The People’s Republic of China is the most populous state in the world, currently the biggest communist country in the world. Being the fourth most visited country in the world, this place has many major tourist destinations to entice its visitors with like Gullin – China’s top karst Landscape, Great Wall of China, Suzhou – Elegant water town and gardens, Hong Kong, Beijing with several dynasties, palaces, and many more. Here is a list of Chinese desserts you will love to eat.
10 Best Desserts You Must Try Out in China
1. Pumpkin Pancake
These crispy Chinese pancakes are really soft and delicate when served hot. They are not too sweet but sometimes filling like red bean paste is added making it vaguely sweet. They are deep-fried pumpkin pancakes mainly consisting of pumpkin, sugar, and flour. They are very popular in winter and are best served with hot drinks like tea or coffee. They are some of the sweetest things around in China.
2. Egg Tarts
These delicious tarts were first introduced in China by Portuguese monks over 200 years ago. This appetizing creamy custard cup is basically a little custard tart, with a hard and sweet crust. They are so in favour that some shops even specialized in them; they are a great take away if planning sightseeing. They are best eaten warm and taken as a great snack of all time, usually found in Cantonese-Style restaurants.
3. Dragon’s Bread candy
This traditional art from China is also known as Chinese cotton candy, first practiced during the Han Dynasty. This sweet delight was emanated in the Chinese community but soon become a popular delicacy in other parts of East Asia, as well as Canada, Singapore, the United States, Macau, and Japan. This ancient bliss consists of thread-like sugar-stands that look like dragon whiskers. Dragon’s Beard candy consists of sugar and maltose syrup or corn syrup; the thread-like texture of dragon bread melts in your mouth, turning into a chewy layer that blends with the crunchy center.
4. Chinese Snowflake cake
This snowflake cake is extremely delicious and light in texture when served cold. The most common version of these desserts is raspberry and coconut snowflake cake. Snowflake cake is a mixture of either raspberries or coconut milk along with gelatin, potato starch, sugar, and cream. This refreshing dessert is perfect for a hot summer evening and the word ‘snowflake’ itself has a magical effect on one’s mind.
5. Eight Treasures Rice pudding
The Eight Treasure rice pudding is a traditional Chinese dessert prepared on New Year’s Eve. The name “eight treasure” comes from all the “eight” magical key ingredients that this flavorous dessert is made with. Traditionally in China, people use eight types of dry-fruits to make this dessert. It is lightly sweetened rice stuffed with red bean paste and topped with dry-fruits and other seeds or candies served with “sweet-scented osmanthus sauce” or rose essence.
6. Nian goa
Nian goa is yet another Chinese traditional, sweet rice dessert eaten during Chinese New Year. Nian goa typically means ‘Nian’ as sticky and ‘Goa’ as cake. It is considered good luck to eat ‘nian gao’ as it symbolizes increasing prosperity and well-being every year. It is usually made from glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, salt, water, and sugar. So, during New Year this mouth-watering rice cake is a popular gift option to send good wishes for the New Year.
7. Asian-Style Banana fritters
Chinese culture calls for a healthier ending to a meal. So, to satisfy their sweet tooth this banana fritters or fried banana goes well. The Chinese version of banana fritters is delightfully rich and crunchy; here the bananas are coated with a thin batter and fried until crispy. This light Asian-style Banana fritters are less calorie-dense and light in texture. They are served or preferred best with glorious ginger ice-cream.
8. Durian Ice-cream
Durian fruit is very popular in Asian countries, and though it’s not native to China, both China and Hong Kong are major import markets for this distinctive looking fruit. In Asia, it is even considered “the king of fruits”. This unique fruit is largely covered in thorn-like protrusions but is mainly known for its extremely strong odor. The fruit carries a sweet flavor and thick texture, making it perfect for ice-cream. This ice-cream is a perfect mixture of milk, durian pulp, cream, or custard cream, and sugar. This ice-cream very much smells like an actual fruit just more creamy and cold.
9. Chinese Steamed Sponge cake
Ma Lai Go or Chinese steamed cake is a fluffy brown sponge cake. Here, ma lai refers to “Malay,” as in Malaysia and goa refers to “cake” so “Malaysia cake”. Ma Lai Go originated in Malaysia via British influence and made its way to Hong-Kong where the recipe was modified to what its known today. The secret of this sponge cake is that it’s not baked its steamed, which makes it very moist. Mostly, people prefer eating it plain, but you may find some fresh fruit topping.
10. Purple Rice Soup with Coconut milk
This purple rice soup is a sweet soupy dessert with a bright purple color. This interesting soup gets its color from a type of rice that has been coined as nutritious food in China and in ancient times was just accessible to royalty. It is used mainly in dessert preparation, usually socked and steamed before mixing sugar and coconut milk. This soup is one of the easiest soupy desserts and is bliss in winter but is also preferred in hot summer.
