Fried Aubergine that is naturally sweet – Small Eating House in KunmingXiao Long Bao that turned out to be more like Char Sau Pau – Small Eating House in KunmingKung Bao Ji Ting (Diced Chicken with some Capsicum, carrots, potatoes, Cashew nuts stir-fried… a tad too oily – at the same Eating House in KunmingChou Dou Fu-literally “Smelly Toufu” which was not pungent but the dried chilli powder was hot – small Eating House in KunmingAn assortment of stuff that is grilled slowly over a charcoal fire – Road side shop house in LijiangTiny hearts & tongues, not for the chicken hearted – LijiangThe finished product of mushrooms, beancurd and lotus root  is laced with yet again… spicy chilli powder – LijiangSatay-like skewers of fried crickets, silkworms and tiny fish. Guess which one I would go for? – Shuhe Old TownSteamed Toufu & a Pumpkin dessert at the Food Street in the heart of ancient Lijiang CityGuo Qiao Mi Xian ~ “Crossing the Bridge Rice Vermicelli” is a speciality of Yunnan ProvinceFresh Oysters with lemon juice – Food Street in the Ancient City of LijiangFragrant glutinous rice mixed with a bit of red beans & dried shrimps, steamed & grilled before serving – Ancient City of LijiangA special & nutritious Yunnan Ham & Chicken Hotpot soup that the locals in Lijiang swear by, but for us it is definitely….. an acquired taste!This is interesting for 2 reasons – the short grain rice is cooked together with broken corn kernels & secondly it comes in a cute little bucket – LijiangA cake of “Chicken beans” mixed with corn flour & rice flour ~ the colour is greyish & looks unappealing – LijiangThis is potent stuff ~ they call it Liang Fen translated as “cool noodles” as it is eaten at room temperature. Topped with crushed peanuts, coriander, pounded red chilli, minced garlic, some sesame oil and a good dose of black vinegar… totally yummy! – LijiangA handful of Ji Dou “Chicken beans” in Chinese – LijiangBaba is yet another Naxi dish that tastes like Indian Naan. The only difference is that Naan is baked in the oven & Baba is fried in a shallow pan of oil. The green chilli condiment is burning hot even for one accustomed to chilli padi ~ those tiny fiery pepper enough to ignite a keg of gunpowder! – LijiangPotato pancakes fried on this oiled griddle; Char grilled potatoes & sweet corn over a “Green” recycled oil drum in the Ancient City of LijiangOne of the 18 Strange Things found in Lijiang ~ Bean curd wrapped in a harder Bean cake pan-fried. This is super yummy especially eaten piping hot in the cold weather!Frozen wild mushrooms at the Wild Fungus Restaurant in the Ancient City of LijiangA bubbling pot of goodness ~ wild mushrooms with some Chinese herbs & Free range chicken soup. The chicken is great as a soup base but it could loosen the dentures of some unsuspecting soul – Wild Fungus Restaurant, Ancient City of LijiangThe much anticipated Yak meat platter. It is expensive & a tad too gamey for my delicate palate, so I had to give it a pass – Wild Fungus Restaurant,  Ancient city of LijiangCondiments for the wild mushroom hotpot which you can pick & choose from a wide selection ~ minced garlic, red & green chilli, chopped coriander leaves, soya sauce, fish sauce, dark sauce, black & white vinegar – Wild Fungus Restaurant, Ancient city of LijiangCrunchy Stir-Fried Peas with the ubiquitous rice bucket at a restaurant near the entrance to Tiger Leaping Gorge – LijiangToufu with Leeks ~ a rather bland dish which was saved by the fact that it was at least healthy & not swimming in oil – LijiangHong Shao Qie Zi “Eggplant Stir-Fried Chinese style, a hands down winner in Yunnan – LijiangAn unusual potage of Potato & Pumpkin – Songtsam Shangrila HotelFungi Pizza for a change – Songtsam Shangrila HotelMarinara Spaghetti with some clams & shrimp – Songtsam Shangrila Hotel
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