Home-Style Hangzhou Cuisine: Subtle, Not Spicy - low calorie dishes at chinese restaurants

I have to go to China in order to learn cooking.
I am a Virginia girl with a global taste, studying there during college.
In China, I learned the power of hot oil, scallions or garlic and ginger in the frying pan.
With this foundation, I can turn any vegetable or meat into a satisfactory stirfry.
In China, I also have a lasting investment in the farmer's market, where I often buy fresh food
Selected agricultural products, homemade tofu and
Seafood swimming
I love the public eating style of the country, everyone put dumplings together and chopsticks in the shared dishes in the middle of the table.
One semester I studied in Hangzhou, I was in the southwest direction of Shanghai.
However, although I learned the basics there, I have never tried the exquisite classics of the regional cuisine, which is famous in China, but almost unheard of in the West.
We are familiar with fiery dishes and Cantonese snacks, including sweet Beijing roast duck and juicy Shanghai dumplings.
However, Zhejiang province (
Hangzhou is its capital)
It has one of the Eight Culinary Traditions in China.
Home of famous Chinese products: Longjing (or Dragon Well)
Green tea, Shaoxing rice wine, dry
Jinhua ham.
The food emphasizes fresh seafood and produce (
Think bamboo shoots)
Cooked in a subtle sauce, the taste is mellow.
The goal is to highlight the main ingredients of the dish, not the overemphasis.
When I returned to China in August, I began to master Hangzhou cooking ---
My first trip in nearly 10 years.
Well, the "master" may be an exaggeration.
I still haven't dealt with the signature dishes of the city and have prepared them carefully for banquets and restaurants.
You often come across these dishes as a tourist: Gummy Dongpo Meat (
Braised pork belly), jiaohua ji (
Lotus Chicken, wrapped in lotus leaves, baked with mud)
Kaihu copper Jade (
West Lake carp sweet and sour).
Instead, I went to find the daily meals that Hangzhou people make at home.
So I asked Chen Lilei, the chef of Hangzhou satellite TV (
His program name is Cheng Ma)to be my guide. Her poised 13-year-
Yulan, the old daughter and deputy Chef (
Called Cheng on TV), joined us. The duo co-
Together they created a recipe for children and filmed the show regularly.
Chen also worked with star chef Martin Yan in his Chinese TV series.
One afternoon, Chen and I met at her local farmer's market.
Air places where Chinese buy fresh produce and cut-to-order meat.
After shopping, she welcomed me into her surprisingly spacious, sealed-
Outside the kitchen, Chen and Yulan set off an army of dishes there.
Despite the hot weather in Hangzhou on August, the air conditioner was deliberately turned off.
Chen likes to sweat when cooking.
Soon a group of us gathered around the table for one of the public banquets.
There are five Chinese.
Seasoned boiled peanuts, fried bean curd rolls dipped in tomato sauce, sweet dumplings-and-
A sour slice of silver fish, a jellyfish marinated with fresh bamboo shoots, which is organic after coming out of a friend's farm.
Rice is also organic. it is planted by Chen's father. in-
Labor farm near Ningbo.
In a country that is still contaminated by the food scandal, it is the only organic certification she trusts.
The most memorable is a plate of whole crab fried with glutinous rice cakes or rice cakes. (
But since then I have learned to cut off live crabs, which makes me sick.
Please read my blog if you insist on trying recipes. )
Traditional Vegetables
The bean curd soup made by Chen is more delicious. Thankfully, it is easy to prepare.
The same is true of her vegetarian version of Dongpo Meat, replacing the fat belly with wax gourd.
Like most Chinese chefs, Mr. Chen tends to avoid accurate measurements.
I didn't see the spoon or cup in her kitchen.
She and her daughter insisted on adjusting the recipe to their personal taste.
I have tried the approximate amount of ingredients.
But you are free to try and make things salty, sour or sweet.
When it comes to sweet, I am not so obsessed with Chinese desserts.
Don't even let me start eating their sponge creamless cakes.
I appreciate that most of the food here ends with a juicy plate of watermelon.
I 'd love ice cream though-
Like the peanut smoothies we 've tasted.
This is a good green tea restaurant located in the Green Mountains of Hangzhou's famous Longjing tea plantation.
We ate a spoonful of addictive smoothies, very spicy (for Hangzhou)
After a meal, there were some left for dessert.
Professor Liu Wei, who taught me abroad that semester, believes that French is the best food in the world.
Hangzhou is his favorite way of cooking in China.
When we had dinner together on a recent trip, he was poetic about the various lights of Hangzhou, not the depth
The main course is fried stuffing.
