Love up your spice life

Stinky mandarin fish is a traditional dish from Anhui province that combines a pungent aroma with a delicious taste, which the cooks from Xiang'ai have updated with the flavors of Hunan.

Specializing in modern Hunan cuisine, the Beijing-based restaurant's version of the pan-fried dish involves marinating the fresh fish in preserved bean curd for two days to give it an extra kick.

According to executive chef Shi Jianjun, a native of Hunan province's Changde, the aromas created by the two cooking methods are slightly different, since in Anhui cuisine the smell comes from the fish, while in Hunan cooking, the smell derives largely from the fermented bean curd.