Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page B11

May 7, 2015

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Serving up some Zhejiang specialties

By Wu Huixin | May 7, 2015, Thursday | Print Edition

CHINESE cuisine is divided into eight great culinary traditions and Zhejiang gastronomy is one of them. Zhejiang cuisine frequently features mild, delicate flavors and emphasizes fresh ingredients. Meats and vegetables are usually cooked together, and peppers and scallions are seldom seen. Customary cooking methods include boiling, steaming and sautéing.

Zhejiang cuisine is categorized into various branches. Usually, northern Zhejiang fare is milder than western Zhejiang food, and eastern Zhejiang cuisine tends to include more seafood than the others.

Hangzhou offers a good selection of authentic Zhejiang cuisine restaurants. Shanghai Daily recommends three that are popular with locals.

Huzhou is in northern Zhejiang near the border with Jiangsu Province. Since the city is along Taihu Lake, fresh fish has always featured prominently. However, the most famous Huzhou brand in Hangzhou is a wonton shop established by a woman named Zhou Suzhen.

The little treats at Zhou Suzhen Traditional Huzhou Wonton have a thin skin and ample fillings that can be everything from meat and shrimp to celery, cabbage, wild herbs and mushrooms.

As the first Huzhou wonton shop in Hangzhou, it has developed a good reputation among locals and the brand has expanded to several outlets.

Though most Zhou Suzhen shops are hidden in residential communities and feature plain decor, they are packed with customers all day long and lines are common during busy hours. This wonton joint really proves that word about good food spreads faster than warm butter on toast.

Where to eat:

Address: 156 Jietansi Lane

Tel: (0571) 8510-1937

In ancient times, Hangzhou’s Jiande County was part of Yanzhou Prefecture that covered today’s Chun’an and Tonglu counties and a part of Anhui Province.

Influenced by neighboring Anhui cuisine, Yanzhou cuisine features spicy and tangy flavors. Preserved foods like pickled vegetables and soy bean curd make frequent appearances in dishes.

Yanzhou Prefecture preserved vegetable steamed with duck symbolizes the cuisine. This noted dish has connections to Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Emperor Qianlong.

The story goes that when Qianlong arrived in Yanzhou on a southbound trip, he had a craving for duck after seeing some swimming in nearby lakes. Eager to meet the emperor’s demands, chefs quickly sprinkled preserved vegetables on a duck and steamed them together. The meat tasted succulent and the fishy smell of the duck meat was removed by layers of black preserved vegetables.

The dish became popular with Yanzhou people since the emperor was pleased. The dish’s fame soon spread. Today, people can still find versions of this traditional favorite in Hangzhou cuisine restaurants.

Where to eat:

Address: 201 Shangtang Rd

Tel: (0571) 8533-5666

Though a small county in a mountainous region of central Zhejiang, Jinyun County has a famous snack popular among Hangzhou natives.

Shaobing, dubbed “Chinese pita,” has a golden yellow, crispy crust, a mouth-watering smell and comes in savory and sweet varieties. Unlike pizza toppings, shaobing is stuffed with preserved vegetables and minced meat.

It is said that in ancient times, Jinyun locals were obsessed with making “cure-all” tonics. People often became hungry while working and one day someone added dough before cooking. It turned out yummy and brittle and became popular among locals.

Soon the simple snack spread around the country. According to historic documents, Jinyun at one time had more than 1,000 chefs making shaobing. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang invited a Jinyun chef to cook shaobing in the royal palace.

As a typical Chinese snack and breakfast food that rarely appears on restaurant menus, shaobing is usually sold on streets, especially in residential communities as many will buy one and eat it on the way to work.

In Hangzhou, low-profile Jinyun shaobing stores are tucked away in narrow lanes and residential blocks. Lines of customers are attracted by the fragrance and don’t mind waiting for batches of hot, fresh shaobing to emerge.

Vendors insert fillings into the dough, rolling it into round or elliptical shapes, and topping it with black or white sesame seeds. Then, they put the dough inside the oven. After about a minute, the shaobing is ready and vendors use long tongs to retrieve the hot and brittle goodness.

Where to eat:

Address: 99-2 Mashi St

Hangzhou


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend