Home
» City specials
» Hangzhou
Sichuan isn't the only hot spot for fiery fare
By Xu Wenwen and Wu Huixin |
May 23, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WHILE spicy chili is not a traditional ingredient in Hangzhou fare, in recent years the hot stuff has become increasingly popular in the city.
Partly this is down to more migrants coming to live in Hangzhou, bringing their home cuisines with them, and, partly to locals developing a penchant for the hot stuff.
For sure, Sichuan food, widely known for its pungent, fiery taste, has played a major role in this shift in tastes.
But many other Chinese cuisines - including Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Yunnan and Jiangxi cuisine, also contain the "hot gene."
A Chinese idiom goes like this: Guizhou people like spiciness, Sichuan people don't fear spiciness, and Hunan people fear there's no spiciness. And comparatively, Hunan people win.
Today, Shanghai Daily, shows that it can stand the heat of southwest cuisine and dips its chopsticks into some red-hot dishes.
Xi Xiang Ji
The restaurant borrows its name from the classic Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) play "Xi Xiang Ji" ("Romance of the West Chamber") -by Wang Shifu - though with some alteration. While the "xiang" (厢) in the book, means chamber, here another "xiang" (湘) character is used, the abbreviation for Hunan Province.
The owner of the restaurant is from Hunan, and is a huge fan of the play - apparent from his cosplay photographs based on its characters.
The Hunan native serves authentic Hunan cuisine - also named Xiang cuisine, typified by the signature "Red Country" dish.
Served in a basin-sized bowl, this comprisesof a layer of one kind of chili pepper upon a layer of another kind of red pepper - witha fish head underneath.
On the table, this seems to heat the very air around it - both through its temperature and pungent spiciness. Try it if you dare!
Hot fish head dishes are the specialty, and "Red Country," a reference to Hunan being Chairman Mao Zedong's home province, is the hottest.
If that sounds too hot, the least fiery option is red plum fish, a white fish steamed with dried chili. The flesh is suitable for diners who don't like it too hot.
The restaurant also features a garden filled with bamboo, while its walls are painted with illustrations from "Romance of the West Chamber," creating a pleasant dining environment.
Address: 407 Hushu Rd (near Pudding Hotel)
Tel: (0571) 8883-8887
Huo Hong Nian Dai
This restaurant opened in 2002, and there are several branches in Hangzhou. Dishes here are based on traditional Hunan cuisine, featuring bacon, white pepper, pod pepper and dried beans.
According to the menu, the signature dishes owe their origins to a beautiful love story.
Once upon a time, a daughter of the local Miao ethnic minority leader was saved from an accident by a young man from the Han group, and they fell in love at the first sight.
Even though at that time Han and Miao people were forbidden to marry, the lovers broke these barriers and wed.
At the wedding ceremony, the bridegroom caught a fish and cooked it with chili peppers, naming it Affectionate Couple Fish Head. Tasty, with a pleasant texture, plus an auspicious name, it soon became popular with locals.
But the story didn't end there. The couple operated a small restaurant. Specialties included stewed snakehead meat with chili oil, known as Xiangjiang Fish Head. This became a favorite with locals and the eatery prospered.
Such romantic legends adds a touch of mystery to the dishes offered by Huo Hong Nian Dai.
In addition to the signature dishes, the rice offered here is another highlight. It is put in ceramic bowls and braised directly over a fire, creating a more sweet-smelling rice.
Address: 100 Jianguo Rd N.
Tel: (0571) 8722-9570
Awa Shan Zhai
Awa Shan Zhai claims to be the first restaurant in China on the theme of the fortified hill villages found in Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces. These are settlements for Chinese ethnic minority groups, including the Miao, Buyi and Tujia people.
Founder Qu Guoqiang has combined the essence of cuisines of southwest China with chefs' creativity. The Awa chain claims that 52 million people eat fish at its branches in China each year - an average of 1 million people a week.
In order to ensure its delicacies taste authentic, the restaurant gets its ingredients from southwest provinces. It also takes advantage of the high-quality fish found in Hangzhou, especially from Thousand Islands Lake in Chun'an County.
Its Fish Head King is a signature dish. The chef chops up the head of a carp and cooks it with chili from Miaoling Mountain in Guizhou Province. The strong, spicy soup perfectly complements the tender fish meat.
