Chicken with Egg White and Cordyceps is a famous dish from Qinghai. The chicken breast is minced into a paste, mixed with a little salt, ginger, pepper, and egg white, then spread on a plate. Cordyceps (soaked in hot water until softened) is placed on top of the paste, and the dish is steamed until cooked. It is then sliced, transferred to a bowl, poured over chicken broth, and steamed for another short while. Finally, it is unmolded onto a plate and topped with clear soup before serving. This dish has the medicinal benefits of strengthening the body, nourishing the lungs, and benefiting the kidneys…
Historical Records: Datong fava beans have a long history. According to the "Datong Chronicles," "In 1386 AD (the 19th year of the Hongwu reign in the Ming Dynasty), ... wastelands were reclaimed on both banks of the Beichuan River in Datong, irrigation channels were dug, water was diverted to irrigate fields, and crops such as ... fava beans ... were planted." 2. Historical Legend: A folk legend says that Empress Wu Zetian...
Fresh Cucumber from Xinzhuang is a specialty of Datong County, Xining City, Qinghai Province. "Xinzhuang Cucumber" is one of the well-known and advantageous vegetable varieties in Datong County, Xining City, and even across the province. The town of Xinzhuang first began introducing cucumber cultivation as early as 1994, and by 2006, it had initially taken shape in scale, gradually embarking on a path toward industrialized and large-scale production. In 2007, the Xinzhuang Village in Xinzhuang Town became a "One Village One Product" cucumber industry village...
Datong Chicken Leg Scallion features a bulb that is enlarged and curved at the top, resembling an upside-down chicken leg. As it is found only within Datong County, it earned this unique name. The 1919 Republican-era edition of the *Datong County Annals* describes it as: “Scallions... those sprouting in early spring with yellow shoots are commonly called Yangjiao scallions. The above total four types of medicinal vegetables.” Here...
The Datong yak from Qinghai is an important local ecotype of the Chinese yak. Because its habitat often sees the presence of wild yaks, its genetic makeup includes wild yak genes, giving it distinct wild yak physical characteristics. Bred with a wild yak as the sire, it is a newly cultivated variety within the yak ecotypes of the Qinghai Plateau...
Commonly known as "Reunion Balls" in Qinghai. Cooked glutinous rice is stirred until sticky, cooled, then mixed with wheat starch. It is pressed into sheets, cut into strips, rolled into balls, and flattened. These are then filled with steamed crystal filling balls (made by mixing flour, white sugar, rose sugar, walnuts, shredded red and green candied fruits, crushed rock sugar, and diced rendered pork fat), shallow-fried over low heat, and steamed for another half an hour. They are then inverted onto a plate, sprinkled with...
Fermented Wheat Gluten Skin is a specialty dish from Xining, Qinghai. It is made from wheat flour mixed with a certain amount of alkaline powder, kneaded into a stiff dough using warm water, then thoroughly rubbed and washed in cold water to remove the starch until the dough forms a honeycomb-like texture. This remaining dough is the gluten. The leftover starchy water is left to settle, then steamed in a steamer basket to become “steamed fermented skin”…
Raft Meat Ball is a famous dish from Xining, Qinghai, commonly known as "fried raft." It uses the fat membrane of a pig’s stomach wall (commonly called "stomach lining fat" or "belly wrapping fat") as the outer wrapping. The liver, lungs, kidneys, spleen, and other organs are minced and mixed with salt, ginger powder, prickly ash powder, pepper, soy sauce, cooking oil, chopped scallions, mashed garlic, along with flour and starch to form a uniform mixture. This filling is then stuffed into…
Crispy Meatballs are a specialty dish from Xining, Qinghai, commonly known as "Reunion Meatballs." The dish is made by mixing and cooling cooked glutinous rice until sticky, then blending it with wheat starch, pressing it into sheets, cutting it into strips, rolling it into balls, and flattening them. These are then filled with steamed crystal filling balls (made by mixing flour, white sugar, rose sugar, walnuts, shredded red and green candied fruits, crushed rock sugar, and diced rendered pork fat), which are then lightly fried and steamed halfway...
