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Dali Street Food Tour: Yunnan's Biggest Food Platter Explored

24 Hours of Chinese STREET FOOD in Dali 🇨🇳 China’s BIGGEST Platter of Food!!

Destination:ChinaProvince:YunnanCity:Dali
24 Hours of Chinese STREET FOOD in Dali 🇨🇳 China’s BIGGEST Platter of Food!!
Luke Martin33 min

24 Hours of Chinese STREET FOOD in Dali 🇨🇳. This was filmed by Luke Martin. Watch the full journey and explore the filming details and destinations on this page.

This is stop 2 on our tour of Yunnan, China. Today we are in the city of Dali. Surrounded by mountains and lakes this city is more than just a beautiful stop on our tour. Dali is a food paradise and in today's episode we partnered up with Lost Plate food tours to showcase everything Dali has to offer. From street honey and poisonous mushrooms to grilled cheese and gigantic ethnic platters. We're trying it all and sharing every bite with you!

--- Luke Martin
October 19, 2025, Autumn in China

Travel Guides & Tips in this video

Luke Martin explores Dali with Lost Plate Food Tours, starting at Northgate Market and tasting local specialties. He tries shaoing flatbread with rose jam and a savory pork filling, cold rice noodles with chili oil and peanuts, and a breakfast dish with sticky rice, fermented rice and grilled cheese. At a communal grill, diners cook tofu, sweet potatoes and eggs, and use corn kernels to track the bill. A rose farm demonstrates jam and cake-making. Later, Luke samples passion-fruit chicken feet, joenfun rice-sheet rolls and grilled cheese with rose jam, then shares a large Jingpo platter of meats, mushrooms and rice desserts.

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24 Hours of Chinese STREET FOOD in Dali 🇨🇳 China’s BIGGEST Platter of Food!!

The visit

Join Luke Martin on a notable culinary journey through Dali, China, as he explores the lively street food scene and local delicacies. This adventure, in partnership with Lost Plate Food Tours, takes viewers along the ancient Tea Horse Trail, offering a detailed look at the region's unique flavors and cultural experiences. The exploration begins at the busy Northgate Market, a hub of local activity far from tourist crowds. Here, Luke samples fresh, flavorful honey and learns about the region's famous, and sometimes dangerous, wild mushrooms, some of which are poisonous and require careful preparation. The journey continues with a taste of Dali's signature breakfast item: shaoing. These tandoor-baked flatbreads, with origins tracing back to the Silk Road, are a revelation. Luke tries both a sweet rose jam-filled version, praising its concentrated floral notes and perfect texture, and a savory pork and green onion variant, highlighting the flavorfulness of the bread itself. A unique experience awaits as Luke visits a local home for breakfast, sampling cold rice noodles (Mi Shen), a staple in Yunnan. These refreshing, spicy, and sour noodles are a delightful surprise, perfectly complemented by chili oil, peanuts, and pork. He also gets to try a truly unique dish featuring sticky rice balls, fermented rice, and even grilled cheese, a rare find in China, all presented with rose petals and jujubes, creating a complex and romantic flavor profile.

What they experienced

The culinary exploration extends to a communal dining experience at a restaurant featuring a central grill. Diners cook their own tofu, sweet potatoes, and eggs, with a fascinating payment system using corn kernels to tally costs. Luke also braves the infamous stinky tofu, finding it surprisingly mild. A visit to a rose farm offers insight into the production of rose jam and the creation of delicate rose cakes, where Luke even tries his hand at making one. As evening descends, the adventure continues in the local markets. Luke samples a popular street food: passion fruit-flavored chicken feet, noting their spicy and sour taste and the surprising fact that a large percentage of the world's chicken feet end up in China. He also tries a sweet jelly drink with rose jam, finding it a bit too sweet but appreciating the unique texture. The tour showcases more local specialties, including stuffed rice sheet rolls (joenfun) with walnuts and pork, offering a delightful crunch and savory flavor. The historical significance of Dali is also touched upon with a visit to the ancient city gate. A highlight is the grilled cheese with rose petal jam, a unique Yunnanese treat made using papaya juice for coagulation. The experience culminates with a massive ethnic platter from the Jingpo minority, featuring a diverse array of grilled meats, mushrooms, fried pork skin, and layered rice desserts, offering a true taste of Dali's rich culinary landscape.

FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)

Q: What are the most famous products in Yunnan?
A: Yunnan is known for mushrooms, including wild varieties that can be poisonous and need careful preparation, and roses, which are used to make rose jam and cakes.
Q: What is shaoing?
A: Shaoing is a Chinese flatbread baked in a tandoor-like oven. It is similar to Indian naan and can have sweet or savory fillings, such as rose jam or pork.
Q: What are Mi Shen?
A: Mi Shen are cold rice noodles that are a staple in Yunnan. Luke tries them with chili oil, peanuts and pork, making a refreshing and flavorful meal.
Q: What is unique about the communal grill restaurant?
A: The restaurant has a grill in the center of the table where diners cook their own food. Corn kernels are used to tally the cost of what they eat.
Q: What is special about Dali's grilled cheese?
A: The cheese is made using papaya juice to coagulate milk and is often served with rose petal jam, making it a distinctive local dish.
Q: What is joenfun?
A: Joenfun is a rice sheet roll, similar to cheung fun, with fillings such as walnuts, peanuts and pork. Luke tries a version with a crunchy, savory texture.
Q: What is the Jingpo ethnic minority's giant platter?
A: It is a large platter with Jingpo and Thai-influenced dishes, including fermented pork, grilled meats, mushroom salad, fried pork skin and layered rice desserts.

Previous travel video:

Dali Street Food Tour: Yunnan's Biggest Food Platter Explored

This is stop 2 on our tour of Yunnan, China. Today we are in the city of Dali. Surrounded by mountains and lakes this city is more than just a beautiful stop on our tour. Dali is a food paradise and in today's episode we partnered up with Lost Plate food tours to showcase everything Dali has to...

Dali Street Food Tour: Yunnan's Culinary Delights & Ethnic Platter

Embark on a culinary adventure in Dali, China, as Luke Martin explores its vibrant street food scene. This episode, part of his Yunnan tour, highlights Dali as a true food paradise. Partnering with Lost Plate food tours, the journey unveils an incredible array of local delicacies, from intriguing street honey and exotic poisonous mushrooms to innovative grilled cheese and massive ethnic platters. Every bite is shared, offering viewers a taste of authentic Chinese cuisine.

Attractions in this video: Northgate Market, Tea Horse Trail, City Gate, Rose Farm