Clear Soup with Abalone. Abalone, also known as abdominal fish or jueming, has extremely tender meat and is considered a delicacy of the sea. It was commonly served in restaurants during the Song Dynasty, with "Jueming Pouch" being one of its most representative dishes. Clear Soup with Abalone, also called Poached Abalone in Clear Soup, involves slicing prepared abalone, serving it with green peas and sliced ham in a large bowl, and pouring over it a premium clear broth infused with seasonings.
Braised Lamb with Scallions. The lamb symbolizes good fortune and was historically considered a noble food. In the Song Dynasty, all 72 renowned restaurants in Bianjing (modern-day Kaifeng) used lamb as their main ingredient. Lamb is warm in nature and suitable for all ages. This dish uses tender, fatty rib meat that has been pre-cooked, sliced, and layered with golden-fried scallion segments and blanched magnolia petals on a steamer rack. Broth is added along with seasonings, then simmered over medium-high heat until the sauce thickens. The meat is then transferred to a plate, and the remaining sauce is finished with a thin cornstarch slurry and a touch of Sichuan peppercorn oil before being poured over the lamb. The result is a tender, fragrant, and richly flavored dish with a lingering taste.
Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions. Scallions and sea cucumber are a perfect match. Scallions, also known as the "harmony herb," are pungent and warming in nature, while sea cucumber, though a delicacy, has a slightly cool property. When complemented and balanced by scallions, the sea cucumber’s true qualities can shine. This dish may seem simple, but it actually requires considerable skill. The sea cucumber must be properly soaked to achieve a texture that is soft, smooth yet still resilient. Over-soaked, it becomes mushy; under-soaked, it turns tough...
Deep-Fried Purple-Crisp Pork. With a persimmon-red hue, glistening and oily surface, crispy outside and tender inside, rich yet not greasy, this dish is often dubbed "mini barbecue" and is a traditional famous dish with flavors reminiscent of the Northern Song Dynasty. Known as a rival to Peking duck, Deep-Fried Purple-Crisp Pork is made from pork hard fat layer. The meat undergoes soaking, pressing, and skin slicing, then is marinated to flavor with scallions, ginger, star anise, perilla leaves, and seasonings...
Fried Chicken Chunks 〔Ingredients〕: 1 whole spring chicken (about 750g), 10g Sichuan peppercorn salt, 20g Worcestershire sauce, 10g Shaoxing wine, 10g ginger juice, 20g salt, 1000g peanut oil, 15g light soy sauce (approximately 100g oil used) 〔Cooking Method〕: 1. Clean the chicken after initial preparation…
As the opening dish of the traditional high-end "Abalone Mushroom Banquet," braised abalone mushrooms embody the standard and pursuit of such feasts. This dish features tender, snow-white slices of abalone mushroom that are briefly blanched before being arranged on a bamboo rack and gently simmered in premium milk broth over low heat. The result is a dish that is soft, tender, rich, and delicious, with a glossy, milky-white sauce—hence it is also known as "White-Braised Abalone Mushrooms." Braised abalone mushrooms are a...
Chinese toon, also known as toon tree, produces tender shoots called toon sprouts, which are considered a premium vegetable. Wangzhuang Village in Houzhai Township has a long-standing tradition of cultivating Chinese toon and is a well-known producer in the suburbs of Zhengzhou. A local legend is also associated with Wangzhuang Chinese toon. Long ago, there was a highly respected elder in the village...
The founder of Lao Cai Ji Steamed Dumplings was Mr. Cai Shijun from Changtan County, Henan. In his early years, Mr. Cai worked as a kitchen helper in the imperial palace in Beijing. After the Xinhai Revolution, Cai Shijun found himself struggling on the streets of Beijing. To support his family, with the help of a friend, he opened a small restaurant just outside Qianmen in Beijing, serving steamed dumplings and wontons. The business turned out to be quite successful. A few years later, …
Phoenix Terrace Glutinous Rice is produced in Fenghuangtai Village, located in the eastern suburbs of Zhengzhou. The rice grains are thick at one end and taper to a point at the other, with a smooth, pearly white appearance. When steamed, the grains stand upright, emitting a rich fragrance. It tastes soft, fragrant, and delicious, with a lingering aftertaste. Leftover rice even resists spoilage during summer. It is said that during the Ming and Qing dynasties, this rice was already considered a “tribute rice.” Legend has it that when Empress Dowager Cixi...
