South China's Ultimate Street Food That Stops Every Cantonese in Their Tracks for 10 Minutes

The National Day holiday has just ended, and as a culinary powerhouse, Guangdong once again became a top travel destination for food enthusiasts.

If you've tasted the "chicken that tastes like chicken" white-cut chicken, the Chaozhou beef hotpot where timing is everything, or the pork offal porridge that pursues freshness to the extreme, congratulations—you've glimpsed the gateway to Guangdong's delicious universe. But if that's all, then sadly, while wandering under the arcades in search of flavors, you might have missed Guangdong's most soulful delicacy—

Since its rise in the 1980s and 1990s, street-side beef offal stalls have been a staple of childhood memories for generations of Cantonese. In this pot of offal, you'll find tender brisket, crisp lung, fatty intestines, and chewy tendons—a symphony of textures and flavors that offers comfort to busy lives.

Though most ingredients are offal, that pot represents Cantonese people's relentless pursuit of flavor. Freshness is key: locals can instantly tell if the beef was slaughtered that morning or frozen. Braising requires precise timing, with each ingredient added at the right moment to ensure peak deliciousness.

Different regions have distinct styles: Guangzhou's is rich, Huazhou's is light, Meizhou's is air-dried and dipped in sour plum powder, while Zhanjiang's is skewered and served with garlic sauce. A humble bowl of beef offal showcases Guangdong's diverse culinary culture.

Strolling through Guangdong, if you spot a crowd in flip-flops by the roadside, clutching paper bowls and bamboo skewers in deep culinary immersion, with the snip-snip of scissors nearby—congratulations, you've found a local food hotspot: the beef offal stall.

For Cantonese, these stalls are speed bumps on life's road—an irresistible stop. Schoolkids empty their pockets for a taste, while weary workers recharge like cars at a charging station, soothing work-weary souls with a quick bowl.

What makes this humble dish so captivating? The answer bubbles in that simmering pot.

Its first charm lies in the varied textures and flavors: melt-in-your-mouth brisket, springy tendons, and an orchestra of "crunch" from tripe parts—each bite a symphony.

Ask regulars their favorite part, and their unanimous answer might surprise outsiders: the daikon radish simmered since opening, now infused with the broth's essence, becoming the pot's crowning glory.

The second charm is the blind-box thrill—no choosing cuts, leaving your fate to the vendor's scissors. When Japanese Omakase (chef's choice dining) went viral, Cantonese shrugged: "We've had that joy for ¥10 at offal stalls."

Guangzhou, Huazhou, Zhanjiang, Meizhou...

Where serves Guangdong's best beef offal?

Start with Guangzhou: rich broth laced with secret sauces (some add satay or sesame paste), topped with spongy gluten and radish, finished with herbs and chili—no carbs needed.

Huazhou, a hidden food gem, offers clear-brothed offal highlighting beef's purity. The pot divides: one side for meat, the other for dipping—chili oil and sesame sauce in twin jars.

Here, rice noodles form the base, layered with scissor-cut offal and sauce—a hearty snack doubling as a meal.

Zhanjiang, famous for chicken, serves skewered offal—choose your cuts, from standard to exotic (think cartilage or cowhide).

Meizhou's Hakka-style "dry offal" is cured with red yeast, air-dried into chewy crimson strips, dusted with plum powder and dipped in chili sauce—irresistibly addictive.

Though ideal for pre-made dishes industrially, Cantonese reject factory offal: any shortcut in cleaning or cooking would be spotted instantly by discerning locals.

Freshness reigns supreme. Vendors rise at dawn to source offal, meticulously cleaning each part—trimming brisket membranes, scrubbing tripe, degreasing intestines—because in Guangdong, flavor starts at daybreak.

The cleaned beef offal must be added to the pot in sequence according to the varying cooking times of different parts. Brisket and tendons, which require slow stewing, should be added first. Parts like lungs, heart, and kidneys, which need to absorb flavors, should also be braised early. Tripe and similar cuts can be added just before serving, ensuring both flavor infusion and a crisp texture.

Beyond freshness and cooking technique, the proportion of ingredients in a pot of beef offal is another critical factor. Too much offal results in a strong odor, while too little lacks aroma. Every vendor has an internal balance to maintain the perfect harmony of flavors.

Apart from the tedious process, the scorching weather makes selling beef offal in Guangdong even more grueling. In its early days, beef offal stalls often operated as "mobile ghost stalls"—vendors prepared the offal at home and sold it from pushcarts. The combination of sweltering heat and steam rising from the offal pot made the job undeniably tough.

Some might ask: Is it worth all this effort just for a roadside stall dish?

For the vendors, those who endure the stench and exhaustion are the first to succeed, buying cars and houses. For the customers, tasting such meticulously crafted delicacies in life is already a rare blessing.

This article is an original piece from 【Authentic Local Flavors】.

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"You Damn Offal, How Are You So Delicious?"