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Foodies switched on by TV for the tastebuds
By Xu Wenwen and Yu Ning |
May 31, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
FOOD documentary series "A Bite of China" is causing a culinary craze across China, whetting appetites and leading foodies to seek out dishes featured in the show.
Uncovering the origins of Chinese dishes - how they are made and where the ingredients are from - the seven-episode series is said to have attracted more than 100 million viewers, despite a late-night slot.
The show, which covers 60 locations throughout China, began with an account of the diversity of China's natural landscapes and how geography has influenced the food culture of different regions.
Here are some of the Zhejiang Province specialties featured in "A Bite of China," along with a Hangzhou restaurant renowned for each dish.
Stewed Spring Bamboo Shootsóíì?′o??
Seen in the first episode of "A Bite of China," Stewed Spring Bamboo Shoots is a traditional Hangzhou dish made from the tender spring bamboo picked around the time of Qingming Day - around April 5.
The fresh shoots are fried and then stewed with soy sauce and sugar, creating a flavor that is at once sweet and salty. With its yummy crunchiness, the dish functions as an appetizer and a vegetable balance to the grease of meat dishes.
Recommended restaurant: Zhang Sheng Ji Restaurant, 77 Shuangling Rd
Shaoxing Wine and Shaoxing Drunken ChickenéüD???oíéüD?×í?|
This pair showed up in the third episode of "A Bite of China," featured together because Shaoxing Drunken Chicken is cooked exclusively in historic Shaoxing wine.
Shaoxing wine is one of the most famous varieties of huangjiu, traditional Chinese wine fermented from rice. It originates from the region of Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province and is widely used as both a beverage and a cooking wine in Chinese cuisine.
Made from excellent local grain and pure lake water, the wine is a light brown color with a slightly sweet tannic taste, similar to sherry.
A good Shaoxing wine can be very smooth and has an excellent bouquet. It is served at room temperature or slightly warmed during the winter months and is an ideal accompaniment for many spicy Chinese dishes.
Drunken chicken is the name given to several different ways of preparing chicken using alcoholic beverages, and Shaoxing Drunken Chicken - as the name suggests - originated in Shaoxing. Made exclusively using Shaoxing wine, this gives the chicken a deep taste.
The chicken is first marinated in a wine mixture, then steamed until the gelatin from the meat dissolves into the juice.
This juice turns into aspic when refrigerated and is often served with the chicken.
This dish, often served as snack or cold dish, is also great for accompanying drinking because the wine flavor complements other alcoholic drinks.
Recommended restaurant: Yuquan Restaurant, 138 Yugu Rd (near the gate of Zhejiang University's Yuquan campus)
Duck Seasoned with Soy Sauce?′??
The dish appeared in the fourth episode, as a classic cold dish throughout eastern China. Hangzhou has its own version which is salty and made using traditional folk methods.
It is usually made with salty, air-dried meat - the drying can extend for months - and even one bite requires a lot of chewing work.
It features on Lunar New Year menus, with many households in Hangzhou hanging a soy sauce marinated duck outside the home in preparation for festival meals.
And the meat is not the only thing that has foodies in raptures; the rich juice has a sharp aroma and is a great appetizer that goes well with rice.
Recommended restaurant: Er Zhong Restaurant, 2 Huansha Rd
West Lake Vinegar Fish?÷ot′×ó?
Seen in the fifth episode of the series, it is the classic Hangzhou dish. Glazed with a sweet vinegar sauce, the fish is sweet, sour and very tender.
Before cooking, a grass carp is kept unfed in clear water for one to two days to rinse it well and get rid of the smell of mud. It is cut in half from head to tail but not separated, then delicately poached. It is topped with a sharp sweet and sour, vinegar-based sauce.
This dish dates from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279), created by a woman, whose name is now lost, the wife of a man named Song. The family made a living fishing on Hangzhou's West Lake.
Recommended restaurant: Louwailou Restaurant, 30 Gushan Rd
Cat's Ear?¨?ú??
It is not a real cat's ear but a snack shaped like one. It is said Marco Polo took Cat's Ear back to Italy where it later became macaroni.
Cat's Ear can be found in many areas of China, though the name covers different types of flour-based food. The Hangzhou version is a nail-sized piece of dough served in a salty, mild soup.
The flour dough is cooked with shelled shrimps, dried scallops and peas in a chicken soup base. Savory flavoring is added to the dough, which on its own is tasteless.
Recommended restaurant: Zhiweiguan Restaurant, 83 Renhe Rd
Sweet and Sour Spare Ribsì?′×??1?
Defined by a strong aroma and delicious taste, Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs featured in episode six of "A Taste of China" as typical fare in Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine - and a well-known Chinese dish among foreigners.
Fresh ribs are coated with flour and deep-fried, then topped with a sweet and sour sauce combined with vinegar, sugar and other seasonings. Crispy, appetizing and so popular in Chinatowns around the world, it barely needs an introduction.
