Tiny Urban Kitchen

Exploring Food from Boston to Hong Kong and Beyond

  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • Michelin
  • Subscribe
  • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Travel
    • Recipes
    • Michelin
    • Subscribe
    • Taiwanese
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    • Wakaran Hong Kong
      Wakaran Wan Chai
    • Godenya Hong Kong
      Godenya Hong Kong (revisited)
    • The Chairman Hong Kong
      The Chairman Hong Kong (1 Michelin Star)
    • Hanu Wan Chai Hong Kong
      Hanu (Korean Beef) Wan Chai
    • Always Joy Hong Kong
      Always Joy Hong Kong
    • Michael Chiarelli Ottimo Yountville California
      Bottega + Ottimo Yountville
    • Ciccio Yountville California
      Ciccio Yountville
    • Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California
      Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California
    • Cole’s Chop House Napa California
      Cole's Chop House Napa California
    • Compline Restaurant Napa California
      Compline Restaurant + Wine Shop Napa
    • Napa, California
      Thomas Keller's La Calenda: A Tribute {Now Closed}
    • Ad Hoc Thomas Keller Brunch Yountville California
      Thomas Keller Ad Hoc + Addendum + Bouchon Bakery
    Home » World Travel

    Yunnan China - Exploring food from the Dai Minority Group [Dai Cuisine]

    Published: Apr 16, 2018 · Modified: Apr 25, 2018 by Jennifer Che

    This post is the second in a mini-series about my trip to Yunnan Province in Southwestern China. Other posts in this series include Exploring Yunnan Province - Jing Hong in Xishuangbanna.

    Yunnan Province is a fascinating place to visit. It feels different from the rest of China due to its large population of ethnic minority groups. In fact, Yunnan Province has the most number of minority groups in all of China. There are 55 recognized minority groups in China, and 25 of them are in Yunnan Province. 38% of the the population is minority.

    The Dai are the largest minority group in Xishuangbanna, the southernmost prefecture in the province. They are part of the Tai ethnic group, which also includes Thai, Laotians and the Shan people from Burma. For me, visiting this part of China felt more like I was visiting Thailand than China!

    XishuangBanna XishuangBanna

    There are 1.2 million Dai in China (more in Thailand and Laos). Their traditional dress is colorful and the women often wear buns. They are most known for their water splashing festival, which happens during their new year (right now in mid April!). A huge festival overtakes the city, ending in the biggest water fight you've ever seen in public where people splash each other to no end. The splashing with water symbolizes a form of purification, and splashing others means you are wishing them good luck for the coming year.

    Dai cuisine is characterized by four basic flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy. This is reminiscent of  Thai, but bitter replaces sweet, and they don't really use coconut milk or fish sauce. The cuisine is fresh and vibrant, characterized by some combination of (1) fresh herbs (such as cilantro, culantro, mint, garlic, and ginger) + (2) fiery chilis and (3) something acidic (usually lime but sometimes vinegar).

    Yunnan province is known to be the most bountiful region in China. Accordingly, Dai cuisine also incorporates lots of great produce as well as wild foraged mushrooms and wild greens.

    Below, I've summarized some of the most famous and classic Dai dishes. Enjoy!
    This Dai women is selling glutinous rice with a variety of toppings that she has prepared (yes, that is a WeChat QR code on the table for her to receive electronic payments!). You can choose between all sorts of pickled vegetables, dried meat, and different types of "salsas" made from local vegetables roasted, pounded, and mixed with chilis and herbs.

    There were so many interesting flavors in that little bag, it was hard to identify them all. We very much enjoyed this green roasted eggplant spread (sort of like Mediterranean baba ganoush) as well as the tart pickled vegetables.

    Ganba is their version of beef jerky or beef floss. Meat is dried over coals and then shredded and pounded with a mortar and pestle together with herbs and chili. I loved the bright flavors from the mixture of herbs, and they do eat spicy!!

    A very popular dish from Dai cuisine that you'll see all over is Tomato Nanmi. Similar to salsa, the Dai version is made from a local tree tomato 楊番茄 that's small and tart. They roast the tomatoes with garlic and then mash the whole thing up with ginger, scallions, shallots, cilantro, fresh chilis, lime juice, and salt.
    XishuangBanna
    This dipping sauce works great with either raw vegetables or fried pork rinds. Yum!
    XishuangBanna
    The most famous and visually striking Dai dish is Pineapple Rice (菠蘿飯), where a pineapple is hollowed out and stuffed with glutinous rice, pineapples, and cooked peanuts. Some versions of this dish use purple glutinous rice, which looks even more exotic! The rice is typically sweetened with granular sugar. Our friends don't let their kids eat this until after dinner because it's basically like a dessert - much more sweet than salty!

