At the table
Stir gently and eat with a spoon, letting each spoonful cool slightly. Share a large bowl into individual bowls.
Ask which preserved vegetables, stock and fat are used, and whether there is meat seasoning, sesame or chili. A vegetable-looking bowl does not establish vegan status.
The version described here uses dried peas. Scallions, pepper and sesame oil are optional regional additions, not fixed ingredients of every Zhong County version.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
The version described here uses dried peas. Scallions, pepper and sesame oil are optional regional additions, not fixed ingredients of every Zhong County version.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Mellow peas and salty preserved vegetables; pepper or sesame aroma may be added.
- Chili heat
- Heat not recorded
- Texture
- Soft, thick pea puree with small vegetable pieces.
- How it’s made
- Cook peas until very soft, then simmer into a thick soup with chopped preserved vegetables. Stock, cooking fat and seasonings vary.
The version described here uses dried peas. Scallions, pepper and sesame oil are optional regional additions, not fixed ingredients of every Zhong County version.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Chongqing.
About this regional connection
Chongqing: Identity source; no universal regional formula claim.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有老咸菜豌豆羹吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
Pea soup with aged salted vegetables
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
This named soup is associated with Zhong County. Soft peas paired with preserved vegetables also fit a wider Chongqing tradition of simple, savory bowls; nearby recipes are not a single countywide formula.