Chinese cuisine has been becoming increasingly popular ever since the rest of the world discovered it. Most places outside China have developed their own recipes based on the authentic ones combined with the best ingredients available in their country. While that’s all good, eating traditional Chinese food is still better than the adapted versions.
Here are some of the best authentic Chinese dishes that you must try:

1. Bread soup

Many parts of China get severely cold during winters. Such freezing temperatures call for food that can keep your body warm while also providing you with great flavours. And the best food to do both these tasks is bread soup.

It is a very traditional Chinese recipe that belongs to the Shaanxi province in the northwestern part of the country. The recipe is quite simple- you need to fill glass noodles and meat or vegetables (whatever you prefer), into a warm bowl of broth along with slices of bread. You can make your own variations to this simple preparation by adding some spices or chili sauces.

2. Stuffed rice noodle roll

There are some days when you don't want to scour the menu for getting something to eat. For such days, the best traditional Chinese meal you can get is the stuffed rice noodle roll. It is a Cantonese style dish belonging to the Southern part of China.

It's a nearly ready-to-serve, simple, and easy dish that can help keep you full until your next meal. It's cooked by heating a mixture of water, rice flour, and oil and then adding a filling of just about anything that you like. Your filling can constitute meat slices or vegetables of your choice. You can add more flavour by dipping it in some chili sauces or add a different flavour to it with chinese great spicy garlic sauce. In China, fillings of egg and pork are the most common ones.

3. Ròu jiā mó

When looking for some classic Chinese food, it doesn't get better than this. Flatbreads that are filled with meat stewed for hours along with a variety of spices that enhance the flavour further. This dish originated in the streets of the Shaanxi province is quite similar to an American hamburger but it's much messier to eat than one.

Due to the stewed meat and other toppings, the dish is quite filling and is the perfect snack to keep your stomach full for a couple of hours.

4. Hunan Crayfish

The crayfish are smaller versions of the lobsters. In fact, the name itself translates to “little lobsters.” They can be found almost all over China and in Chinese restaurants outside the country. There are several variations to how it’s cooked but the best one by far is the one cooked in the Nunan province.

The crayfish is cooked in a hot sauce that adds quite a lot of flavour while highlighting the flavour of the little lobsters. Though they look like lobsters, eating crayfish is a lot messier than eating a lobster. You will have to tear off its head and then break the shell before consuming the tender and well-cooked meat inside.

This causes the sauces to spill out a lot and create quite a mess. In most restaurants where this dish is served, you'll also get a pair of gloves to keep your hands clean.

5. Chinese Pepper Steak

Authentic Chinese Pepper steak is another brilliant traditional Chinese recipe. It is quite easy to prepare, has a great flavour, and is very filling. The dish mainly consists of two ingredients- bell peppers and beefsteak. You will require only a little drizzle of oil as you have to stir-fry the steak, which makes the dish a healthy one as well.

However, there are several versions of the pepper steak as well and many of them require it to be cooked by deep-frying or some other technique. While they are delicious too, the stir-fried version is the most traditional one and also the best one.

Just like all the other recipes we discussed above; you can make some changes of your own to this one as well by adding some veggies of your choice or by adding different kinds of sauces. If you are looking to cook this simple and amazing dish at home, you can look up the whole recipe here.

Now that you know which are the best authentic Chinese dishes, it’s time to treat yourself with one of these!