Cuisine and Snacks of Qinzhou

Qinzhou cuisine belongs to the southeastern Guangxi culinary style, blending coastal flavors and ethnic minority tastes. Its signature dishes include Qinzhou oysters, oyster sauce pomelo peel chicken, sesame chicken with oyster sauce, steamed tofu balls, stir-fried snail meat and stir-fried crabs. The local snacks are also distinctive, mostly featuring rice noodles and congee. Pork trotter noodles, old duck soup, dog meat noodles, river snail rice noodles and pickled fruits and vegetables are all must-try delicacies.

As a renowned seafood specialty of Qinzhou, local oysters are large in size with thick, tender and flavorful meat. They are commonly cooked by deep-frying or quick stir-frying.

Stir-fry straw mushrooms until fully cooked, drizzle with specially prepared oyster sauce and seasonings, then toss well. Finish with a sprinkle of shredded scallions and red chili peppers. The dish boasts an appealing look and superb taste.

Roast pomelo peel over charcoal until charred, scrape off the burnt part and soak it in clean water to remove bitterness. Blanch the duck in hot water and pat dry, coat it with soy sauce and deep-fry until golden brown, then simmer over low heat until tender. Place the cut duck pieces and pomelo peel into a copper pot, add lard, chicken bones, dace fish and oyster sauce, and stew until all ingredients are well infused with flavor.

Marinate a cleaned whole chicken with salt and cooking wine, then steam it thoroughly. Remove the skin, tear the meat and take out the bones. Mix the meat and bones with assorted seasonings. To serve, arrange chicken bones at the bottom of the plate, lay shredded chicken meat on top and cover with chicken skin to restore the shape of a whole chicken. Finally, sprinkle with toasted white sesame seeds. This dish is especially ideal to eat in summer and autumn.

A classic Cantonese dish made with perch or other freshwater fish, together with ham, shiitake mushrooms and fatty pork. All ingredients are steamed together. Artfully sliced toppings are arranged around the fish, resembling an armored kylin, which gives the dish its name.

Mash soft tofu into a paste and mix in eggs. Chop pork, peanuts, pork cracklings, glutinous rice, shiitake mushrooms and scallions finely, then season to make the filling. Wrap the filling with tofu paste to form small balls, place them on an oiled plate and steam. Thicken the original cooking juice and pour it over the balls before serving.

Served with crispy roasted pig skin, layered pancakes, sweet and sour side dishes and sesame paste, this famous Guangxi delicacy features glossy skin and tender meat with a unique flavor.

Sauté garlic cloves, ginger strips and chili peppers until fragrant, then add snail meat and stir-fry. It tastes delicious and is a perfect accompaniment to alcohol. Stir-fried crabs are also a local favorite. Many restaurants near South Pearl Avenue serve excellent versions of these two dishes, such as Aunt Ba's Crab Restaurant and Dongdong Snack Bar opposite the Power Hotel.

The most famous local snack in Qinzhou. It uses fine local rice noodles topped with well-seasoned braised pork trotters. The dish is spicy, fragrant and refreshing. A bowl costs 3 to 5 yuan with generous portions, available in restaurants and street stalls across the city.

The noodles are light, crisp and not greasy. Dog meat is also served as barbecue or in full-course feasts, pairing wonderfully with wine. Time-honored restaurants include Ye Guiyuan Dog Meat Restaurant at the intersection of Shawei Street and Shengli Road, and the popular Dog Meat Street near the Stadium.

Tasty and affordable river snail rice noodles can be found on Xinxing Street, Baisha Street, Renmin Road and Erma Road.

Put wolfberries, rice and pigeon meat into a sand pot, add water and simmer slowly into congee. Season before serving. It tastes delicious and nourishes yin and moisturizes the lungs. Old White Pigeon Congee Shop on Xinxing Street operates around the clock, offering congee, pan-fried dumplings and other popular foods.

Braised old duck soup and marinated duck feet are well-liked street foods.

Made by pickling seasonal produce such as papaya, radish, cucumber, lotus root and pineapple with vinegar, chili and sugar. Though the variety is not as extensive as that in Nanning, these crisp pickles effectively stimulate appetite and quench thirst. The pickle shops on Xinxing Street are the most renowned in the area.