Mantou are Chinese steamed buns that are usually prepared plain, without any filling on the inside. It is sometimes served as a side dish, although it is more commonly consumed as it is. Mantou has a round, flattened shape, and it is a staple food of the Northern part of China.

Traditionally, the buns are tasteless and they have no crust, while the crumb is somewhat dense. They are made from wheat flour and yeast, which is used as a leavening agent. For Chinese people, mantou is as important as bread is to the westerners.

According to a popular legend, the word mantou literally means barbarian's head. 

Qiang lianhuabai is a traditional dish originating from Sichuan. The dish is usually made with a combination of cabbage, dried chili peppers, soy sauce, Chinkiang black vinegar, Sichuan pepper, salt, sugar, and oil. In order to prepare the dish, the cabbage is torn and stir-fried with hot peppers and Sichuan pepper, and then seasoned with sweet-and-sour flavorings before serving.

The Chinese prefer to use lianhuabai, the large, flat, and loosely-leaved white cabbage, but it can be replaced with regular cabbage. This dish is beloved because it's quick and easy to make along with being inexpensive.

Mandarin pancakes are traditional Chinese pancakes that are always served with the famous Peking duck. The dough is usually made with a combination of flour, vegetable oil, and boiling water. The flour is mixed with boiling water in order to make a dry dough that's kneaded until firm and slightly elastic.

Once rested, it's rolled into a sausage that's sliced into smaller pieces, and each piece is rolled into a small ball. Each ball is rolled out into a thin circle, and each pancake is brushed with oil on one side. The pancakes are paired up, oiled sides facing together, and they're fried in a bit of oil on both sides until brown bubbles start to appear. 

Century egg is a Chinese delicacy made by preserving duck, quail, or chicken eggs in a saline solution that consists of salt, clay, and sometimes ash, quicklime, or rice hulls. The solution causes the yolk to develop a creamy texture, and it changes the egg whites into a dark-colored, jelly-like substance.

The dish is thought to have originated during the Ming Dynasty period in Hunan, when a farmer found duck eggs in a pool of slaked lime and decided to eat them. Afterwards, he added salt to the eggs in order to improve the flavor. Today, century egg is often compared to a rich cheese, regarding its sharp scent and flavor, and it is commonly served as an appetizer or a side dish, typically accompanied by rice and pork porridge or pickled ginger root.

The chewy taro cake is a savory Chinese delicacy prepared with rice flour and stewed taro roots. In many ways similar to the traditional turnip cake, it usually incorporates diced Chinese sausage, pork, scallions, and mushrooms. Steamed in round or rectangular pans, it is usually shortly fried until crispy and golden before serving.

Even though it is a staple in traditional dim sum restaurants in China and Hong Kong, it is also one of the most common snacks or side dishes served on Chinese New Year.

Chai tow kway is a traditional dish originating from Chaoshan. The dish usually consists of radish cake (also known as turnip cake) that’s cut into cubes and stir-fried with eggs and seasonings. Radish cake is made with a combination of shredded daikon, rice flour, and water.

Chai tow kway can also be steamed and pan-fried, and the dish is typically garnished with scallions before serving. It’s also popular in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, where it’s a part of Teochew people cuisine.

In Singapore, the dish is also made in two versions – white (no soy sauce) and black (made with sweet soy sauce). 

Shogo khatsa is a traditional dish originating from Tibet. The dish is usually made with a combination of potatoes, hot peppers, garlic, oil, and salt. The potatoes are partly boiled and chopped into chunks. The hot peppers and garlic are mashed into a paste, mixed with a bit of water, and fried in oil.

Chopped potatoes are added to the pan, and they’re stir-fried with the chili sauce until they’re tender. Once done, shogo khatsa is typically served as an appetizer or a side dish.

The Chinese dish known as braised spring bamboo shoots is often seen in the menus of numerous restaurants in the country because it is easy to prepare, high in nutrients, and has a delicious, savory flavor. Spring bamboo shoots are unearthed around April 5, also known as the Tomb-Sweeping Day.

In order to prepare the dish, tender bamboo shoots are simply braised in vinegar and lots of sugar. When properly prepared, the dish should have a bright red color and a flavor which can best be described as tender, fresh, salty, and sweet.

Qing jiao yu mi is a traditional dish originating from Sichuan. This simple dish is usually made with a combination of sweet corn kernels, green peppers, salt, and oil. The kernels are stripped from the cobs, the pepper is cut into chunks that are roughly the same size as corn kernels, and both are then fried in oil in a wok over high heat until piping hot and sizzling.

During the stir-frying process, the dish is seasoned with plenty of salt. Qing jiao yu mi is an everyday dish that can be found in home kitchens and low-key restaurants in the region.