Discover some of China’s best lesser-known regional cuisines without ever leaving town

If you’re like me, traveling around China with millions of others during Chinese New Year isn’t especially appealing. But don’t fret–you can see some new parts of China without ever leaving the city. It’s all just a restaurant away. That’s why I’ve asked Shanghai-born chef Anthony Zhao to help design a culinary vacation that will allow you to sample some of the country’s finest regional cuisines without leaving town.

To kick off your holiday, start by enjoying the laid-back culture of Guizhou. “It’s not fancy, but the informal cooking style is good for sharing with friends and family,” Zhao explains. Like its Sichuan neighbors, Guizhou food is famous for its spicy kick and uses both dry and fresh chilies to season its dishes. It also incorporates sour elements from tomatoes and pickled vegetables. In fact, sour flavors are so important in Guizhou that a local proverb advises, “Three days without sour food makes people stagger with weak legs.” For authentic Guizhou fare in Shanghai, Zhao recommends heading to Qian Fu and trying local favorites like sour fish soup (suan yu tang), Guizhou mashed potatoes (tu dou ni) and sweat-stealing chicken (dao han ji).

Next up on the itinerary is Chaozhou, a lesser-known variety of Cantonese cuisine that focuses on fresh ingredients. Famous for its seafood, vegetarian and soup options, Chaozhou dishes are prepared simply and go easy on the oil. “Chaozhou-style food is usually either steamed or lightly sautéed,” Zhao says. “The emphasis is on the natural flavor of the dish.” So go to Bo Duo Xin Ji and dig your chopsticks into house specialties like ginger chicken (sha jiang ji) and pork neck with zucchini in XO sauce (XO jiang chao xiao gua zhu jing rou). Cap your meal with the delicious double-skin milk dessert (shuang pi nai).

Finish your culinary vacation with a spicy, sinfully greasy trip to Jiangxi province. The Yangtze River shapes Jiangxi’s culinary stylings by allowing chefs to incorporate freshwater seafood and wild vegetables into the menu. Chefs here will sometimes pour on the oil and peppers, but the food still emphasizes local ingredients. Zhu Gan Dao plays up the fresh and fiery angle with dishes like mountain spring catfish (shan jian quan shui nian yu) and wormwood fried with bacon (li hao la rou). There’s also a host of hearty provincial stews. Try the date, wintermelon and duck stew in an earthenware jug (dong gua hong zao lao ya tang) for an authentic slurp of Jiangxi cuisine.

So this Spring Festival, get out for some tasty delights from some of China’s lesser-known culinary regions. I’ll see you out on the road.

-Jamie Barys