Hai cai, or sea vegetable, which grows in lakes. [Photo by Xu Xiaomin / China Daily]

Chicken is a key ingredient in Yunnan cuisine and you will likely find dozens of chicken dishes on most menus, ranging from soup, hotpot, casserole and cold dish variations. The most impressive I found was a chicken soup stewed with green papaya and garlic at a small restaurant in Wase town in Dali. The green papaya gave the soup a refreshing taste while the chicken was very tender.

Other popular chicken dish, especially in western Yunnan, is the huang men ji, chopped chicken stewed with ginger, garlic, shallot, chili and many other seasonings. The most popular chicken dish in Yunnan is qi guo ji, or steamed chicken pot. Chopped chicken is placed in a pot with a hollow tube and steamed for hours. The soup is created when the steam rises from the tube and condenses upon making contact with the cold pot cover.

Meat lovers can also find the preserved pork rib soup in Lijian, a pleasant surprise while fish lovers should try the lake fish hotpot in Lugu Lake that culminates with a cup of Yunnan's famous Pu'er tea.