Beyond the familiar landscapes of dumplings, noodles and stir-fries lies the largely undiscovered terrain of Northern Chinese cuisine—a world of flavours that rarely travel beyond China's borders. As you venture westward into the desert provinces of Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, and Xinjiang, I’ve found an exciting culinary world unfolds, preserved not in glossy cookbooks, but through word-of-mouth recipes passed from cook to cook, keeping traditions alive.

In the vibrant food markets of Lanzhou, among steaming pots and sizzling woks, you'll discover a remarkable creation that perfectly captures this hidden food: milky lao zao (牛奶醪糟). This ingenious dish marries lao zao (see a recipe here)—fermented rice found throughout China—with fresh cow's milk and egg, transforming these simple ingredients into a creamy, sweet-sour delicacy with an unexpected alcoholic tang. Imagine rice pudding's long lost cousin.

The North-South culinary divide in China runs deeper than mere preference. Southern Chinese historically viewed Northern cuisine as rustic, unsophisticated, and occasionally off-putting—particularly when it came to dairy. Milk products bewildered southern travellers. Fresh milk triggered stomachaches (a reality given the prevalence of lactose intolerance among Chinese populations), while fermented varieties—yogurt, cheese, butter, and kumiss—with their sour notes and lumpy textures, was too much to handle.

Milky Rice Soup is a taste of Northern China that you won’t find anywhere else in the world. A reminder that some of China’s most captivating dishes remain undiscovered.

Serves 2