Guangxi Cuisine is also known as Gui Cuisine. Guangxi is famous for its beautiful mountainous scenery and has a dozen ethnical groups, such as Han, Zhuang, Miao and Yao minorities. All these unique customs, traditions, ethnical and regional cultures, specialities and special cooking techniques make Gui Cuisine uniquely different from other regional cuisines.
The typical famous dishes of Guangxi Cuisine are classified into north and southeast Gui dishes, local seashore dishes and ethnic minority dishes.
Main Dishes
Wuzhou Deep-fried Chicken Wrapped with Parchment Paper (Wuzhou Zhibao Ji, 梧州纸包鸡)
It originated in Wuzhou, Guangxi province, with a history of more than 70 years. It was initially created in Huancuilou Restaurant, in Wuzhou, and then became well-known in Yuexilou Restaurant. The main raw material used in this dish is Sanhuang chicken (a kind of locally grown chicken with yellow feathers, feet and beak) from Cenxi. It is marinated with dark soy sauce, refined salt, white sugar, monosodium glutamate, Fenyang wine, sesame oil, five mixed spices, pepper and crushed shallots. Then the marinated chicken is wrapped with parchment paper (a kind of man made wax paper) and deep-fried in peanut oil until cooked. The chicken removed from the paper looks golden, rich in colour and smells very fragrant. This savoury dish tastes smooth and soft and very delicious.
Braised Duck with Grapefruit Peel and Oyster Sauce ( Haoyou Youpi Ya, 蚝油柚皮鸭)
To make this dish, the Grapefruit peel is first baked over hot burning coals until slightly burnt. They are then wiped clean and soaked in water to remove the bitterness. The duck is boiled and dried, coated with soy sauce and deep-fried until it turns golden. Then it is diced and simmered in a bronze pan together with grapefruit peel, pig’s fat, chicken bones, dace, oyster sauce and other flavourings.
Braised Duck with Lemon (Ningmeng Ya, 柠檬鸭)
It is a famous course widely popular with people from Nanning (the capital of Guangxi) where the cooking technique is very refined. The taste of this dish varies from ingredients and cooking time. First, a home-grown or Beijing duck weighing about 1.5 kilograms that’s been fed on chaff is chosen as the main raw material. It is chopped, quick-fried and braised with pickled lemon and sour Chinese onion, plum, fermented bean curd, white sugar, yellow wine, fresh ginger and other flavourings until cooked. This is a moderately sour and spicy dish that is delicious and very appetising.
Meanwhile, other famous southeast Guangxi dishes are Yongcheng Braised Duckling in Wine (Yongcheng Zui Ziya, 邕城醉子鸭), Shredded Tenderloin Balls with Vegetables (Gualv Shuang Rouguo, 挂绿爽肉果), and Braised Tofu with shredded Pork (Suirou Shao Tofu, 碎肉烧豆腐) .
Steamed Lijiang Mandarin Fish (Qingzheng Lijiang Yu, 清蒸漓江鱼)
It uses fat, tender and soft freshwater mandarin fish from the Lijiang River. It’s steamed with ginger, onion, wine and oil. The taste is very unique and extremely delicious.
Braised Streaky Pork with Lipu Taro (Liyu Kourou, 荔芋扣肉)
Lipu Taro (Binlang Yu, 槟榔芋) is grown in Lipu county and tastes soft, crispy and fragrant. Streaky pork and Lipu Taro, as the main ingredients, are braised, deep-fried, simmered and then sautéed until cooked. Each slice is layered on both sides with taro. Dark soy sauce, fermented bean curd, five mixed spices, monosodium glutamate, sugar and other flavourings are applied giving this dish a golden appearance with the fragrance of taro.
Other northern Guangxi dishes include Braised Civet with Bamboo Shoot and Mushroom (Shuangdong Shao Zhushu, 双冬烧竹鼠), Stewed Whole Chicken with Gecko (Gejie Shao Quanji, 蛤蚧烧全鸡) and Five-coloured Mixed Vegetables (Wucai Huangsi, 五彩黄丝).
Shredded Chicken with Oyster Sauce (Shousi Ji, 手撕鸡)
Shredded Chicken with Oyster Sauce (Shousi Ji, 手撕鸡) or so-called “Hand Shredded Chicken”, is a popular cold meat dish eaten in summer and autumn. A cleaned chicken marinated with refined salt and cooking wine is first steamed until cooked. The bones and flesh are separated and torn apart and evenly mixed with a variety of seasonings. Before being served, the bottom of the dish is layered with chicken bones. Chicken slices are placed in the middle and chicken skin on the top forming the shape of a chicken. Last of all, white aromatic sesame is fried and sprinkled on the surface.
