Kunming Food Restaurants
3 min readFood in Yunnan,as everywhere in China,is as varied as the local ingredients.Yunnan’s diverse environment,from mountains in the west to subtropical forests in the south,inspires an extremely palatable,although strange range of dishes.True to Chinese style,the thousands of varieties of plants and animals are well represented in cooki Cross-the-bridge noodles(guoqiao mixian )are prepared at the table by adding raw ingredients into a hot broth.The ingredients in the soup are seemingly unlimited,except by what your palate can handle.These include an assortment of meats,mushrooms,tofu(also available in many varieties,including dry tofu,tofu strips,and tofu skin to name a few),eggs,cheese,potatoes,pumpkins,melons and green vegetables.The story of the soup is famous-a woman preparing food for her scholar-husband realized that if she put a thin layer of oil on top of the broth and carried the raw ingredients separately,the hot broth would cook the food once she arrived at her husband’s study-providing him a hot meal.
Definitely try street food,which allows you to sample many different kinds without making a large financial commitment.There is a choice of almost anything skewered and barbecued,coated in hot pepper and oil.Although not a meal,definitely a worthy side trip for a post-museum or late night snack.Check out the food street on Shuncheng Lu,which mainly offers Muslim fare.Another street to check out is Xiangyun Xiaochi Jie.
There is also an abundance of chestnuts which are served roasted shell-on,sauteed,prepared with meat,made into savory and sweet pastes or as dessert,including mouth-watering caramelized chestnuts.For those who are looking for the comforts of chicken soup,qiguoji,a steamed chicken in broth,is delicious.If you want something to chev on,pick up some beef jerky(niugan ba)or some ham(xuanwei huotui).An exotic variation of hotpot,try the wild mushroom hotpot(yeshengjun huiguo).
Different varieties of mushrooms are slow cooked in the broth before you add your own chosen goodies.Each mushroom has its own medicinal properties-tasty and good for you.
Some varieties of mushrooms are only available from May to December.
From the southern region of Xishuangbanna,fruit is delicious and available year round.
Apples,grapes,peaches and oranges to pomelos,jackfruits and mangosteens-the queen of the fruits are available.
The Stone Forest’s nighty landscape.(shilin)
Don’t forget the cuisine of Yunnan’s numerous ethnic minorities,which includes Naxi cheese(made of goat’s milk and deep-fried,somewhat reminiscent of a potato chip)as well as Bai local specialties such as spicy and sour fish and sweet deep-fried goat cheese.
RESTAURANTS
Fuzhao Lou
Famous for its qiguoji and liang mifen.
393 Lianmeng Lu,Panlong District
Kunming Xinshijie Meishi Yule Guangchang Seafood and Yunnan cuisine with live entertainment.
16 Yuantong Jie
10 am to 9 pm
Xiangyun Huiguan
Famous for its tianyuan tuji geng,which made from chicken.
43Xiangyun Lu,Xihua District
Xinyunyuan Jiulou
Specializes in Yunnan cuisine.
452Qingnian Lu
11 am to 9:30 pm
Yejun Yuan
Specializes in over 50 kinds of wild mushroom in a chicken or fish broth hotpot.
173Guanxing,Guanshang Lu
10 am to 10 pm
Yixin Yuan
A spacious and classy venue.
Dianchi Lu
10 am to 10 pm