Recommended restaurant: Bai Lu Restaurant, 572 Zhongshan Rd (The dish there only costs 5 yuan/79 US cents, though there are only 300 pieces available each day.)
Uncovering the origins of Chinese dishes - how they are made and where the ingredients are from - the seven-episode series is said to have attracted more than 100 million viewers, despite a late-night slot.
The show, which covers 60 locations throughout China, began with an account of the diversity of China's natural landscapes and how geography has influenced the food culture of different regions.
Here are some of the Zhejiang Province specialties featured in "A Bite of China," along with a Hangzhou restaurant renowned for each dish.
Stewed Spring Bamboo Shootsóíì?′o??
Seen in the first episode of "A Bite of China," Stewed Spring Bamboo Shoots is a traditional Hangzhou dish made from the tender spring bamboo picked around the time of Qingming Day - around April 5.
The fresh shoots are fried and then stewed with soy sauce and sugar, creating a flavor that is at once sweet and salty. With its yummy crunchiness, the dish functions as an appetizer and a vegetable balance to the grease of meat dishes.
Recommended restaurant: Zhang Sheng Ji Restaurant, 77 Shuangling Rd
Shaoxing Wine and Shaoxing Drunken ChickenéüD???oíéüD?×í?|
This pair showed up in the third episode of "A Bite of China," featured together because Shaoxing Drunken Chicken is cooked exclusively in historic Shaoxing wine.
Shaoxing wine is one of the most famous varieties of huangjiu, traditional Chinese wine fermented from rice. It originates from the region of Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province and is widely used as both a beverage and a cooking wine in Chinese cuisine.
Made from excellent local grain and pure lake water, the wine is a light brown color with a slightly sweet tannic taste, similar to sherry.
A good Shaoxing wine can be very smooth and has an excellent bouquet. It is served at room temperature or slightly warmed during the winter months and is an ideal accompaniment for many spicy Chinese dishes.
Drunken chicken is the name given to several different ways of preparing chicken using alcoholic beverages, and Shaoxing Drunken Chicken - as the name suggests - originated in Shaoxing. Made exclusively using Shaoxing wine, this gives the chicken a deep taste.
The chicken is first marinated in a wine mixture, then steamed until the gelatin from the meat dissolves into the juice.
This juice turns into aspic when refrigerated and is often served with the chicken.
This dish, often served as snack or cold dish, is also great for accompanying drinking because the wine flavor complements other alcoholic drinks.
Recommended restaurant: Yuquan Restaurant, 138 Yugu Rd (near the gate of Zhejiang University's Yuquan campus)
Duck Seasoned with Soy Sauce?′??
The dish appeared in the fourth episode, as a classic cold dish throughout eastern China. Hangzhou has its own version which is salty and made using traditional folk methods.
It is usually made with salty, air-dried meat - the drying can extend for months - and even one bite requires a lot of chewing work.
It features on Lunar New Year menus, with many households in Hangzhou hanging a soy sauce marinated duck outside the home in preparation for festival meals.
And the meat is not the only thing that has foodies in raptures; the rich juice has a sharp aroma and is a great appetizer that goes well with rice.
Recommended restaurant: Er Zhong Restaurant, 2 Huansha Rd
West Lake Vinegar Fish?÷ot′×ó?
Seen in the fifth episode of the series, it is the classic Hangzhou dish. Glazed with a sweet vinegar sauce, the fish is sweet, sour and very tender.
Before cooking, a grass carp is kept unfed in clear water for one to two days to rinse it well and get rid of the smell of mud. It is cut in half from head to tail but not separated, then delicately poached. It is topped with a sharp sweet and sour, vinegar-based sauce.
This dish dates from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279), created by a woman, whose name is now lost, the wife of a man named Song. The family made a living fishing on Hangzhou's West Lake.
Recommended restaurant: Louwailou Restaurant, 30 Gushan Rd
Cat's Ear?¨?ú??
It is not a real cat's ear but a snack shaped like one. It is said Marco Polo took Cat's Ear back to Italy where it later became macaroni.
Cat's Ear can be found in many areas of China, though the name covers different types of flour-based food. The Hangzhou version is a nail-sized piece of dough served in a salty, mild soup.
The flour dough is cooked with shelled shrimps, dried scallops and peas in a chicken soup base. Savory flavoring is added to the dough, which on its own is tasteless.
Recommended restaurant: Zhiweiguan Restaurant, 83 Renhe Rd
Sweet and Sour Spare Ribsì?′×??1?
Defined by a strong aroma and delicious taste, Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs featured in episode six of "A Taste of China" as typical fare in Jiangsu and Zhejiang cuisine - and a well-known Chinese dish among foreigners.
Fresh ribs are coated with flour and deep-fried, then topped with a sweet and sour sauce combined with vinegar, sugar and other seasonings. Crispy, appetizing and so popular in Chinatowns around the world, it barely needs an introduction.
Recommended restaurant: Bai Lu Restaurant, 572 Zhongshan Rd (The dish there only costs 5 yuan/79 US cents, though there are only 300 pieces available each day.)
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