Southern Min Cuisine

Southern Min(閩南) cuisine is the cuisine of the Hoklo(福佬) people primarily from southern Fujian(福建) Province as well as northeastern Guangdong Province in southeastern China. Hoklo people speak Sinitic or Chinese languages known as Min(閩語).

Quanzhou or Chinchew(泉州) is a southern Min(閩南) cultural center. Xiamen or Amoy(廈門) and Chaozhou or Teochow(潮州) are also hubs for southern Min(閩南) culture.

Southern Min foods are braised, stewed, steamed, and boiled.

Ingredients

Rice is a staple food, served steamed at most meals. Sticky rice is also widely used. Rice is processed to make rice cakes and noodles such as kue tiau(粿條). Rice wine is made from fermented rice.

Tea leaf is widely produced in Fujian and used for various teas.

Bamboo shoots are cooked and eaten. Bamboo leaves and stalks can also be used for cooking.

Mushroom, especially dried shiitake, is used in various dishes.

Shacha sauce is a specialty of southern Min cuisine.

Seafood such as oyster, shrimp, and crab is used often.

Sipunculid worm(土筍凍 thoo-sun), also known as peanut worm, is a type of edible marine worm found at beaches.

Popular fish include varieties of spanish mackerel(馬鮫 be-ka) including narrow-barred spanish mackerel(土魠 thoo-thoh) and chinese spanish mackerel(疏齒 se-khi), pomfret(鯧 tshiunn), and croaker(鮸魚 bian-hi).

Pork is the most common type of meat.

Dishes

• steamed rice(白飯)
• kettle rice(壺仔飯 hoo-a png): seasoned sticky rice steamed in a kettle or similar container
• ki tsang(鹻粽)[鹼粽]: sticky rice parcel made with alkaline water, boiled or steamed and usually served with sugar
• bah tsang(肉粽): sticky rice with pork filling wrapped in bamboo leaf and boiled
• tau tsang(豆粽): sticky rice and beans, usually azuki, wrapped in bamboo leaf and boiled or steamed
• uann ko(碗糕): steamed rice flour cake
• mi soann(米線): rice noodle
• poh piann(潤餅): wheat flour wrapper with vegetable and/or meat filling
• oyster omelette(蚵仔煎 o-a-tsian): omelette made with egg, starch, and oysters with sauce
• sipunculid worm jelly(土筍凍 thoo-sun tang): jelly with sipunculid worm
• geng(羹 kenn): thick soup
• jasmine tea(茉莉花茶): water flavored with dried slightly oxidized tea leaves infused with jasmine flower
• oolong tea(烏龍茶 oo-liong te): water flavored with dried partially oxidized tea leaves
• black tea(紅茶 ang te): water flavored with dried fully oxidized tea leaves