Joshua’s First Rule of Travel: Satisfy the Taste Buds

One of the loves of my life is food, and Kunming has tons of it. I have done a decent amount of exploring in Kunming and have found new restaurants and new foods on every excursion. I love snacking through the day so I am including some of my favorite snacks on the list along with dishes bought at restaurants or street carts. So let’s get to the food. These dishes and snacks are the best things I have found in Kunming so far. Unfortunately, I don’t know the actual names of the dishes.

1.     Deep Fried Spicy Potatoes: This is the greatest street food around. I first found it last year when I traveled to Guizhou, a neighboring province to Yunnan. These potatoes are like French fries in China. These little chunks are deep fried, then mixed with garlic, 辣椒 (la jiao) – hot chili, salt, scallions, cilantro, and MSG.

2.     Boiled Chicken with Spicy Chili Oil and Mala: Although the description is a little off putting, this is one of the nicer dishes I have eaten here. From what I saw in the kitchen, the chicken is first boiled then sautéed in a pan with red onions, chili peppers, cilantro, garlic, Mala (a type of pepper that has a slightly sour taste and renders your mouth numb), scallions, a bit of sesame oil, and probably MSG. After a quick sauté, hot chili oil is poured over the chicken before serving. It’s a little spicy.

3.     Spicy Green Beans: Green beans that are sautéed with soy sauce, chili peppers, tons of garlic, and probably MSG.

4.     烧烤 (shao kao) – Barbeque : The barbeque here is wonderful. It is usually a street stand filled with raw meets and things – I can’t identify it all – and you pick what you want, give it to the cook, lather on some oil and spices, and after a good thorough cooking on a hot grill you have a meal.

5.     Cucumber flavored Lays: Yeah, you read that correctly. The Chinese love cucumbers and what better way to show it than putting the flavor with a potato chip. I bought a bag with the idea of eating a chip and not liking, but as it turns out they’re pretty good. In fact, I am eating a bag as I write this post. The cucumber flavor is not overpowering, but not too subtle, just the right amount of subtle. There is a sweet flavor and a very small tang that I think goes nice with salty potato chips.

米线 (mi xian) – Rice Noodles : This dish is a local Yunnan dish. Although rice noodles aren’t only in Yunnan, the way they prepare it here is what sets it apart from other rice noodles. A good broth, cilantro, beef, mint leaves, scallions, and chili peppers is what makes this dish.