Yuxi Specialty Snacks

Yuxi Specialty Snacks

　　If you stroll along the streets of Kunming, you'll often see signs advertising “Authentic Yuxi Flavor” or “Best Yuxi Flavor” snacks. Yuxi’s culinary skills are renowned throughout Yunnan, and Yuxi chefs can be found across the region.

　　The city of Yuxi gets its name from water—the Yuxi River is the Qiao River recorded in the ancient text *Commentary on the Water Classic*. It was already referred to as Yuxi in Ming Dynasty documents, taking its name from the clear, jade-like flow of the river. Yuxi’s flavors are also water-related, with famous dishes such as stir-fried eel, braised loach, and roast duck all using aquatic ingredients. The renowned Yuxi rice noodles, meanwhile, are associated with the local rice varieties. Since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yuxi has been known as the “Granary of Central Yunnan,” and these factors form the material foundation of Yuxi’s distinctive flavors.

　　Yuxi specialty snacks became popular in Kunming as early as the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty and have continued to evolve over the past century. In particular, they have absorbed the strengths of Sichuan and Jiangsu flavors, offering a delicious balance of numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant. The most representative Yuxi snack, which emphasizes rich broth and a full complement of seasonings, is Yuxi rice noodles. There is a wide variety of Yuxi rice noodles, with diverse styles including braised pork rice noodles, cold (or hot) eel rice noodles, as well as meat rice noodles and chicken rice noodles. Depending on the season, there are also mixed cold rice noodles, which are primarily served cold, crisp, fragrant, and refreshing, with a variety of seasonings—making them a perfect cold drink snack in the hot summer months. A popular folk version is pea-flour-topped sour soup cold rice noodles, which are affordable and loved by both young and old.

　　Yuxi small-pot rice noodles are uniquely flavorful, with a clear broth made by simmering pork bones and chicken. Fresh, tender greens like Chinese chives and pea sprouts are added, along with Yuxi soy sauce, freshly minced meat, and a suitable amount of pickled vegetables—all cooked in a single pot per serving. Another favorite is small-pot braised rice cake, which is oily but not greasy, fragrant but not crispy, and cooked yet not sticky. Recently, stir-fried rice cakes, stir-fried rice sheets, and stir-fried rice noodles have been developed based on the small-pot cooking method. These are enhanced with ham, cured meat, or sausages for flavor, paired with Chinese chive tips, resulting in a finished dish with a clear green-and-yellow contrast, fresh, fragrant, and delicious—smooth yet not greasy.

　　Snacks are worth trying, but the banquet dishes are even more impressive. Yuxi cuisine excels in stewing, stir-frying, quick-frying, steaming, braising, sautéing, braising in sauce, and roasting, with standout dishes in each category.

　　Braised eel has long been considered a Yuxi delicacy and is a specialty of Yuxi chefs. The broth is bright red, enriched with the flavor of fried pork skin, infused with the fragrance of mint, and layered with Chinese chives for sweetness. The eel is tender, richly flavored, oily but not greasy. There are many varieties of stir-fried eel, such as red-oil rolled eel and shredded eel stir-fry, all spicy, numbing, fresh, and delicious, with a crisp texture.

　　Braised loach offers another unique flavor—soft but not mushy. When you bite into the fish head, the body and tail remain in your mouth as you pull out the bones, resulting in an incredibly delicious experience.

　　Stir-fried double crunch, made primarily with pig stomach, chicken gizzard, and duck gizzard, is quickly cooked over high heat with generous oil, resulting in a dish that is simultaneously crisp, tender, pure, and fragrant.

　　Steamed chicken combines aroma, fragrance, and freshness, making it suitable for all ages. It is further enhanced when served on a bed of fava beans, sweet potatoes, or potatoes.

　　Velveting tenderloin and vinegar-velveted rolled eel are light and delicious, tender and smooth without any grit.

　　Braised dishes are quite popular in Yuxi, ranging from chicken, duck, and ham to tofu—all can be braised into various signature dishes. The braised flavors are pure and fragrant, with diverse seasonings, careful attention to cooking time, and a delicious taste that makes them a great pairing with alcohol or as a refreshing side dish.

　　Renowned economist Professor Zhu Yinggeng once gave an incisive analysis of the formation and characteristics of “Yuxi flavor”: “In the early years of the Republic of China, Yuxi Street was built and became the only food street in Kunming at the time, bustling no less than Zhengyi Road, Xiaodong Street, or Nanping Street. The narrow street was lined with food stalls on both sides, bustling with people from morning to night. People took great pleasure in coming here to enjoy the flavors of Yuxi. This lively scene continued until the 1950s, illustrating the status of Yuxi flavor in Yunnan’s culinary culture. The essence of ‘Yuxi flavor’ encompasses a series of uniquely flavored dishes and specialty snacks. Its creation and development involved the hard work and wisdom of countless predecessors. The greatest characteristic of its dishes lies in meticulous knife skills, precise control of cooking time, and the emphasis on freshness, tenderness, and vitality in main and auxiliary ingredients. Seasoning prioritizes freshness, with a focus on spiciness over numbness, and a balanced sweet-and-sour profile. Whether stir-fried, braised, boiled, stewed in sauce, simmered, braised, or slow-cooked, the color, aroma, taste, and presentation are all top-notch. In Yuxi, due to differences in local produce, each area has developed its own distinctive features. The reason these various snacks are considered exceptional lies in their unique preparation methods and the use of novel, refined ingredients. After the founding of New China, with the establishment of specialized food service management agencies, the culinary techniques behind Yuxi flavor—which represent the crystallization of wisdom from generations of master chefs—were preserved through methods such as apprenticeships and training classes. This cultivated a new generation of knowledgeable and cultured middle-aged and young chefs, ensuring the inheritance of Yuxi flavor.” (Yuxi)