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| Anhui Cuisine |
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Anhui cuisine (Hui Cai for short), one of the eight most famous
cuisines in China, features the local culinary arts of Huizhou.
It comprises the specialties of South Anhui, Yanjiang and Huai Bei.
The highly distinctive characteristic of Anhui cuisine lies not
only in the elaborate choices of cooking materials but also in the
strict control of cooking process.
Most ingredients in Anhui cuisine, such as pangolin, stone frog,
mushroom, bayberry, tea leaves, bamboo shoot, dates, games, etc.,
are from mountain area. Huangshan Mountain has abundant products
for dish cooking. Huangshan Chukka has tender flesh and a sweet
taste. It can be boiled in clear soup or braised in soy sauce.
The dishes help relieve internal fever and build up vital energy.
The white and tender bamboo shoots produced on Huangshan Mountain
can be made into very delicious food. Xianggu, a kind of top-grade
mushroom grows on old trees, is also very tasty.
Anhui cuisine chefs pay more attention to the taste, color of
dishes and the temperature to cook them, and are good at braising
and stewing. They are experts especially in cooking delicacies
from mountains and sea. Anhui dishes preserve most of the original
taste and nutrition of the materials. Generally the food here
is slightly spicy and salty. Some master dishes usually stewed
in brown sauce with stress on heavy oil and sauce. Ham is often
added to improve the taste and sugar candy added to gain freshness.
High up on the menu are stewed soft shell turtle with ham, Huangshan
braised pigeon, steamed stone frog, steamed rock partridge, stewed
fish belly in brown sauce, bamboo shoots cooked with sausage and
dried mushroom, etc.
1. Stewed soft shell turtle with ham
One whole soft shell turtle, pork, ham, bamboo shoots, a clove
of garlic, shallot, ginger, soy sauce, salt, rice wine, black
pepper, lard are all stewed together in a pot on charcoal fire.
The dish is not greasy and can lead diners to endless aftertastes.
2. Steamed stone frog
Inhabited in caves, stone frog is a special product in Huangshan
Mountain. It weights 250 grams or so, whose belly is white and
back black with stripe. Stone frog is rich in protein, calcium
and so on. It has the functions of clearing heat, improving vision
and nutrition. It is one of the best exotic dishes from mountains.
3. Bamboo shoots cooked with sausage and dried mushroom
It is one traditional flavor in Huizhou mountainous area. Cooked
with sausage and dried mushrooms, the bamboo shoots are more fragrant.
It is delicious, and noted for its good color, juicy meat and
thick soup.
4. Li Hongzhang Hotchpotch
Li Hongzhang hotchpotch is a popular dish named after one of
Anhui's famous personages. Li Hongzhang was a top official of
the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD). When he was in office, he
paid a visit to the US and hosted a banquet for all his American
friends. As the specially prepared dishes continued to flow, the
chefs, with limited resources, began to fret. Upon Li Hongzhang's
order, the remaining kitchen ingredients were thrown together
into an impromptu stew, containing sea cucumber, squid, tofu,
ham, mushroom, chicken meat and other less identifiable food materials!
Thus appetites were quenched and a dish was created. |
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