Yu fan, fish rice
Fresh fish boiled in brine and left to cool: fish and no rice at all, eaten with Puning bean paste.
Pronunciation yú fàn｜Food and tea｜One entry in the Chaoshan glossary
What it means
The fish is not scaled or gutted, depending on the kind, but goes whole into brine, is boiled and then lifted out to cool. The name has the word rice in it and there is no rice in the bowl: fish stood in for rice, and was the everyday ration of a fishing household.
Once cool the flesh sets firm and comes apart in flakes. It is eaten with Puning bean paste and nothing else is added.
When you eat it
The commonest item on the night counter, laid out beside the braises and the raw pickles. Best made the day the boats come in; a night later and it has lost a layer.
Words easily confused
Fish rice is cooked fish, not fish with rice. Raw pickled seafood is uncooked, this is cooked; they stand next to each other on the same counter and are made in opposite ways.
Read next: Chaoshan cooking and snacks, written apart.
Same group: the night stall, raw pickled seafood, Puning dried tofu.
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Last revised: 3 November 2026