Liaoning Cuisine

Formation and Characteristics of Liaoning Cuisine

The abbreviated form of Liaoning Province is “Liao”, hence Liaoning Cuisine is also called Liao Cuisine, or Guandong Cuisine (In the past, the area outside of the Shanhaiguan Pass is called “Guandong”). Liaoning cuisine is a famous local school of Chinese cuisine.

Located in the Liaohe River Valley in the southern part of Northeast China, Liaoning borders the sea on one side. The Liaodong Peninsula is between the Bohai and Yellow seas. With fertile land and advantageous natural conditions, Liaoning is the earliest developed region in Northeast China. After entering the feudal society, many Han people moved from Central China to the Liaohe River valley and exploited the area together with the locals. The Central Plain culture brought about by them greatly improved Liaoning’s culinary culture. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the ethnic minority groups in the Liaohe River Valley still lived a nomadic life.

The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) was an important period for the formation and development of Liao Cuisine. Because of the occupation of Central Plain by the Manchu people, and numerous Shandong people journeying to Northeast China, the population of the Liaodong Peninsula and Liaohe River valley has kept increasing. As a result, agriculture witnessed rapid growth, and the urban population increased quickly. As a result, the catering trade became prosperous. Shandong Cuisine took root in the region. With the passage of time, Liaoning cuisine, influenced by the culinary cultures of the Manchu, Mongolian, Han and Hui ethnic groups, has its characteristics.

Liaoning Cuisine shows the characteristics of Shandong Cuisine; and the local dishes are salty, crisp, fresh and tender, with much juice and bright gravy.

Famous Dishes and Snacks of Some Cities in Liaoning

(1). Shenyang

Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning Province and a famous city in Northeast China. With an advanced catering trade, the restaurants in Liaoning serve the dishes of all the local schools of Chinese cuisine, and the famous local snacks show the characteristics of Northeast China.

Special local Dishes:

Phoenix Legs and Fresh Abalones—凤腿鲜鲍

With abalones and chicken legs as the main ingredients, plus a wide variety of seasonings, this dish is prepared through a complicated procedure. Beautiful in shape, this dish is very delicious and of high nutrition.

Dragon Plays with Phoenix—游龙戏风

Place the dish in a pot on a burning alcohol heater when it is served. The ingredients of the dish include high-quality sea cucumber, a young chicken and ginseng, and many kinds of seasonings. The dish is prepared through a complicated procedure. The chicken is likened to the Phoenix, and the sea cucumber, to the dragon. This dish is aromatic, nutritious and beautiful in color and shape.

Braised Three Whites—扒三白

This dish is prepared with the heart of a cabbage, pig’s large intestines, and asparaguses as the main ingredients, and all the required seasonings. It is beautiful, delicious and nutritious.

Special Local Snacks:

Laobian Jiaozi Dumpling—老边饺子

Ma’s Shaomai—马烧卖

(Steamed dumplings with a dough gathered at the top made by a Hui people whose surname is Ma)

Li Liangui Cake with Baked Pork—李连贵熏肉大饼

This snack, which includes a special cake and baked pork, is created by Li Liangui.

Steamed Bun with Juice—灌汤包

Three-delicacy Baked Cake—三鲜硌盒

Baked Cake—吊炉饼

The cake is made inside a traditional stove.

Korean Cool Noodles—朝鲜冷面

The restaurants in Shenyang serve several dozen kinds of Laobian Jiaozi Dumpling. Deng Xiaoping, a chief architect of China’s reform and opening to the outside world and a famous state leader, once tasted the jiaozi dumplings and said: “Laobian Jiaozi Dumpling has its unique characteristics. The characteristics should be retained.” The restaurants serving Li Liangui Cake with Baked Pork can be found in many cities in Northeast China.

The high-class restaurants in Shenyang also serve dishes and snacks in the style of the imperial food of the Qing Dynasty, such as “Manchu and Han Banquet—满汉全席,” “Whole Sheep Banquet—全羊席,” and “Vegetarian Banquet—全素席.”

(2). Dalian

Dalian is a renowned seaside city in Northeast China, known for its picturesque scenery. Dalian’s catering trade is advanced, and the restaurants serving different schools of local cuisine can be found everywhere in the city. The dishes prepared with seafood are the most famous.

One Fish in Three Tastes — 一鱼三吃

A large yellow croaker is prepared in three different ways, i.e., deep-fry the fish head, dry-braise the middle part, and steam the fishtail in clear soup. The three parts will be in red, yellow and white when finished. The dish has three tastes.

Braised Sea Cucumber with Soy Sauce—红烧海参

Procedure: Cut sea cucumber into stripes, and prepare a number of required condiments, such as onions, salt, cooking wine and chicken broth, and fry the sea cucumber with the seasonings.

