When it comes to Hunan cuisine, the first thing that comes to mind for many people is chopped pepper fish head, whether or not you can do a good job with this dish is almost the only benchmark for measuring a Hunan restaurant, so go to a newly opened Hunan restaurant, first of all, you have to try the store's chopped pepper fish head. Once upon a time, in the neighborhood of my unit, opened a Hunan restaurant. When it first opened, business was booming, and diners flocked to it, and I often went there. About five or six years ago, and then go to eat, found that the taste of chopped pepper fish head is obviously not as good as in the past, I said to the same friend, the store seems to go downhill. The rise is swift, the decline is swift. Catering industry can not escape this law. Indeed, the store closed without realizing it. Later, one after another also ate some Hunan restaurants, most of them went once, and then never went to the second time. For a person who is used to eating seafood, honestly, the attraction of Hunan cuisine is not big.

Until I accidentally ate the diving fish. Forgive my ignorance, I never knew there was such a dish before, and I was so curious about the name that I wanted to eat it first.

I think, after eating the diving fish, I have eaten the skin of Hunan cuisine. In fact, I'm afraid the flavor of Hunan cuisine is not all about spiciness. Qu Yuan described Hunan cuisine in his "Chu Ci" (楚辞-招魂), which is the best description of Hunan cuisine: "There are many ways to eat it, and the common millet and wheat are apprehended and apprehended," he said. The food is bitter, salty, sour and pungent. The fat oxen and bullocks, the biceps, and the fruits of the oxen. The food is sour and bitter, and is served in a soup. The soft turtle and lamb are soft, and there is a cudgel for some of them. The oriole of the swan is rich in acid and fish, and the oriole of the oriole is fried. Chicken meat broth is rich and strong." Among them, "big bitter, salty and sour, pungent and dry line some" is the flavor of Hunan cuisine, meaning "sour, sweet, salty, bitter, and moderate". Among them, there is no spicy flavor. This is because, chili pepper is probably the Ming Dynasty before the introduction of our country, Hunan adjacent to Ba Shu, food habits influence each other, is normal. Even if it is spicy, Hunan spicy food is not the kind of brutal and overbearing spicy, is a kind of tender watery spicy, is a kind of full of spirit of spicy, is a kind of fresh with spicy.

Diving fish belongs to Hunan or Sichuan cuisine, there is no definitive conclusion. Szechuan cuisine to do "diving fish", always away from the "boiled fish" "pickled fish" shadow, pepper is sure to use. But the first time I ate the diving fish that small museum, but called Hunan restaurant, at least the chef is authentic Hunan chef.

Diving fish fish selected fish in Hunan more green grass carp, but this kind of fish, Weihai local is not seen, so the small store with grass carp or silver carp, I feel that the grass carp is better, relatively few spines, well-proportioned, easy to evenly flavored. Open the back and hit the knife, cold water in the pot to cook, cook, add wine or beer, and then add what, I guess it is the store's secret, of course, ginger essential.

Cooking fish fire is the key, long time easy to old, short time easy to fishy, tender and smooth when the best. Another pot, with a variety of fresh peppers simmering seasoning, seasoning ratios show more shopkeeper kung fu. Fish boiled, topped with carefully boiled seasoning, transferred to the alcohol pot, the fish below a layer of round onion (or other, depending on the store), the fresh flavor of the round onion slowly heated, percolate into the fish inside. The tender fish meat is permeated with the flavors of fresh peppers and green onions, making it impossible to stop eating. There are no peppercorns or mace used, which I guess is the key to making Hunan cuisine different from Sichuan cuisine.

I had such a delicious diving fish in this small store, and I was a little surprised to see that this dish is not very common in other Hunan restaurants in Weihai.

The small store also does chopped pepper fish head, but it's an upgraded version, I think it's called two-color fish head. The tea oil duck and cold beef are also well done. Of course, like many local Hunan restaurants, in order to attract and recruit customers, there are many dishes that are not Hunan cuisine, although they are not amazing, but they are all done peacefully, clean and fresh, eat, let people feel at ease.

The store is located in the south of Linhai Park in the high district, the location is a bit remote, the cost of food is set so some high. When I opened, I was always worried that I would not be able to open too long, the name is good, called "Xifeng Ya", but the name of the store does not sound like a place to eat Hunan cuisine.

There are many reasons not to think that this store can continue to open, but the store is still open, attracting a lot of repeat customers, many of whom are looking for "diving fish" to go to the customers.