Are you eating the same things all the time at Chinese restaurants?

Are your Chinese friends not impressed anymore when you order Chinese food?

If so, maybe it’s time you got out of your Chinese food ordering rut.

To that end, we’ve put together this Chinese food vocabulary word list here for Shanghai cuisine.

We’ve organized the dishes into the following categories:

Poultry
Pork
Fish
Shrimp
Crab
Vegetables
Soups, Pots, Congee
Wheat

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Hope that this Chinese food vocabulary word list can help you enrich your Chinese food diet!

家禽类 (鸡、鸭、鹅等) Poultry (eg. Chicken, Duck, Geese)
	醉鸡	zuì jī	Drunken Chicken
	芋艿清汤鸭	yù nǎi qīng tāng yā	Duck with Taro Soup
	上海酱鸭	shàng hǎi jiàng yā	Shanghai Style Braised Duck in Red Rice Sauce
	斋香素烧鹅	zhāi xiāng sù shāo é	Vegetarian Goose with Tofu Stew
	艳香烧贵妃鸡	yàn xiāng shāo guì fēi jī	Chicken Wings and Legs with Brown Sauce and Red Wine
猪肉类 Pork
	走油蹄髈	zǒu yóu tí pang	Braised Pig’s Knuckle in Brown Sauce
	凉拌腰片	liáng bàn yāo piàn	Sliced Pork Kidney with Celery
	八宝辣酱	bā bǎo là jiàng	Eight Delicacies in Hot Sauce
	白切肉	bái qiē ròu	Boiled Pork Slices
	彩色里脊丝	cǎi sè lǐ ji sī	Shredded Pork Fillet with Vegetables
	辣酱肉末烧海带	là jiàng ròu mò shāo hǎi dài	Seaweed Stew with Minced Pork in Spicy Sauce
	多味腰花	duō wèi yāo huā	Three Flavor Pork Kidney
	竹笋烧咸肉	zhú sǔn shāo xián ròu	Bacon Stew with Bamboo Shoots
	菜心狮子头	cài xīn shī zi tóu	Meatball Stew with Choy Sum/Cabbage Heart
鱼类 Fish
	老上海熏鱼	lǎo shàng hǎi xūn yú	Smoked Fish Shanghai Style
	红烧鱼块	hóng shāo yú kuài	Braised Fish in Brown Sauce/Soy Based Brown Sauce
	锅烧河鳗	guō shāo hé mán	Braised River Eel
	墨鱼大烤	mò yú dà kǎo	Stewed Cuttlefish
	豆瓣鳝糊	dòu bàn shàn hù	Eel in Chili Bean Sauce
	红烧划水	hóng shāo huá shuǐ	Braised Grass Carp Tail with Brown Sauce
	粉皮烧鱼头	fěn pí shāo yú tóu	Braised Fish Head with Flat Noodles
	上海蒸鱼	shàng hǎi zhēng yú	Shanghai Steamed Fish
	小黄鱼烩豆腐	xiǎo huáng yú huì dòu fu	Small Yellow Croaker Fish Stew with Tofu
	蒜苗炒鱿鱼	suàn miáo chǎo yóu yú	Fried Squid with Garlic Sprouts
	过桥鲈鱼	ɡuò qiáo lú yú	Sliced Bass in Soup
	红烧塘鲤鱼	hóng shāo táng lǐ yú	Braised Pond Carp in Brown Sauce
	干贝鱼冻	ɡān bèi yú dòng	Fish Aspic with Scallops
虾类 Shrimp
	油爆河虾	yóu bào hé xiā	Deep-fried Shrimp
	水晶虾仁	shuǐ jīng xiā rén	Sautéed Shelled Shrimp
	杞子醉虾	qǐ zǐ zuì xiā	Drunken Shrimp with Goji Berries
蟹类 Crab
	上海醉蟹	shàng hǎi zuì xiè	Shanghai Drunken Crab/Shanghai Liquor-Soaked Crab
	清蒸螃蟹	qīng zhēng páng xiè	Steamed Crab
素菜 Vegetable Dishes
	香菇面筋	xiāng gū miàn jīn	Mushrooms with Soy Puffs
	芝麻贡菜	zhī má gòng cài	Ivy Mosses with Sesame
	油焖春笋	yóu mèn chūn sǔn	Braised Bamboo Shoots in Soy Sauce
	尖椒炒茄子	jiān jiāo chǎo qié zi	Stir Fried Eggplant with Jalapeño
	荸荠炒冬菇	bí qi chǎo dōng gū	Stir Fried Water Chestnuts with Mushrooms
	雪菜冬笋	xuě cài dōng sǔn	Stir Fried Pickled Cabbage and Winter Bamboo Shoots
	干煸扁豆	ɡān biān biǎn dòu	Dry-Fried French Beans
汤、煲、羹、粥 (Soups, Pots, Congee)
	核桃羹	hé táo gēng	Sweet Walnut Soup
	海鲜豆腐煲	hǎi xiān dòu fu bāo	Stewed Seafood with Tofu en Casserole
	江南老鸭汤	jiāng nán lǎo yā tāng	Southern Yangtze Duck Soup
	桂花糖粥	guì huā táng zhōu	Sweet Osmanthus Congee
	风味鸡粥	fēng wèi jī zhōu	Special Flavor Chicken Porridge
	桂花莲子羹	guì huā lián zǐ gēng	Lotus Seed CongeewithOsmanthus
	竹笋咸腿老鸭砂锅	zhú sǔn xián tuǐ lǎo yā shā guō	Duck Stew with Bacon and Bamboo Shoots
	芋艿排骨煲	yù nǎi pái gǔ bāo	Pork Rib Stew with Taro
	咖喱牛肉汤	kā li niú ròu tāng	Curry Beef Soup
面食 (Wheat dishes)
	荠菜肉馄饨	jì cài ròu hún tun	Pork and Shepherd’s Purse Wontons
	干贝冬瓜球	ɡān bèi dōng guā qiú	Winter Gourd Balls Stew with Scallops
	香蕉海鲜卷	xiāng jiāo hǎi xiān juǎn	Fried Banana Roll Stuffed with Seafood
	鲜肉汤团	xiān ròu tāng tuán	Pork Glutinous Rice Balls
	翡翠烧麦	fěi cuì shāo mài	Steamed Open Dumplings/Sumai with Chinese Cabbage
	芝麻球	zhī ma qiú	Sesame Balls
	排骨年糕	pái gǔ nián gāo	Pork Chop with Rice Cake
	蟹粉小笼包	xiè fěn xiǎo lóng bāo	Steamed Buns with Crab Meat and Pork
	叉烧	chā shāo	Char Siu(Barbecued Roast Pork)