1.Wenchang Chicken: Hainan’s signature dish
Recommended reason: National geographical indication product, the boiled chicken has yellow skin and tender meat, and the bone marrow contains blood, which is the standard for “three-cooked Wenchang chicken”. Dip it in ginger and garlic sauce to enhance the flavor.
Must-try restaurants: Haikou Yanjiang Hainan Chicken Rice Restaurant (a time-honored intangible cultural heritage brand), Wenchang Sanjiao Street Chicken Rice Restaurant
Tips: Pair it with chicken oil rice and winter melon and seafood soup to unlock the authentic way of eating it.
2.Hele crab: the “gold of the sea” with rich yellow roe
Recommended reason: A specialty of Hele Town, Wanning, it retains its original flavor when steamed. The crab roe is as dense as salted egg yolk, and it is even more fresh and sweet when steamed with vermicelli in minced garlic.
Must-try restaurants: Sanya Linjie Fragrant Seafood, Wanning Hele Crab Congee City
3.Dongshan Mountain Goat: A Delicious Food Running on Volcanic Rocks
Recommended reason: Raised in the volcanic rock area of Haikou, the skin is chewy and the meat is tender with no smell of mutton. It is suitable for stewing, boiling, and hot pot. It tastes better with assorted sauces.
Must-try restaurants: Qionghai Hot Spring Goose Dongshan Sheep Restaurant, Haikou Shishan Dairy Sheep First
4.Jiaji Duck: The Fatness Philosophy of Qionghai’s “Muscovy Duck”
Recommended reason: Qionghai famous duck, the boiled duck meat is firm, the duck fat is fragrant but not greasy, it is a must-try when paired with duck porridge + salted duck eggs.
Must-try restaurants: Jiaji Duck Specialty Store on Yinhai Grain Street, Qionghai, and Qiongcaiwang Food Village in Haikou
5.Hainan rice noodles: the “island symphony” of breakfast
Recommended reason: Fine rice noodles mixed with peanuts, pickled bamboo shoots, beef jerky, and drizzled with a secret marinade. It is a must-have for Haikou residents in the morning and is paired with conch soup to clear the mouth.
Must-try stalls: Haikou Yamei Hainan Rice Noodles, Sanya Junruiling Water Sour Rice Noodles
6.Lingshui sour noodles: tropical version of “sour and spicy carnival”
Recommended reason: Hair-thin rice noodles with dried sandworms, small fish, hot and sour sauce + yellow bell peppers, activate your taste buds in one bite.
Must-try restaurants: Lingshui Wanghaifa Sour Noodles Main Store, Sanya Apo Lingshui Sour Noodles
7.Dregs vinegar hotpot: the sour and spicy secret of Puqian Town, Wenchang
Recommended reason: The sour soup base fermented with distiller’s grains is used to cook seaweed, whitebait and beef offal. It is sour and spicy and appetizing, and is known as “Hainan Tom Yum Goong”.
Must-try restaurants: Amei dregs vinegar in Puqian Town, Wenchang, and Xiao Huzi dregs vinegar seafood hotpot in Sanya
8.Qingbuliang: a great way to cool down on summer nights on the island
Recommended reason: Coconut milk is used as the base, and more than a dozen ingredients such as red beans, taro balls, macaroni, watermelon, etc. are added.
Must-try restaurants: Haikou Rooster Bowl Qingbuliang, Sanya Zheng Apo Qingbuliang (Coconut Milk Ice Hockey Version)
9.Coconut Chicken Hot Pot: The Health Philosophy of the Tropical Rainforest
Recommended reason: Boil Wenchang chicken in freshly-opened coconut water, the skin is crispy and the meat is tender in 3 minutes, dip it in tangerine + sand ginger + chili pepper, a collision of sweetness and spiciness.
Must-try restaurants: Diadia Coconut Chicken (Sanya Internet celebrity restaurant), Longquanren Coconut Chicken (Haikou old brand)
10.Mango Rice Noodle Roll: The King of Imagination in Hainan Dessert World
Recommended reason: Large pieces of mango flesh are wrapped in coconut milk rice noodle roll skin and drizzled with mango sauce. When chilled, it is like eating “tropical ice cream”.
Must-try restaurants: Liangliang Cold Drinks Shop in Qionghai, Dengji Qingbuliang in Wenchang, Haikou
Conclusion: Hainan, a collection of taste poems filled with sunshine and sea breeze
From the fleshy pleasure of Wenchang chicken to the sour and spicy life of dregs vinegar, Hainan, with coconut breeze as its rhyme and seafood as its soul, stews the richness and leisure of tropical islands into a “slow life” on the tip of the tongue. When the coconut fragrance of Qingbuliang fills the Qilou Old Street, and when the yellow roe of Hele crab stains the corners of your mouth, this island will eventually become the most enthusiastic tropical footnote in your memory with its fresh taste.