Brightly red, this dish is delicious, soft and nutritious.

A Happy Family of Seafood in Soy Sauce—红烧海味全家福

It is a chafing dish with fish, shrimps, sea cucumber, crabs and shells from the sea as the main ingredients, and mushrooms, edible funguses, and various kinds of vegetables as supplementary ingredients. Created according to the famous dish of “Buddha Jumps over the Wall", the chafing dish is delicious and nutritious.

Special Local snacks:

Jiaozi Dumpling Stuffed with Fresh Fish Meat 鱼肉鲜饺, and Menzi 焖子(To prepare: Make sweet potato cakes, slice and fry the cakes, and add condiments to the cakes when the snack is served.)

(3). Anshan

Anshan, an important iron and steel production center of China, has been known as the "capital of steel."

Special Local Dishes:

Gold and Silver Shrimp Steaks—金银虾排

The ingredients of the dish include fresh shrimps, egg white or yolk, and several kinds of seasonings. When finished, the steaks have two colors, white and yellow, hence the name. Such steaks are aromatic, crisp and soft.

Assorted Chafing Dish—什锦火锅

There are more than ten varieties of ingredients in this kind of chafing dish.

Special Local Snacks:

Horse’s Hoof-shaped Cake—马蹄酥

Jiaozi Dumpling Stuffed with Pickled Chinese Cabbage—酸菜馅水饺

Steamed Stuffed Bun—蒸包

(4). Manchu Cuisine

Liaoning is home to the Manchu people. As they have lived in the same area with the Han people for quite a long time, the Manchu people adopt Han customs and habits. In spite of it, tourists can taste Manchu dishes and snacks in Liaoning Province, especially in the areas where the Manchu people live in compact communities.

Interesting Stories of Some Liaoning Dishes

Gold Pork—黄金肉

Gold Pork is a traditional Manchu dish with a time-honored history. After the Manchu people entered the Shanhaiguan Pass and founded the Qing Dynasty, a dish called Gold Pork must be served at the imperial banquet at festivals and celebrations. At these banquets, the emperor would pick up his chopsticks and taste the dish with the utmost deference, to show his respects for Nurhachi, who later gained fame and fortune because of the Gold Pork. In his youth, Nurhachi was a cook of the chief of a Niizhen tribe. One day, the tribe chief threw a banquet to entertain some guests. The woman chef suddenly fell into a comma before the last dish was prepared. Nurhachi went over to offer his help. He wrapped tenderloin with yolk, fried the pork and braised it. Both the host and guests thought highly of this dish. When the tribe chief asked about the name of the dish, Nurhachi replied: “Gold Pork.”

Hongniang (Matchmaker) Finds Her Own Husband—红娘自配

Hongniang (Matchmaker) Finds Her Own Husband, originated in the imperial palace of the Qing Dynasty, is a famous dish in Shenyang. A popular legend goes that it was created by Liang Huiting, an imperial chef, in the Tongzhi reign period (1862-1974) of the Qing Dynasty. According to the rule of the imperial palace, every year, a group of young girls from 13 to 17 would be selected to be palace maiden; and a group of older palace maiden would be sent out of the palace to get married. Usually, all the palace maidens would not exceed 25 years old. A niece of Liang Huiting was one of the palace maidens, and she was over 25. However, Empress Dowager Cixi who was fond of his niece refused to let her go. Master Liang was very worried about his niece’s marriage. But as an ordinary imperial cook, he had no chance to meet and talk with the Empress Dowager.

After a long time of thinking, Master Liang had an idea. According to the Romance of the Western Chamber, Hongniang, a maiden, served as a matchmaker between her lady and a young scholar. One day he meticulously prepared a dish with tenderloin and six large shrimps, which was unusual in color, shape, and taste. Empress Dowager Cixi liked the dish very much and asked a eunuch for the dish’s name. The eunuch went to ask Master Liang. The chef replied: “It is called Hongniang Finds Her Own Husband.” Upon hearing the answer, Empress Dowager understood the meaning right away. Later, she reluctantly let Master Liang’s niece and several other palace maidens leave the palace.

Pork in Earthen Jar—坛子肉

Pork in Earthen Jar, a famous dish of Liaoning, originated from Tieling. In 1918, Li Xuexin, a native of Tianjin, braved a risky journey to Tieling to earn a living. He ran a small restaurant serving stewed pork with the Tianjin flavor. Originally, he stewed pork with an iron pot, but the remaining pork often had the taste of rust. Later, he saw some people stewing pork with an earthen pot so that he began to heat the remaining pork with an earthen jar for holding fermented bean curds. To his surprise, the pork had a pleasant aroma rather than a musty smell.