Anhui Cuisine
Anhui cuisine (Hui Cai for short), one of the eight most famous cuisines in
China, features the local culinary arts of Huizhou. It comprises the specialties
of South Anhui, Yanjiang and Huai Bei. The highly distinctive characteristic of
Anhui cuisine lies not only in the elaborate choices of cooking materials but
also in the strict control of cooking process.
Most ingredients in Anhui cuisine, such as pangolin, stone frog, mushroom,
bayberry, tea leaves, bamboo shoot, dates, games, etc., are from mountain area.
Huangshan Mountain has abundant products for dish cooking. Huangshan Chukka has
tender flesh and a sweet taste. It can be boiled in clear soup or braised in soy
sauce. The dishes help relieve internal fever and build up vital energy. The
white and tender bamboo shoots produced on Huangshan Mountain can be made into
very delicious food. Xianggu, a kind of top-grade mushroom grows on old trees,
is also very tasty.
Anhui cuisine chefs pay more attention to the taste, color of dishes and the
temperature to cook them, and are good at braising and stewing. They are experts
especially in cooking delicacies from mountains and sea. Anhui dishes preserve
most of the original taste and nutrition of the materials. Generally the food
here is slightly spicy and salty. Some master dishes usually stewed in brown
sauce with stress on heavy oil and sauce. Ham is often added to improve the
taste and sugar candy added to gain freshness.
High up on the menu are stewed soft shell turtle with ham, Huangshan braised
pigeon, steamed stone frog, steamed rock partridge, stewed fish belly in brown
sauce, bamboo shoots cooked with sausage and dried mushroom, etc.
1. Stewed soft shell turtle with ham
One whole soft shell turtle, pork, ham, bamboo shoots, a clove of garlic,
shallot, ginger, soy sauce, salt, rice wine, black pepper, lard are all stewed
together in a pot on charcoal fire. The dish is not greasy and can lead diners
to endless aftertastes.
2. Steamed stone frog
Inhabited in caves, stone frog is a special product in Huangshan Mountain. It
weights 250 grams or so, whose belly is white and back black with stripe. Stone
frog is rich in protein, calcium and so on. It has the functions of clearing
heat, improving vision and nutrition. It is one of the best exotic dishes from
mountains.
3. Bamboo shoots cooked with sausage and dried mushroom
It is one traditional flavor in Huizhou mountainous area. Cooked with sausage
and dried mushrooms, the bamboo shoots are more fragrant. It is delicious, and
noted for its good color, juicy meat and thick soup.
4. Li Hongzhang Hotchpotch
Li Hongzhang hotchpotch is a popular dish named after one of Anhui's famous
personages. Li Hongzhang was a top official of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911
AD). When he was in office, he paid a visit to the US and hosted a banquet for
all his American friends. As the specially prepared dishes continued to flow,
the chefs, with limited resources, began to fret. Upon Li Hongzhang's order, the
remaining kitchen ingredients were thrown together into an impromptu stew,
containing sea cucumber, squid, tofu, ham, mushroom, chicken meat and other less
identifiable food materials! Thus appetites were quenched and a dish was
created.
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