Huahua is the most skillfully made noodle dish by Hui women in Qinghai. It is beautifully shaped, resembling lovely flower petals, with intricate patterns and a wide variety of designs—some shaped like pomegranates, lotus flowers, or chrysanthemums, while others take the form of chili peppers, eggplants, garlic cloves, or sword beans. Its main ingredients include flour, eggs, honey, date paste, brown sugar, and more. First, the various ingredients…
Qinghai locals call hot pot “guozi,” and its ingredients and preparation methods are distinctly characteristic of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The climate on the plateau is cold, and it is rich in cattle and sheep. The “broth” of Qinghai Tibetan Hot Pot is typically made from a clear mutton soup with a small amount of pickled vegetables. It features a bold, spicy and aromatic flavor, without adding chili oil or excessive seasonings. The broth remains clear and has a naturally rich taste. Take a bite, …
Zhua Mian is a popular local snack in the Xining area. It consists of lamb intestines, lamb meat, beef head skin, and beef tendons (you can choose one or several according to your preference) served on cooked noodles that have been repeatedly reheated in broth. The dish is seasoned with vinegar, minced garlic, chopped leeks, salt, and other spices, and is eaten with hot soup alongside the noodles. The broth of Zhua Mian is light yellow, the intestine pieces are clean, the beef head skin is chewy, the tendons are tender, the noodles are golden, chopped green onions float on top, and diced radish sinks to the bottom of the bowl. It's served cold in summer
The Seventy-Ingredient Pearl Pill was formulated in the 8th century, originating from the classic Tibetan medicinal formula Twenty-Five-Ingredient Pearl Mother Pill, which was first recorded in the ancient Tibetan medical masterpiece "Four Medical Tantras." It is made from natural, precious, and rare medicinal materials that grow in the unique ecological environment of the Roof of the World, refined using a combination of modern scientific methods and traditional techniques...
“Hand-pulled noodles,” also known as “pulled noodles” or “stretched noodles.” In Qinghai, these noodles are one of the staple foods served to guests across various ethnic communities. Hosting friends and family for a meal of hand-pulled noodles, accompanied by an array of flavorful side dishes, is considered a great sign of respect. Among the Hui and Han people in Qinghai, the process of making hand-pulled noodles—especially the dough mixing and kneading—has unique...
People in Qinghai can separate egg yolks and whites to make "Golden and Silver Silk Cake" (hair vegetable steamed egg), and they can also coat beef with eggs before deep-frying it to create Beef with Stuffed Crumbs, which isn’t golden all over like regular beef. Method: 1. The wrapper is made from tofu skin or an egg pancake made by frying beaten eggs. 2. The filling is usually made of beef or lamb, then…
Sweet Fermented Barley is one of the distinctive snacks of China's northwest region. Made from oats or highland barley, it boasts a rich aroma, cool and sweet taste, and also aids in stimulating appetite and strengthening the spleen. This unique folk snack can be found in Xining, an ancient city on the Qinghai Plateau, as well as in towns across agricultural areas. Sweet Fermented Barley is made from highland barley, one of the cold-resistant and early-maturing grains of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau...
Yuchuan Cordyceps Co., Ltd. in Xining City, Qinghai Province, is located on the 8th floor of Qinglv Business Building, No. 53 Shengli Road, Xining City, Qinghai Province. It is a subsidiary of Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Foreign Trade Co., Ltd. in Qinghai Province. The parent company is the only foreign trade enterprise in Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, situated on the beautiful and mysterious southern shore of Qinghai Lake, in...
“Amdo” is a Tibetan term referring to the Tibetan-inhabited regions of Qinghai, Gansu, and northwestern Sichuan. The Tibetans in this area enjoy a simple yet flavorful and tender noodle dish known as Amdo Dough Slices. Preparation method: 1. Mix flour with warm water to form a dough, slightly softer than that used for noodles, then cut the dough into thick pieces about 4 inches long with a knife. …
Lamb Intestine Noodles is a popular local snack in Xining. The main ingredient is lamb intestines, served with hot broth and hand-pulled noodles. The preparation involves cleaning the small and large intestines of the lamb, leaving the inner fat intact, and stuffing them with a paste made from mung bean flour mixed with seasonings such as scallions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and salt. The stuffed intestines are then tied and boiled. Meanwhile, a topping soup is made with diced radish cooked in the broth used to boil the intestines…
Huangzhong oats are a specialty of Huangzhong County, Xining City, Qinghai Province. According to folklore, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, in his efforts to spread Chinese civilization to Tibet, summoned the daughter of Prince Jiangxia, Li Daozong, from Rencheng to Chang’an. She was conferred the title Princess Wencheng and married off to Tibet. On her journey through Huangzhong, she is said to have eaten roasted oat flour from Huangzhong. Oats are an important forage crop as well as...