Fried food

Fried food

　　The exotic charm of ethnic minorities is fully reflected in Dai cuisine. For example, Dai-style bee pupae is a famous dish on the Yunnan insect menu. Carefully selected bee pupae are deep-fried until crispy and then tossed with seasonings such as litsea cubes, tomato juice, wild chili peppers, lemon water, tea tree, and spikenard. It’s not only refreshingly sour and spicy but also has the added benefit of balancing hormones. Meanwhile, spicy beef hide is a great dish to pair with alcohol. To make it, the middle layer of yellow cowhide is cut into strips and simmered over low heat in cooking oil until translucent, then drained and dried for storage. When eating, it's slowly refried in oil over a low flame until snow-white — it looks just like the “shrimp chips” eaten in Beijing, and has a similarly crispy texture. However, it is meant to be dipped in “nam prik” or seasoned salt, offering a spicy-sweet aftertaste.

“Haosuai” is a popular snack from the Dai people in Dehong, Yunnan, and a daily essential dessert for locals. It’s made using locally produced dried pea flour and high-quality rice noodles. The preparation involves first mixing the pea flour into a thin paste, blanching the rice noodles, then seasoning them with chopped green onions, ginger, salt, along with aromatics like cardamom, chili sauce, star anise oil, and michelia alba oil. You eat it both wet and dry, slurping it all down — leaving you feeling completely satisfied.