    Dai cuisine is full of grilled items, and Grilled Herb Stuffed Fish is a really popular choice. They usually split the fish open and stuff it with loads of scallions, ginger, garlic, cilantro, and chili. The resultant dish is wonderfully fragrant, both from the charred fish as well as from the fragrant herbs.
    XishuangBanna
    Yunnan Province has tons of wild plants, and foraged greens are widely eaten. This foraged green reminds me of Fiddlehead Ferns. The Dai prepare it in various ways, such as simply blanched and served with a peanut dipping sauce (above) or stir fried with eggs (below).

    Finally, insects are pretty widely eaten in this region, and Bamboo Worms are popular because they are nutritious and mildly flavored.

    I could only muster up the courage to eat one bamboo worm.

    Though it actually wasn't that bad, I think it's still hard for me to get over the psychological factors of eating insects!

    Rice Noodles (mi xian, 米線) are a staple in this region, and you can have it many different ways. We had it in a flavorful soup.

    Other dishes that are traditional in Dai cuisine but that I did not have a chance to try include Ghost Chicken (super spicy chicken with herbs and chili), anything made withV Banana Leaf, and Bamboo related dishes, such as food cooked in hollowed out bamboo, or cooking young bamboo shoots.

    Cheers!

    Dai cuisine is really full of all different types of flavors. I think the combination of their love for spicy and their access to so many fresh herbs and ingredients (ha ha, including insects!) leads to a unique and vibrant cuisine that's fascinating to explore and experience.

    Up next - food from the second largest ethnic minority in Xishuangbanna - Akha!

    More World Travel

    • Mesa by José Avillez Macau
      Mesa by José Avillez Macau
    • Restaurante Litoral Taipa Macau
      Restaurante Litoral Taipa Macau
    • Antonio Macau Taipa
      Antonio Macau Taipa
    • Vienna Opera House
      Vienna Austria Trip Report

    Recent Posts

    • Wakaran Wan Chai June 15, 2025
    • Godenya Hong Kong (revisited) June 12, 2025
    • The Chairman Hong Kong (1 Michelin Star) June 6, 2025
    • Hanu (Korean Beef) Wan Chai June 2, 2025
    • Always Joy Hong Kong May 29, 2025
    • Bottega + Ottimo Yountville May 14, 2025
    • Ciccio Yountville May 11, 2025
    • Charter Oak St. Helena Napa Valley California May 8, 2025

    Trackbacks

    1. Happy New Year! Reflections on 2018 - Tiny Urban Kitchen says:
      January 3, 2020 at 9:23 pm

      […] We re-connect with old friends and savored local dishes from the two largest minority tribes (Dai and the Akha). I fell in love with Yunnan noodle 米線 (pictured above), enjoyed the tropical heat […]

      Log in to Reply
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

    More about me →

    logo
    Food Advertisements by

    Explore

    • Recipe
    • Restaurant
    • US Travel
    • World Travel

    Popular Posts

    • Mandalay San Francisco
      Mandalay San Francisco (Burmese Food)
    • Boulettes Larder Ferry Building San Francisco
      Boulette Larder (Ferry Building) San Francisco
    • Bodega SF California (Vietnamese)
      Bodega SF (Modern Vietnamese)
    • Tselog Daly City California
      Tselogs (Filipino food) Daly City California

    Recipes

    • Appetizer
    • Snacks
    • Meat
    • Vegetables
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Seafood
    • Noodles

    Recently Traveled

    • Hong Kong
    • France
    • Belgium
    • Boston
    • California
    • United Kingdom
    • Germany
    • Spain

    Support Us

    Support Tiny Urban Kitchen by making purchases on Amazon through our affiliate link:

    Recognition


    Featured on the front page
    of the FOOD Section: 2015

    Best Food Blog Awards:
    Restaurant & Dining 2012

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • My Equipment
    • In the Press
    • Project Food Blog
    • Privacy Policy

    Eating Guides!

    Eating & Travel Guides
    Trip Reports
    "Kawaii" (Cute Foods)
    Around the World

    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Mail
    • RSS Feed

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Shop at Amazon

    Copyright © 2024 Tiny Urban Kitchen