Address: 2-15 Renhe Rd
Tel: (0571) 8645-5777
Partly this is down to more migrants coming to live in Hangzhou, bringing their home cuisines with them, and, partly to locals developing a penchant for the hot stuff.
For sure, Sichuan food, widely known for its pungent, fiery taste, has played a major role in this shift in tastes.
But many other Chinese cuisines - including Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Yunnan and Jiangxi cuisine, also contain the "hot gene."
A Chinese idiom goes like this: Guizhou people like spiciness, Sichuan people don't fear spiciness, and Hunan people fear there's no spiciness. And comparatively, Hunan people win.
Today, Shanghai Daily, shows that it can stand the heat of southwest cuisine and dips its chopsticks into some red-hot dishes.
Xi Xiang Ji
The restaurant borrows its name from the classic Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) play "Xi Xiang Ji" ("Romance of the West Chamber") -by Wang Shifu - though with some alteration. While the "xiang" (厢) in the book, means chamber, here another "xiang" (湘) character is used, the abbreviation for Hunan Province.
The owner of the restaurant is from Hunan, and is a huge fan of the play - apparent from his cosplay photographs based on its characters.
The Hunan native serves authentic Hunan cuisine - also named Xiang cuisine, typified by the signature "Red Country" dish.
Served in a basin-sized bowl, this comprisesof a layer of one kind of chili pepper upon a layer of another kind of red pepper - witha fish head underneath.
On the table, this seems to heat the very air around it - both through its temperature and pungent spiciness. Try it if you dare!
Hot fish head dishes are the specialty, and "Red Country," a reference to Hunan being Chairman Mao Zedong's home province, is the hottest.
If that sounds too hot, the least fiery option is red plum fish, a white fish steamed with dried chili. The flesh is suitable for diners who don't like it too hot.
The restaurant also features a garden filled with bamboo, while its walls are painted with illustrations from "Romance of the West Chamber," creating a pleasant dining environment.
Address: 407 Hushu Rd (near Pudding Hotel)
Tel: (0571) 8883-8887
Huo Hong Nian Dai
This restaurant opened in 2002, and there are several branches in Hangzhou. Dishes here are based on traditional Hunan cuisine, featuring bacon, white pepper, pod pepper and dried beans.
According to the menu, the signature dishes owe their origins to a beautiful love story.
Once upon a time, a daughter of the local Miao ethnic minority leader was saved from an accident by a young man from the Han group, and they fell in love at the first sight.
Even though at that time Han and Miao people were forbidden to marry, the lovers broke these barriers and wed.
At the wedding ceremony, the bridegroom caught a fish and cooked it with chili peppers, naming it Affectionate Couple Fish Head. Tasty, with a pleasant texture, plus an auspicious name, it soon became popular with locals.
But the story didn't end there. The couple operated a small restaurant. Specialties included stewed snakehead meat with chili oil, known as Xiangjiang Fish Head. This became a favorite with locals and the eatery prospered.
Such romantic legends adds a touch of mystery to the dishes offered by Huo Hong Nian Dai.
In addition to the signature dishes, the rice offered here is another highlight. It is put in ceramic bowls and braised directly over a fire, creating a more sweet-smelling rice.
Address: 100 Jianguo Rd N.
Tel: (0571) 8722-9570
Awa Shan Zhai
Awa Shan Zhai claims to be the first restaurant in China on the theme of the fortified hill villages found in Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces. These are settlements for Chinese ethnic minority groups, including the Miao, Buyi and Tujia people.
Founder Qu Guoqiang has combined the essence of cuisines of southwest China with chefs' creativity. The Awa chain claims that 52 million people eat fish at its branches in China each year - an average of 1 million people a week.
In order to ensure its delicacies taste authentic, the restaurant gets its ingredients from southwest provinces. It also takes advantage of the high-quality fish found in Hangzhou, especially from Thousand Islands Lake in Chun'an County.
Its Fish Head King is a signature dish. The chef chops up the head of a carp and cooks it with chili from Miaoling Mountain in Guizhou Province. The strong, spicy soup perfectly complements the tender fish meat.
Address: 2-15 Renhe Rd
Tel: (0571) 8645-5777
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
