Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
migratory Hakka people (Kejiazu) is another feature of southern Chinese cook-
ing as is the food of Chaozhou in eastern Guangdong.
Rice is the primary staple of southern cooking. Sparkling paddy fields glitter
across the south; the humid climate, plentiful rainfall and well-irrigated land
means that rice has been farmed in the south since the Chinese first popu-
lated the region during the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).
Southern dishes include the following:
bai zhuo xia
blanched prawns with shredded scallions
mi zhi chashao
roast pork with honey
haoyou niurou
beef with oyster sauce
kao ruzhu
crispy suckling pig
she rou
snake
tangcu paigu
sweet and sour spare ribs
Western School
The cuisine of landlocked Western China, a region heavily dappled with ethnic
shades, hogs the fierier end of the culinary spectrum. The trademark ingredi-
ent of the western school is the fiercely hot red chilli, a potent firecracker of a
herb that deluges dishes with spiciness. Adding pungency and bite, aniseed,
coriander, garlic and peppercorns are tossed in for good measure.
Hitting the Hot Spot
The Sichuan hotpot sets foreheads streaming and tummies aquiver all over China,
from sultry Hainan Island to the frigid borderlands of Heilongjiang. It is a fierce and
smouldering concoction, bursting with fire and boiling with volcanic flavour.
The Mongolian hotpot is a very different and more subtle creature indeed. Mutton
or lamb is the principal meat in a Mongolian hotpot, with scalded strips of meat res-
cued from the boiling soup and doused in thick sauces, especially
zhimajiang
( ses-
ame sauce). Vegetables - cabbage, mushrooms and potatoes - are also cast into
the boiling froth and eaten when soft. The hotpot dates to when Mongolian soldiers
