Hunan
Cuisine, sometimes called Xiang Cuisine (Chinese: ??;
pinyin: xiang cài), consists of the cuisines of
the Xiangjiang region, Dongting Lake and western Hunan
Province, in China.
While
similar to Szechuan cuisine, Hunan Cuisine is often spicier
and contains a larger variety of ingredients. Hunan is
known for its liberal use of chilli peppers, shallots
and garlic. Many Hunan dishes are characterized by a strongly
flavored brown sauce. Some rely on sweetness from ingredients
such as honey; sweet and sour sauces are also characteristic
of the style.
Hunan
cuisine is difficult to precisely characterize, as it
has absorbed stylistic elements from all over China. For
this reason, the region is sometimes regarded as China's
culinary center. Common cooking techniques include stewing,
frying, pot-roasting, braising, and smoking. Due to the
high agricultural output of the region, ingredients for
Hunan dishes are many and varied.
Some
representative Hunan dishes include:
Sweet
and Sour Chicken
Orange Beef
Crispy Duck
Dongan Chicken
Peppery and Hot Chicken (Hot and Spicy Chicken)
Lotus Seeds in Sugar Candy
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