Wonder what to eat in Sanya with limited budget? To kick off the journey for the most authentic delicacies in the city, we prepared a special video for you where two friends take part in the food challenge with only 100 RMB in their pockets. Let’s see what they got!
Qunzhong Street（群众街 Qunzhongjie）, located in the downtown of Sanya, is a perfect place to start exploring all the facets of Hainan cuisine. Some dishes with unexpected ingredients and peculiar names, if Google Translated, would probably scare off unsophisticated travelers. Here, we’d like to dispel any doubts and open the curtains to the amazing world of street food in Sanya for you.
1. Jishiteng (鸡屎藤)
To start with, following the recommendation of the locals, our friends decided to try the dessert with the most intriguing name. Indeed, the dark green substance named “Chicken Poop Vine” (literal translation) seems unattractive. Actually, it is made of a herb called Paederia foetida, one of the commonly used herbs in Chinese traditional medicine, which has the effects of “expelling wind and activating blood flow, relieving pain and swelling.” Miguel described the dish as “sweet and smooth”, as apart from Paederia foetida there is ginger and brown sugar, and it is usually served hot. So don’t judge a book by its cover!
2. Qingbuliang (清补凉)
Refreshing and nutritious, Qingbuliang is a “calling card” of Hainan. This popular dessert will not leave you indifferent! In this video, Miguel chose coconut milk, and Matvey had it with coconut water. Common ingredients for Qingbuliang include dates, sweet tapioca pearls, red beans, mung beans, corn, Job’s tears, barley, taro, watermelon, quail eggs, and nuts. Choose your combo and enjoy!
3. Zhazha（炸炸）
Zhazha! These are what the locals in Sanya call fried skewers. Does the pronunciation remind you of the sizzling sound of food being fried? From vegetables and mushrooms to mutton and fish, there is a vast array of ingredients to make zhazha. In our video, the friends picked the most unusual ones, like duck blood, lotus root slices, leek, tofu, potato slices, meatballs, cabbage... Dip them in your favorite sauce and let the calories be your best memories in Sanya!
4. Lingshui Sour Rice Noodles (陵水酸粉）
Sanya people are just in love with rice noodles, so this dish can be found almost on every street or lane. Lingshui Sour Noodles are rich in bright colors, hot, sour and sweet. The threadlike noodles are paired with loads of seafood: fish cakes, small salted fish, squid shreds and so on, with the most characteristic being dried sandworms (沙虫). Like Miguel said, “dried sandworms taste like tropical bubble gum”! Recipes often incorporate meat, leeks, water spinach, the ubiquitous peanuts, coriander and beef jerky, and the sourness originates from vinegar.
5. Raw mango with sauce（青芒果蘸酱）
For Western people, slicing mango while it’s still raw and dipping it into spicy sauce seems quite strange and new, but for the locals, it is a snack from childhood! Our friends tasted different variations and concluded that it’s definitely worth trying! The combination of spicy and sour is truly refreshing!
Would you follow the steps of Miguel and Matvey to accomplish your Sanya gastronomy tour? Tell us in the comments below and stay tuned to find out more interesting niche travel itineraries!
Explore Sanya 360°（歪果仁趣三亚）is our special programme aimed at discovering what Sanya and surrounding areas have to offer to foreign travelers. All the videos are published on international social media platforms, such as Facebook,Instagram, TikTok, etc.Follow @visitsanya to get more information.
From:100 RMB Food Challenge in Sanya! Here we go →
Wonder what to eat in Sanya with limited budget? To kick off the journey for the most authentic delicacies in the city, we prepared a special video for you where two friends take part in the food challenge with only 100 RMB in their pockets. Let’s see what they got!
Qunzhong Street（群众街 Qunzhongjie）, located in the downtown of Sanya, is a perfect place to start exploring all the facets of Hainan cuisine. Some dishes with unexpected ingredients and peculiar names, if Google Translated, would probably scare off unsophisticated travelers. Here, we’d like to dispel any doubts and open the curtains to the amazing world of street food in Sanya for you.
1. Jishiteng (鸡屎藤)
To start with, following the recommendation of the locals, our friends decided to try the dessert with the most intriguing name. Indeed, the dark green substance named “Chicken Poop Vine” (literal translation) seems unattractive. Actually, it is made of a herb called Paederia foetida, one of the commonly used herbs in Chinese traditional medicine, which has the effects of “expelling wind and activating blood flow, relieving pain and swelling.” Miguel described the dish as “sweet and smooth”, as apart from Paederia foetida there is ginger and brown sugar, and it is usually served hot. So don’t judge a book by its cover!
2. Qingbuliang (清补凉)
Refreshing and nutritious, Qingbuliang is a “calling card” of Hainan. This popular dessert will not leave you indifferent! In this video, Miguel chose coconut milk, and Matvey had it with coconut water. Common ingredients for Qingbuliang include dates, sweet tapioca pearls, red beans, mung beans, corn, Job’s tears, barley, taro, watermelon, quail eggs, and nuts. Choose your combo and enjoy!
3. Zhazha（炸炸）
Zhazha! These are what the locals in Sanya call fried skewers. Does the pronunciation remind you of the sizzling sound of food being fried? From vegetables and mushrooms to mutton and fish, there is a vast array of ingredients to make zhazha. In our video, the friends picked the most unusual ones, like duck blood, lotus root slices, leek, tofu, potato slices, meatballs, cabbage... Dip them in your favorite sauce and let the calories be your best memories in Sanya!
4. Lingshui Sour Rice Noodles (陵水酸粉）
Sanya people are just in love with rice noodles, so this dish can be found almost on every street or lane. Lingshui Sour Noodles are rich in bright colors, hot, sour and sweet. The threadlike noodles are paired with loads of seafood: fish cakes, small salted fish, squid shreds and so on, with the most characteristic being dried sandworms (沙虫). Like Miguel said, “dried sandworms taste like tropical bubble gum”! Recipes often incorporate meat, leeks, water spinach, the ubiquitous peanuts, coriander and beef jerky, and the sourness originates from vinegar.
5. Raw mango with sauce（青芒果蘸酱）
For Western people, slicing mango while it’s still raw and dipping it into spicy sauce seems quite strange and new, but for the locals, it is a snack from childhood! Our friends tasted different variations and concluded that it’s definitely worth trying! The combination of spicy and sour is truly refreshing!
Would you follow the steps of Miguel and Matvey to accomplish your Sanya gastronomy tour? Tell us in the comments below and stay tuned to find out more interesting niche travel itineraries!
Explore Sanya 360°（歪果仁趣三亚）is our special programme aimed at discovering what Sanya and surrounding areas have to offer to foreign travelers. All the videos are published on international social media platforms, such as Facebook,Instagram, TikTok, etc.Follow @visitsanya to get more information.
From:100 RMB Food Challenge in Sanya! Here we go →
