken meat, prawns, or vegetables, creating a roll that is fried until golden brown.

(s) Steamed Pei Guen: This is the same as the previous one but steamed instead of fried, often accompanied by bamboo shoots, chives, or sesame oil.

(t) Fung zao, fried and stewed chicken feet in sauce.

(u) Ngao Yuk: Beef meatballs flavored with dried tangerine skin, tangerine-like citrus, and other spices or herbs, cooked in steam.

(v)Ngao yuk kau. Another version of veal meatballs, this time wrapped in tofu skin, also steamed.

(w)Pai gwut: Pork ribs cut into small portions, covered in starch and steamed with fermented soybeans.

(x)Fung zao. Chicken feet that are first fried and steamed to puff them up; then it is stewed in a sweet and sour sauce.

(y) It bak gou: A kind of salty Chinese radish cake grated and mixed with rice flour and other ingredients. A thick dough is formed that is steamed and finished by cutting it into rectangular slices to pass through the grill, leaving it crisp. There is another heha version with taro, which is more rubbery on the inside due to the starch contained in the tuber.

(z) Jook Congee or rice porridge, a kind of very thick and creamy soup, with a neutral and smooth flavor that is used to accompany a multitude of dishes and different ingredients. It is very popular for breakfast and can be eaten warm or very hot.

Chinese Foods Near Me With Meat Ingredients

a. Pork dish with sweet and sour sauce

Although there are some dishes with beef, in general, the meat section is more represented by chicken and duck dishes and also by some preparations with pork, usually cooked with the skin crispy and bathed in traditional sauces that are sweet and sour.

b. Kung Pao Chicken

Another classic is the recipes with chicken, like the lemon chicken. Take a good look at the menu because there are many recipes made with chicken that you will like in Chinese restaurants.

c. Chinese-style pineapple chicken

We recommend the Asian-style sautéed chicken or chicken with pineapple, which are traditional recipes from Chinese restaurants that you may want to try. Another classic is chicken chop-suey, a classic stir-fry with bean sprouts and soy sauce that is always loved by young and old.

d. General Tso’s Crispy Chicken

Finally, another highly recommended dish is the crispy chicken in the style of General Tso. You will love the intense flavor. This dish is usually accompanied by rice. As for the duck recipes, the lacquered duck. Eat it in a small wafer stuffed with chives, the duck in threads, and pieces of crispy skin.

Chinese Food Near Me With Fish

a. Turbot on The Bund

It is not the most common option but in Chinese restaurants, there are usually good preparations with fish. You will enjoy the recipe made with sea bass and turbot. People do not usually order fish in Chinese restaurants and yet it tends to make tasty dishes that are very different from those you usually eat.

b. Prawns with oyster sauce

Seafood, especially shrimp and prawn-based dishes like prawns with oyster sauce are usually very rich. You will also find them in recipes such as chop-suey or in original dishes such as the classic Kubak of rice with prawns.

c. Huo Guo or Chinese Hot pot

It is not something that you will always find in all Chinese restaurants but if you have the opportunity do not forget to try the Chinese Hot pot. It contains all kinds of foods including meat, fish, seafood, vegetables that are shared around the table.

In conclusion, we hope that this article has been useful and practical for you to access some of these Chinese recipes. If you’d like to order any Chinese cuisine online, you can use our eezly food delivery app and have it delivered to your doorstep.