The Red Fragrant Crisp introduced and cultivated at the Dangshan Orchard Farm in Anhui Province is a new variety of late-maturing, storage-resistant red-skinned pear, newly developed in 1980 by the Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. It is currently a rare new variety in China. The fruit is oblong-oval or spindle-shaped, with an average single fruit weight of 200 grams; the fruit surface is clean, smooth, with medium to large lenticels, and the base color of the peel is yellowish-green...
King Onion The King Onion earns its name for its tall stalks (1.3–1.5 meters), high purity, abundant yield, and rich nutrition. Its white stem can reach 50–60 centimeters, is clean, crisp, and tender, with a sweet flavor that remains delicious even when cooked, making it a delicacy in the eyes of food connoisseurs and master chefs. A 40,000-mu (approximately 2,666 hectares) onion production base has been established in Jinshui District...
Zhengzhou also calls for the revitalization of Henan cuisine, but jokes self-deprecatingly: anything that needs reviving is probably not far from extinction. Three Ways to Cook Carp is a famous dish in Zhengzhou. In the past, the carp was claimed to be from the Yellow River. Restaurants would buy the carp and let it swim in a pool of clean water for two or three days to get rid of the earthy taste before it could be taken out and cooked. Nowadays…
The Mixian Cold Sheep is one of China’s premium domestic sheep breeds. Its wool has long enjoyed a distinguished reputation in the history of the textile industry. According to the *Henan Export Commodities Chronicle*, historically, Henan’s wool was distributed through three main hubs: Zhengzhou, Huaiyang, and Mixian. The wool and pelts produced in these areas were renowned across China and exported abroad. The Mixian Cold Sheep is known for its ability to thrive on coarse feed, ease of management, strong disease resistance…
Honeysuckle is also known as "honeysuckle winter" or "second flower." Origin: Miquan County, Henan Province, China. Cause of origin: Located in the central part of Henan Province, at the eastern foot of Songshan Mountain. The Wuzhi Mountain area within the county has distinct seasons and moderate rainfall, making it very suitable for the growth of honeysuckle. Characteristics: Honeysuckle is a perennial semi-evergreen twining shrub of the Caprifoliaceae family, which can grow up to nine meters long,…
Xinmi City in Henan Province is a famous production area of Miyu in China. Internationally, Miyu is known as "Henan Jade." In China, it is ranked among the four most renowned types of jade, alongside Hetian Jade from Xinjiang, Xiuyu from Liaoning, and Dushan Jade from Nanyang. It comes in four colors—green, red, white, and black—with dark green being the most prized. Miyu has been mined and used since ancient times, often crafted into small items such as cigarette…
The Garden Port sweet potato planting base boasts an excellent environment, with soil primarily composed of red sandy loam rich in minerals and trace elements. The large diurnal temperature variation creates ideal conditions for producing high-quality sweet potatoes. The resulting tubers are visually appealing, have a pure flavor when cooked, a moderate floury texture, and offer a delicious taste that is fragrant, sweet, sticky, and soft—some even with a chestnut-like aroma—and are low in fiber. Garden...
Cherry tomatoes, also known as pearl tomatoes or commonly referred to as foreign tomatoes, are called "little golden fruits" or "love fruits" abroad. They are an annual herbaceous plant with indeterminate growth, offering a harvest period of up to ten months. Each fruit weighs between 15–20g, resembling cherries in shape, with a bright red color, glossy finish, and novel, attractive appearance. Cherry tomatoes are rich in various nutrients…
In Huiji, there is a type of wine, a locally produced liquor with a crisp and mellow flavor, hailed as the “Fenjiu of Zhengzhou.” It is Shuangqiao Wine. A local saying goes: “At the mention of Shuangqiao Wine, one can’t help but drool.” In the 27th year of the Guangxu reign (October 1901) in the lunar calendar, Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi…
Zhengzhou Snacks…
Specialties of Zhengzhou…