Nowadays, people are more conscious about healthy food. And the growing number of vegetarian restaurants which stress naturalness and freshness meet the demands of those who like to consume lighter meals. Fool your eyes with these vegetarian versions of Fried Lamb with Cumin and Sea Cucumber Braised in Brown Sauce. These “meats” are actually made of soybean products and eating them is like playing a game with your taste-buds. Cozy and modest places, light and lingering flavors, a vegetarian diet can serve up a unique gastronomic experience.

If you think these cuisines are too sophisticated, what about local snacks? The Chilled Bamboo Shoot Jelly of Xiamen City, the Meat Dumplings in Spicy Sauce of Chengdu City, and the Sticky Stuffed Bun of Northeast China all of these are simply irresistible. And back to Beijing, the local snacks have become a part of its long history. The “Rolling Donkey”, Chatang, Fried Ring, Stewed Liver it's not easy to choose from the over 200 kinds of snacks in Beijing.

It may take several days and nights to talk about all the famous Chinese cuisines. So be patient and stay with us in the new year, Chopsticks will share with you more exciting Chinese food.

(CCTV January 3, 2009)