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China Daily | Quanzhou food tour: Peanut soup, braised beef ribs and more
The Star
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2/2/2025
Celebrate Chinese New Year with Quanzhou's unique food! From 100-year-old braised beef ribs to creamy peanut soup and crispy oyster omelette, this city is bursting with flavours.
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00:00
During Chinese New Year, there's a city full of mythical contrast, a city that's sacred
00:15
and secular, of ancient rites and vibrant festivities.
00:26
The swallowtail roots, the traditional flavors, the Hokkien heritage, and the breeze from
00:33
the Taiwan street, all makes Quanzhou feel like home.
00:40
But what leaves the deepest impression is its food and lovely people.
00:54
Local locals cannot imagine a life without peanut soup.
01:02
Peanut soup is usually served with an egg, rich and super creamy.
01:22
Ah Liang, the stylish vendor with her New Year manicure, starts preparing at 4am every
01:27
day.
01:32
Along with the classic version, she's got one with taro too.
01:36
In Hokkien dialect, peanut soup has a more rustic name.
01:43
Ah Liang's husband, Ah Jiu, helps run their well-loved shop in Shenhu Town.
01:55
Ah Liang learned to make peanut soup from her father before she got married.
02:13
The peanuts simmer until the oil rests to the surface, soft but still holding their
02:19
shape.
02:26
One sip of this soup, and you'll forget any other kind of plonk-based milk.
02:32
For Hokkien people, peanut soup can also be a dessert, and even a remedy for handovers.
02:49
Quanzhou people are deeply attached to peanuts, perhaps because they reflect the humble, practical
02:54
nature of Hokkien culture.
02:58
Peanut flavors are everywhere.
03:00
The sauce for braised noodles is peanut-based.
03:05
Hokkien zong comes to life with peanut sauce.
03:12
Even Quanzhou's barbecue might be the only barbecue with peanut sauce, adding a touch
03:17
of southern delicacy.
03:24
A room bing is a spring roll that's popular here.
03:27
The first layer is peanut sugar.
03:29
The rest of the fillings are up to the diner's preference.
03:37
With limited farmland, Fujian relies on peanuts and sweet potatoes as key starch staples.
03:43
Every local kitchen has sweet potato starch.
03:46
It thickens the broth of miso soup.
03:53
It also coats fried pork, a popular side to the soup.
04:06
Ting Ting Miso Soup is a family-run business that opens the whole night.
04:30
Every 7pm, her in-laws come to the store and prepare another snack that made the store
04:35
famous.
04:37
Fried oyster is a local snack that also uses sweet potato starch.
04:42
Mixed with garlic chives and eggs, they are quickly fried until golden.
04:51
Keeping the oysters juicy and tender, homemade pickled radish helps balance the greasiness.
04:59
Fried oyster is also a beloved dish in Taiwan, a culinary link between Fujian and the region.
05:06
This connection is also seen in ginger duck.
05:10
Two ginger duck restaurants earned spots in the Michelin Guide this year.
05:14
Zhong Ji is one of them.
05:23
Aged ginger lines the bottom, followed by tender ducks.
05:31
With only salt and simple spices, the duck is slow-cooked until it's soft, juicy and
05:37
full of flavor.
05:48
This is Mr. Huang, a beef house owner on Tumen Street, home to the Guan Di Temple, a mosque
05:56
and a Confucian temple, all standing close together.
06:01
This street reflects Quanzhou's history as one of the world's largest seaports during
06:06
the Song and Yuan Dynasty, a melting pot of goods, people and cultures.
06:13
Quanzhou's affection for beef is said to come from Muslim traders.
06:38
In the late Qing Dynasty, many Fujian people of Grandpa Huang's generation went to South
06:43
East Asia for work, but returned home when they earned enough money for new houses, bringing
06:49
with them exotic spices for Quanzhou cuisine.
07:00
Unlike Western steaks, Quanzhou's version boils the ribs first, then braises them in
07:06
rich seasonings.
07:17
Paired with salty rice and broth, the beef rib really captures the essence of Quanzhou's
07:22
food culture.
07:31
In the past, temples would offer porridge to the people during Chinese New Year.
07:37
This tradition continues in Quanzhou as a warm wish for the year ahead.
07:44
Lucky phrases are written on red paper, wishing for good fortune in the coming year.
07:53
For Quanzhou people, New Year is more than a celebration.
07:57
After the journey is far and wide, there's no greater joy than returning home to where
08:02
it all began.
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