Hello everyone, welcome to my food Q&A. I am a creator in the field of food: "Focus on food and make life more interesting." Hunan cuisine is one of the eight major cuisines in China. Which Hunan dishes do you think are among the top ten famous dishes in Hunan?
Today, at the request of the subject, I will talk about Hunan cuisine: first let’s talk about its history, so that you can better understand it: During the Warring States Period, Qu Yuan was demoted to Hunan, and he described Hunan cuisine in the famous work "The Soul Conjuring".
The praises are overwhelming. By the Han Dynasty, Hunan cuisine had developed greatly. The main basis was a batch of bamboo slips discovered in archeology in the early years, which recorded 103 kinds of precious dishes at that time, as well as nine categories of cooking methods.
In the subsequent continuous development, Hunan cuisine gradually gained fame. During the period of rapid development, mainly in the late Qing Dynasty, many schools emerged at that time. The more famous ones are: Dai Yangming, the representative of Dai School, Sheng Shanzhai of Sheng School, and Xiao Lusong of Xiao School.
There are also Zu'an sects and so on. They compete with each other and learn from each other's strengths to improve their dishes, which has promoted the rapid development of Hunan cuisine and its current maturity.
Among the top ten famous dishes of Hunan cuisine, the first one is just a personal opinion: Dong'an chicken, cooked with Dong'an new hen, the dish is red, white, green and yellow in color, the meat is fat and tender, and the taste is sour, spicy and fragrant.
In 1972, when U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China, Chairman Mao served "Dongan Chicken" to the guests. It was well received and spread abroad, becoming one of the leading dishes of Hunan cuisine.
The second course: Dragon Girl Kuizhu, must use the best fresh golden carp from Dongting Lake. The cooking method is to cut off the raw material. The heat must be high, boiling water, and steamed quickly.
The third course: Stir-fried Pork with Black Bean Sauce. This dish is mainly based on pork belly, and is cooked with tempeh and other seasonings.
The fourth dish: Spicy Winter Bamboo Shoot Tips. This dish uses hot oil to prepare the dish quickly, ensuring crisp and tender texture and delicious taste.
White with red, rich in local characteristics, the main reason is that winter bamboo shoots are one of the main production areas in Hunan.
The fifth course: Steamed Cured Meat. This dish is mainly steamed with cured pork, cured chicken, chicken soup, and cured fish.
In 2018, it was rated as one of Hunan's top ten classic dishes in "Chinese Cuisine".
The sixth dish is Zu'an Shark's Fin. The preparation of this dish is very particular. The shark's fin selected is also top-grade. You need to choose the best ridge fin.
Then you need to make the stock, which is made from hens, pork knuckles, etc., which are carefully processed and simmered over low heat, then steamed with shark fins, and simmered with shrimps, scallops, and shiitake mushrooms.
The approach is quite particular.
The seventh course: Rock sugar Xianglian, this is a very famous sweet in the Xiangjiang area. In the early days, Xianglian was used as a tribute product, with good texture, pink and waxy fragrance.
Now it has a high reputation throughout the country and even overseas.
The eighth course: Chicken and winter bamboo shoots, which is a classic Hunan dish based on the classic story of "crying bamboo shoots and growing bamboo shoots" in Twenty-Four Filial Piety.
The degree of difficulty of this dish is very high, mainly due to the processing of minced chicken, which requires very high skills from the chef.
Course 9: Soft steamed fish, Course 10 stir-fried spicy pheasant strips, etc.
In Hunan cuisine, it is good at cooking river fresh food, poultry, and livestock. It is also good at cooking wild game and smoked bacon. The taste is heavy and has a strong mountain flavor.
Cooking is long, and you can enjoy it quietly. There is always a dish that warms your heart.