Hangzhou is reputed as "the Heaven on the Earth", not only famous for its attractive scenery, tasty Hangzhou cuisine is also a fascinating experience. Hangzhou cuisine features crisp, tender, light and fresh. The most popular dishes include West Lake Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce, Shelled Shrimp with Dragon Well Tea, West Lake Lotus Root Powder and Dongpo Pork.
Dongpo Pork
Dongpo Pork (called Dongpo Rou in Chinese) is a type of stewed pork named after its creator Su Dongpo (also known as Su Shi), who was a famous poet lived in 11th century. To cook the dish, chunks of fatty pork are steamed in a kind of sauce made of rice wine, soy sauce and sugar. The pork has to be stewed for several hours to deep reddish brown, richly flavored and melt-in-the-mouth tender.
Beggar's chicken
Beggar's Chicken (called “Jiaohua Ji” in Chinese) is a dish from Changshu, a city famous for delicious taste in China's Jiangsu Province. The chicken is stuffed, wrapped, and roasted following a traditional Chinese recipe. Many Chinese dishes have names originated from folklores, legends and stories, and Beggar's Chicken is not an exception. It is said that once upon a time a beggar led a wandering life in poverty. One day, he was very hungry and then lucked into a chicken, but had neither tools nor condiments. He came to the foot of Yu Mountain and roasted it without plucking. When it was finished, the smell spread over a long distance. About 100 years ago, a small restaurant created a method to cook this kind of chicken and called it Beggar's Chicken.
West Lake Vinegar fish
West Lake Vinegar fish (called “Xihu Cuyu” in Chinese) is a popular Zhejiang dish actually named after the beautiful West Lake. This simple protein dish is sweet and sour as many of its counterparts do. The fish is cooked by a foolproof way of cooking – poaching than frying, and with the sauce made from the stock saved from poaching. Fresh fish, good Chinese black vinegar definitely add merits to the dish, while julienned ginger and green onions as toppings on the fish provide some more refreshment.
West Lake lotus root powder
Lotus root powder is a specialty of Hangzhou, especially West Lake lotus root powder characterizes with the unique taste and rich nutrition. Mainly produced from Tangxi Town of Yuhang County, the lotus root is processed into thin slice or granular powder. It is quiet convenient to enjoy a dish made of lotus root powder since you just need to put the powder into warm water and slowly mix them. You can add whatever ingredient you like, including sugar, sesame, and so on. Lotus root powder contains several kind of nutritious which are good for your health.
Shelled Shrimp with Dragon Well Tea
Another famed Hangzhou's cuisine is Shelled Shrimp with Dragon Well Tea (called “Longjing Xiaren” in Chinese). The highlight is quality Dragon Well tea (considered the finest green tea of China) used to flavor the shrimp. To cook this dish, fresh, plump shrimp are shelled, stir-fried and then coated in a light, translucent sauce highlighted by the precious tea leaves. Enjoying the dish served on a celadon plate and placed on a bamboo tray is definitely a good experience.