General: •
Kara-age (唐揚, lit. Chinese fry) are bite-sized pieces of chicken thigh, dipped in a thick batter and fried. Usually, it is served without sauce. Some restaurants serve this with a salt and pepper mixture on the side for dipping, and some recipes call for a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar and scallions similar to that used on dumplings. •
Chukaman (中華まん, lit. Chinese-style steamed bun) or
nikuman (肉まん) is the Japanese name for Chinese
baozi, steamed buns filled with cooked ground pork, beef, or other ingredients. •
Chāhan (炒飯 or チャーハン) is sometimes called "yakimeshi", literally meaning
fried rice. It uses Japanese short-grain rice, which generally has a stickier consistency than that used in other countries. Additionally, though there are many different recipes using such diverse ingredients as
Welsh onion, ground pork, crab, bamboo shoots, the classic Japanese fried rice does not use soy sauce, remaining white when served. It typically uses egg, green peas, and thinly sliced ham. Dishes derived from
Sichuan cuisine: •
Mābō-dōfu (麻婆豆腐) are
stir-fried dishes of ground pork mixture with
tofu cubes (mābō-dōfu) in a slightly spicy sauce. •
Mābō-nasu (麻婆茄子) are stir-fried dishes of ground pork with
eggplant (mābō-chezu) in a slightly spicy sauce. The dish was popularized in Japan by
Chen Kenmin in 1952. •
Ebi no chili sauce (えびのチリソース) is a spicy, thick-sauced shrimp dish. As the name suggests, chili sauce is used. •
Hoi kō rō (回鍋肉) is a stir-fry of thinly sliced pork and cabbage in a miso-based sauce and pinch of chilli. •
Banbanji (棒棒鶏) is a cold dish of steamed chicken which is shredded and covered in a sesame sauce. It is often accompanied by cold vegetables such as carrot and cucumber as a salad or appetizer. Dishes derived from
Fujian cuisine: •
Champon (ちゃんぽん) is a ramen-like dish, topped with fried pork, seafood, and vegetables. •
Chin-jao rōsu (青椒肉絲; also called pepper steak) is a stir-fry of thinly sliced
beef strips with Japanese
green peppers and often bean sprouts in an
oyster sauce. Dishes derived from
Cantonese cuisine: •
Ramen is a dish of noodles in broth, usually with meat and vegetable toppings, is occasionally referred to as
chuka soba (中華そば, lit. "
Chinese noodles.") In
Japan, ramen is one of the most popular fast-food options. Though every Japanese city has numerous inexpensive ramen restaurants specializing in these noodles, numerous varieties of
instant ramen (much like the Japanese equivalent of the frozen
TV dinner) are available. The ramen primarily derives from the noodle soups in
Cantonese cuisine, but these noodles have changed much since their origin in China. •
Chāshū (チャーシュー) is derived from
char siu (叉燒 barbecued pork tenderloin). However, while the original Cantonese version is roasted after marinating in a sweet sauce that gives it a red colour, the Japanese version is instead
red cooked. The switch from roasting the pork to red cooking it is potentially a Shanghainese influence. •
Yūrinchi (油淋鶏, lit. "oil-drenched chicken") is deep-fried chicken or karaage topped with a vinegar and soy sauce-based sweet-and-sour sauce and chopped scallions, often served on a bed of shredded lettuce. •
Subuta (酢豚) is the Japanese take on
sweet and sour pork. It usually has a thicker, amber-colored sauce, unlike the striking orange or red of the Americanized version. Also unlike the American version, it does not typically contain pineapple. Another common dish substitutes the fried pork in this dish with small fried meat-balls, called "niku-dango". Chicken is sometimes used as a substitute to pork for this dish. •
Harumaki (春巻き, lit. "Spring Rolls") are very similar to those found in Americanized Chinese restaurants, with a thin wrapper and vegetables inside. •
Shumai (焼売 or シュウマイ) is a type of traditional Chinese dumpling made with pork or glutinous rice. •
Chūkadon (中華丼) is a Cantonese-style stir fry of vegetables and meat on top of rice. •
Kani-tama (かに玉 or 蟹玉) a Japanese adaptation of the Cantonese dish
foo yung hai (芙蓉蟹). It is a crab meat omelette served with a thick, brownish sauce.
Tenshindon (天津丼), also known as
Tenshinhan (天津飯), is a dish of crab meat omelette (Kani-tama) served over rice. The dish name derived from the port city of
Tianjin in China but it does not originate from there. Dishes derived from Northeast Chinese cuisine: •
Gyōza (餃子 or ギョーザ), as mentioned before, are a very popular dish in Japan. Most often, they are seen in their pan-fried form, but they can be served boiled as dumplings or even deep fried, as well. They are also commonly found in ramen shops as well as general Chuka restaurants. •
Jingisukan is a
mutton dish prepared on a grill. •
Morioka jajamen is based on
zhajiangmian. Takashina Kanshou, a Japanese colonizer in
Manchukuo, encountered zhajiangmian during his time there. After repatriating to Japan following World War II, he introduced the dish in
Morioka, where it developed into the local variation known as
jajamen. Dishes derived from
Jiangsu cuisine: •
Shoronpo is the Japanese pronunciation of
xiaolongbao (小籠包), a steamed juicy pork dumpling (also called a "soup dumpling"), popularized in
Shanghai. •
Hiyashi chūka is an adaptation of the
liangbanmian from
Shanghai. Dishes derived from
Zhejiang cuisine: •
Buta no Kakuni (豚の角煮) is thick slices of pork bellies stewed in a soy sauce based mixture, often served with Shanghai
bok choy and Chinese
mustard. ==See also==