Food choices in Haikou make every meal a special occasion

Haikou’s culinary scene offers many savoury foods that run the gamut from Hainan classics, including chicken, duck and lamb, to seafood, all of which are on hand at a wide range of local restaurants and markets.

One of the most famous regional dishes is Wenchang chicken, with legend dating it back to the city of Wenchang in northeastern Hainan in the 14th century. Even today, this fleshy chicken is raised in Wenchang on a diet of coconut flesh and peanut cake.

The whole chicken is typically boiled, cut into pieces and dipped in a mix of ginger, salt and other spices. Plump without being greasy, it is often served alongside rice with the oil conserved from cooking the chicken. Although the poach-and-sauce method prevails, Wenchang chicken can also be fried, stewed in a coconut flesh broth, or even baked in salt.

Dongshan lamb also takes its name from its provenance and is made from the meat of free-range goats raised on Dongshan Peak in the city of Wanning. While the meat can be braised or fried, a delicious version of this delicacy stews the meat in coconut milk, with the soup and organs mixed into congee.

A local Haikou variation is to cook the goat meat with watermelon. Regardless of the preparation method, this dish is reliably tender and soft and evokes the true flavours of Hainan.

Jiaji duck, which is also called fan duck or foreign duck, likewise takes its name from the town of Jiaji in Qionghai along the Wanquan River, where ducks are kept in coops and fed on grain and bean curd. These ducks stand out on the chef’s table for their plump flesh and the fragrant layer of fat between the flesh and its thin skin.