All you need is FOOD

The characters below are enough to get you in the door and ordering off a Chinese menu. Either memorize them – five a day for a week will get you most of the way there – or save this page as a cheat sheet. Once you’ve mastered the basics, the bonus section below will have you ordering like a pro.

MENU

菜单 càidān

1. 肉 (ròu, meat)

羊肉 yángròu – lamb

牛肉 niúròu – beef

鸡肉 jīròu – chicken

猪肉 zhūròu – pork

鱼 yú – fish

Notes:

1. In most restaurants, 肉 ròu by itself on a menu means pork but in Muslim restaurants 肉 ròu by itself usually means mutton.

2. If the thought of accidentally ordering offal fills you with dread, avoid menu items with characters that include the 月 radical. Most characters for offal include 月, including 肝 (gān, liver), 肠 (cháng, intestines) and 肺 (fèi, lungs).

3. Remembering mutton, beef and chicken is easy. 羊 yáng has horns, 牛 niú has an ear tag, and 鸡 jī has an eye, a beak, and a crest.

2. 蔬菜 (shūcài, vegetables)

土豆 tǔdòu – potato

茄子 qiézi – eggplant

菇 gū – mushrooms

豆 dòu – beans and peas

葱 cōng – vegetables from the onion family

Note: On menus, the character 菜 cài usually refers to any kind of green vegetable. If you’re looking for greens, choose menu items that include the character 菜 cài.

3. Other items

鸡蛋 jīdàn – eggs

豆腐 dòufu – tofu

面 miàn – noodles made of wheat

粉 fěn – noodles made of any other starch, including rice, sweet potato, or mung beans

4. Cooking methods

炒 chǎo – wok-fried or stir-fried

烧 shāo – braised

凉拌 liángbàn – prepared raw like a salad

干锅 gānguō – served sizzling in a small wok

丝 sī – shredded

辣 là – made spicy with the addition chili oil, chili paste, or dried or fresh chili

Note: On menus, characters with the 火 radical, like 炒 chǎo and 烧 shāo usually refer to a cooking method.

Below are our top 10 foreigner favorite menu items to look out for. If you are a lǎowài you probably like these dishes. 

01

Kungpao Chicken 

宫保鸡丁 gōngbǎojīdīng

A dish of cubed chicken cooked with chili, Sichuan peppercorns, peanuts, and leeks (some lesser restaurants use cucumber). Named for Qing Dynasty 宫保gōngbǎo (palace guardian) and governor of Sichuan, Dīng bǎozhēn (the Dīng is coincidental, it's the surname of the man, and it also means diced meat.).

02

Shredded Pork with the Fragrance of Fish 

鱼香肉丝 yúxiāngròusī

The fragrance of fish is debatable, but the tastiness of shredded pork fried with wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, carrots, and ginger is not.

03

Dry-fried Green Beans 

干煸豆角 gānbiāndòujiǎo,

a.k.a. 干煸四季豆 gānbiānsìjìdòu

Often referred to as "the crack beans" by those unfamiliar with its Chinese names, this dish of green beans fried sometimes with minced pork but always with chili, salt, and MSG can be addictive.

04

Brocoli fried with Minced Garlic 

蒜蓉西兰花 suànróngxīlánhuā

The Chinese dish most likely to make lǎowài say “If my mom made vegetables like this I would have eaten them.”

05

Pockmarked Grandmother’s Tofu 

麻婆豆腐 mápódòufu

Named for a Qing Dynasty Chengdu restaurateur, this dish of tofu braised in chili bean paste, Sichuan peppercorns and minced pork is perfect for going with rice (下饭 xiàfàn).

06

Tomato Fried with Egg 

西红柿炒鸡蛋 xīhóngshìchǎojīdàn

Simple comfort food and ranked only behind 麻婆豆腐 mápódòufu (above) in its ability to go with rice (下饭 xiàfàn).

07

Smashed Cucumber 

拍黄瓜 pāihuángguā

Sesame oil, minced garlic, cooking wine, soy sauce and vinegar lift cucumber to unimaginable heights in this classic cold dish. Best paired with a cold 燕京啤酒 yānjīngpíjiǔ on a hot afternoon but tasty anytime.

08

Return to the Pot Meat, or Twice-cooked Pork 

回锅肉 huíguōròu

Fatty porked first boiled with green onions, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns and cooking wine before being cooled, sliced and fried with chili and green peppers. One of the world’s greatest combinations of oil, salt and spice.

09

Chicken Fried with Chili 

辣子鸡 làzijī

The ubiquitous bones in this dish of deep-fried chicken pieces with ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilis turns some foreigners off, but for tenacious diners the rewards are great.

10

Fried Potato, Peppers and Eggplant 

地三鲜 dìsānxiān

Often a staple for foreign vegetarians, this garlic-fried trio often leaves laowai wishing for a higher ratio of potato.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

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See you next time.

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