Culinary Journey through China: Hubei
zhanglihua
July 09, 2008, 09:57 AM posted in General DiscussionThe province we will start off on our journey, which is a bit similar to the tour of the olympic torch, is Hubei (湖 北). Fish comes in all varieties, especially steamed fish. Even a kind of sushi can be found here. Seafood is so popular because of the proximity to the fish-rich rivers, the Yangtze is particular with its three gorges. The Yangtze valley was the cradle of Chinese civilization.
Interesting blends of tastes (orange, cucumber) are also an important characteristic. The material is cut and arranged with meticulous care, to make the dish pleasant for the eyes (attention is payed to the colours of the ingredients as well). The food is rather spicy (at least in Wuhan that's the case), although dishes from he Huangzhou area can be rather salty and oily. More sugar is used than in other parts of China, contributing to a distinct sweet-sour (from the vinegar) taste. Apart from fish, soups are very popular. Hubei cuisine does not rely on stuffings (like in dumpling etc.) so much, instead meatballs (made from beef, although not as common as in other eastern provinces) and fish rolls are eaten as they are, to go with rice. Even Chairman Mao is said to have been partial to one of the local specialities (from the Wuhan area) - rice balls with a savoury-sweet flavour wrapped in pancakes made from bean flour. Other popular dishes include (recipes to come) desserts made form fermented rice, hot dry noodles and soy-braised chicken.
Here is an interesting article (entirely in Chinese) about 鄂菜 (e4cai4) - Hubei cuisine.
pinkjeans
July 09, 2008, 11:35 AMThanks for this recipe. Sounds like a really good variation to the onion chilli omelettes I make for a quick addition to the dinner table.
changye
July 10, 2008, 12:58 AMThe only thing I know about 湖北菜 is 武昌鱼 (wu3 chang4 yu2). I hear that 毛主席 loved the fish very much, expecially 红烧武昌鱼. Fortunately, I can get 武昌鱼 at a market here in 东北地区, where there are not many kinds of fish sold. Both 红烧 and 清蒸武昌鱼 are my "拿手菜". They are really tasty (but expensive), though my chubby dog doesn't like them. .
sushan
July 10, 2008, 02:21 PMI don't understand if the eggs are scrambled or still with the yolks intact, and if so, are they 'over-hard'?
pinkjeans
July 10, 2008, 03:00 PMHmm, I think I misread the recipe...looks like the yolks are intact...I was thinking of omelettes. So should they end up like well done, easy over or sunny side up?
zhanglihua
July 13, 2008, 01:01 PMSorry for creating such confusion with recipe ;-)
I think because you let the eggs simmer for a while (with the egg yolk pointing downwards), they will end up well done. The yolk is not really intact anymore, rather it is spread over the egg white, but not mixed with it.
zhanglihua
July 13, 2008, 01:12 PMAnother recipe, this time with fish. I had this one today. It should serve 5 people.
1/4 cup fat/oil (it's usually pig's fat, but you can adjust it)
4 onions, finely chopped
3 slices of ginger, chopped
0.5kg cod (or similarly textured fish, halibut perhaps) - 1 fillet per person
2 tbsp rice wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
5 tsp sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in a little water
1 tsp sesame oil
Shredded vegetables (leek, carrot) to garnish
1. Heat the oil or melt the fat in a pan.Add the onions and the ginger and fry for some seconds. Add the fish, fry until slightly brownish on the outside. Add the liquor and water and boil (put the lid on), then stir in the soy sauce and sugar. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
2. Add the cornstarch and stir until thickened. Add the sesame oil, keep the meal hot for a few minutes and serve hot with rice or bland noodles.
This is a typical Huangzhou dish, because it contains sugar, a lot of oil and is salty (due to the soy sauce). I think it has too many calories for people who go to work by car and have a desk job, but it must be perfect for farmers, so make sure you get some exercise ;-)
pinkjeans
July 14, 2008, 10:40 AMHow interesting...it is very similar to a fish dish I make, usually with black pomfret. There's no rice wine or sesame oil in mine, but it has some tamarind juice for a slight tangy flavour, which I think can be substituted with a dark vinegar. I also add some finely sliced garlic when frying the onions and ginger. I'm not sure of its origin, most likely Cantonese but with Malaysian influence. I might try this Huangzhou version though (but not with pork lard!). Thanks, ZLH.
zhanglihua
July 09, 2008, 10:07 AMA. Sesame-Soy Eggs: for 2 servings (very quick and simple)
2 large eggs 1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tbsp cut up scallion greens
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp sesame seeds (black are more aromatic)
1 tsp basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper chili to taste
1. Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar and scallion. Put aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Crack 2 eggs into it.
3. Sprinkle sesame seeds, basil, crushed chili and pepper over the eggs. Cook until the egg whites are crispy,about 3 minutes. Flip the eggs.
5. Add the sauce to the eggs. Simmer for 1 minute, coat both sides of the egg with the sauce. Slice up and serve with a little rice.