Discover 11 Mouthwatering Chinese Dishes You Never Knew Existed

Everyone is familiar with common Chinese takeout dishes like sweet and sour pork and egg fu young but I'm here to show you the hidden gems of Chinese cuisine (most are actually traditional home-cooked recipes) that you should try and can make at home! The best part is, most of them take 30 minutes or less! How many of these hidden gems have you tried?

Chinese Stir Fried Ketchup Shrimp

If you like sweet and sour pork, you'll love ketchup shrimp. There's no deep frying involved so its quick to make and the sweet and sour sauce is super easy to put together. To make the shrimp even tastier, you can use pre-peeled frozen shrimp so each piece of shrimp is coated with that delicious sauce!

Get the Ketchup Shrimp recipe here.

Scrambled Eggs with Shrimp

Another quick and easy dish that's very often made in Chinese households on busy nights is scrambled eggs with shrimp. It doesn't require a lot of ingredients and these fluffy scrambled eggs with large chunks of shrimp are absolutely delicious served with rice.

You can get the Chinese Scrambled Eggs with Shrimp recipe here.

Three Cup Chicken

Traditionally, this dish uses chopped pieces of dark meat chicken but to keep it simple, I like to use chicken wings (which I find more delicious). In this dish, chicken is braised in a sweet and savory soy sauce that is flavored with toasted ginger and garlic and then tossed with Thai basil.

Get the Three Cup Chicken recipe here.

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Chinese BBQ pork is used in many rice and noodle dishes, but it's actually not that intimidating or difficult to make at home as well! It's actually quite easy to make at home both in the oven and over the grill, the key is to get the char at the very end which thickens the sauce makes it super sweet and sticky.

You can get the Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork) recipe here.

Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry

Similar to tomato sauce, this traditional Chinese recipe makes use of fresh tomatoes, but doesn't fully cook them down so you get delicious burst of tomatoes in every bite. The sauciness along with the bits of scrambled eggs is delicious when served with a side of rice.

Get the Chinese Tomato Egg Stir Fry recipe here.

Chinese Turnip Cake

Although this is called turnip cake, it is not cake like at all. It's savory with a dense chewy texture with bits of turnip and Chinese sausage mixed within it. It's quite common to see them at dim sum and tastes best when pan fried (after it has been steamed) which gives it a nice crispy exterior.

You can get the Chinese Turnip Cake recipe here.

Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce

This simple traditional Chinese steamed spare ribs recipe is absolutely delicious and loaded with garlic and umami from the black bean sauce. The best part is it takes less than 15 minutes in the steamer to cook so you can have this on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Get the Chinese Steamed Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce recipe here.

Chinese Stuffed Peppers

If you ever had dim sum, you may have seen these stuffed peppers (along with stuffed eggplant and tofu) served there! These stuffed peppers can be made two different ways, stuffed with pork or stuffed with shrimp and topped with a garlic black bean sauce. To keep things easier, you can use store-bought black bean sauce instead.

Get the Chinese Stuffed Peppers recipe here.

Scallion Pancakes

This savory pancake is crispy and an addictive snack. Traditionally, it is made by mixing flour, water and salt with scallions but for my recipe, I use pre-made puff pastry so the pancake is a bit more flakier with delicate buttery layers of pastry. I also use five spice and miso to give this delicious savory pancake an additional layer of flavor as well!

You can get the Chinese Scallion Pancake recipe here.

Chinese Sticky Rice (Lo Mai Fan)

Chinese sticky rice is also another old school dim sum recipe that is not very common nowadays in restaurants. Sticky rice is first soaked and then steamed until it becomes super sticky, before it's stir fried with Chinese sausage, peanuts and dried shrimp! It's a two step process but is definitely worth it if you love chewy sticky rice. I also add a crispy topping on top to give it another layer of texture which makes it incredibly satisfying to enjoy.

Get the Chinese Sticky Rice recipe here.

Hot Pot

Hot pot is equally a meal, as well as an experience. It's a communal meal shared with friends and family that  requires you to cook your own ingredients in a bubbling pot of broth in the center of the table. It can be an elaborate meal with lots of different ingredients, but it can also be a very small and simple meal with just a few ingredients as well. I definitely encourage you to try it at least once with friends and family!

You can get the Ultimate Guide to Chinese Hot Pot at Home here.

This article originally appeared on Pups with Chopsticks.