Other famous seashore dishes are Braised Squid with Fresh Cole (Cairuan Lianyou, 菜软廉鱿) , Stewed Fish Maws with Crab Paste (Xiehuang Ba Yudu, 蟹黄扒鱼肚), Fried Turtle Dove with Walnut (Hetao Banjiu Pian, 核桃斑鸠片) and Crispy Snails (Cuipi Xiangluo, 脆皮响螺).
Famous Ethnic Minority Dishes
Zhuang ethnic minority group is extremely good at cooking dog meat and animal by-products, having very high cooking techniques and a wide variety of local dishes. Steamed Pork and Tofu Balls (Qinzheng Doufu Yuan, 清蒸豆腐圆), Braised Fish Maws (Yu Kou, 鱼扣), Crispy Duck (Su Ya, 酥鸭), Fried Pumpkin Shaped Flowers (Qiaorang Nangua Hua, 巧瓤南瓜花) , Fried Beef with Sour Bamboo Shoots (Suansun Chao Niurou, 酸笋炒牛肉) are the most popular dishes for the public. Other popular ethnic minority dishes include Miao Style Steamed Dace (Zhuban Yu, 竹板鱼) and Bamboo Roasted Pork (Zhu Rou Chuan, 竹肉串), Roasted Pork of Maonan Ethnic Group (Shao Zhu, 烧猪). Here are the two most famous dishes.
Steamed Pork and Tofu Balls (Qinzheng Doufu Yuan, 清蒸豆腐圆)
This is the most popular dish of the Zhuang ethnic minority group. First, egg is added to crushed tender Tofu. Chopped pork, peanuts, pork dripping, glutinous rice, mushrooms and garlic along with other seasonings are mixed together. Fill the Tofu pastry with the mixture, roll into balls and steam on a non-stick tray. Last of all, the original sauce is thickened with starch and poured onto the balls. This is a savoury dish with a delicious flavour and is popular among the old and the young.
Miao Style Steamed Dace (Miaozu Zhuban Yu, 苗族竹板鱼)
Miao Style Steamed Dace (Miaozu Zhuban Yu, 苗族竹板鱼), as a famous Miao ethnic dish, uses freshwater dace as the main raw material. The bones of the dace are removed and the leftover is marinated with salt, oil, soy sauce, spice, sugar, vinegar, monosodium glutamate and fermented black beans. Then, the marinated dace is wrapped with a large bamboo or lotus leaf, mounted between two bamboo meshes and steamed in a pot. The finished dish tastes delicious and crispy with a favourable aroma. Today, it is a famous dish among many ethnic groups.
Other famous ethnic minority dishes include Zhuang ethnic minority group’s Hulu Shrimp (Zhuangxiang Hulu Xia, 壮乡葫芦虾), Boiled Tofu with Lotus Leaf (Zhuangjia Lianpeng Tofu，壮家莲蓬豆腐), Braised Rabbit (Zhuangxiang Yutu Le, 壮乡玉兔乐), Sautéed Savoury Taro (Zhuangjia Xiangyuzhu, 壮家香芋珠,), and Braised Pork with Black Sugar (Zhuangwei Hongtangkou, 壮味红糖扣), Stewed Dried Bean Curd with Apple (Pingguo Fuzhu Bao, 平果腐竹煲,), Bamboo Steamed Rice, Yaoshan Style (Yaoshan Zhujiezhong, 瑶山竹节盅), Miao Style Chicken Fried Rice (Miaoshan Xiangfanji, 苗山香饭鸡), Stewed Bamboo Civet (Miaoshan Dun Zhuli, 苗山炖竹狸) and Dong Style Bamboo Roasted Pork (Tongxiang Zhuchuan Rou, 侗乡竹串肉).
Snacks
Drinks
Sweet Osmanthus Wine(桂花酒)
Produced in Guangxi Autonomous Region in South Central China, the light yellow coloured Sweet Osmanthus Wine has a grape-flavoured sweet and sour taste. Mao Zedong wrote in one of his poems that the wine was so good that only in heaven could it be obtained. It is also a popular drink among female Chinese consumers and has the cute nickname of “Happiness for Women”.
Luohanguo Tea(罗汉果茶)
The tea is a mixture of Luohangyuo, a type of nut which grows in southwestern China, and top-quality tea leaves. When making Luohanguo Tea, the locals use par-boiled water to steep the tea leaves. The method is very different from other tea-making styles in most parts of China, where fully boiled water is often used.
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