Now, I add these gentle recipes to my repertoire at home.
Particularly good, they don't need a storage room full of exotic spices and condiments to prepare.
The author thanks AmySaurer, resident director of CET/C. V. Starr-
The midbury college program in Hangzhou and Zheng Cao from Oregon State University provide translation and other assistance in this article.
Xishi is one of the four ancient Chinese beauties living near Zhuji Hangzhou.
Legend has it that Hangzhou's spectacular West Lake is the embodiment of this beautiful woman.
Like many seemingly "vegetarian" dishes in China, this soup also adds a little meat ---
Shrimp and pork-
Used as condiment.
To make chicken with Chinese flavor, cook the chicken with ginger, scallions, white pepper and even national ham for extra flavor.
You can improvise with vegetables at will, but don't replace the firm tofu with velvet-soft tofu.
This recipe is adapted from Chen Lilei, chef of Hangzhou satellite TV.
Make 4 service 6 oz boneless country-Ribs (
Or a pig shoulder)
1/3 pound raw shrimp4 tablespoon Shaoxing * with peeling and pulse removal *(
Chinese rice wine)
, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, plus 1 teaspoon of sugar 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder 1 teaspoon of corn starch diluted with two teaspoons of water, 1/2 cups of chopped green beans or 1 cup of fresh corn kernels (
Cut plane)
1 cup of shredded mushroom 1 cup of meat 14-
Ounces of soft tofu, 4 chopped scallions, white ends and green stems, 2 tablespoons of rape oil separated, 2 teaspoons of chopped ginger separated, and 4 cups of chicken soup separated (
Or a maximum of 6 cups if you want more soup)
4 ounces of bamboo shoots, drainage (half a can)
The Asian market serves White pepper from sesame oil.
Buy cheap ones to cook.
If there is no dry sherry, it can be replaced by dry sherry.
Cut pork and shrimp in half.
Inches in a separate bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of ginger powder and a half of corn starch solution to each bowl, stir and mix.
Let's marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Cut all vegetables and tofu into 1/2-inch pieces. Set aside.
Fry the pan at high temperature.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil and add 1 teaspoon of chopped ginger and chopped scallions white end when sparkling (
About 1 tablespoon)and stir-
Fried to incense, about a minute.
Stir-fry the chopped pork until it is basically cooked for about 2 minutes.
Add shrimp and stir fry until pink for about 1 minute.
Take out the meat mixture from the pan and spare it.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan.
Add the second teaspoon of ginger.
Add beans and carrots, stir fry for 1 minute, then add corn, mushrooms and 1 tablespoon of scallions and stir
Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the oil is applied and start to soften.
Sprinkle on the remaining 2 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine to Degas the pan.
Add chicken nuggets and bamboo shoots;
Cook soup with a lid.
Cook for about a minute, then heat and cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are finished.
Put the cooked pork and shrimp back in the pan.
Add the chopped green portion of soft tofu and scallions left (
About 1/3 cups)
, Gently stir once or twice to combine.
Taste the broth and add salt if needed.
Scoop into the bowl.
Decorate with a little sesame oil, a little white pepper and more chopped scallions if needed.
Of the most famous dishes in Hangzhou, this is the only one, carefully seasoned with the area's plant Longjing tea, suitable for the family kitchen.
Unfortunately, without the sweet, small, live river shrimp they use there, you will have to do so.
I used wild shrimp from North Carolina.
Replace the shrimp with boneless chicken thigh pieces, a delicious change.
While dining at Hyatt Regency Hangzhou's landmark, we were told to dip these mild shrimps into a rich brown vinegar.
1/2 teaspoon of corn kernels 2 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine with 2 tablespoons of protein (
From a big egg)
1 pound of raw shrimp, peeled and pulse removed (
Or instead of boneless chicken thighs)
2 tablespoons of Longjing Tea *(
Or other loose tea)
1/2 cup hot water 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon onion, chopped (White part only)
Chopped scallions (green part)
Or you can buy chives from garnish1/4 teaspoons of salt sherry vinegar in the Asian market.
Buy cheap ones to cook.
In a medium-sized bowl, dissolve the corn starch in the rice wine, then add the chicken protein to stir evenly until it becomes soft.
Pickled Shrimp (or chicken)
At least 15 minutes in this mixture.
Brew green tea in hot water for 5 minutes.
Both liquid and re-hydrated leaves should be filtered and preserved.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in the pan.
Stir shrimp-
After about 1 minute, it was fried in pink but not finished.
Take out the shrimp for standby.
Heat the second tablespoon of oil in the pan. Add scallion (white parts)
Stir-fry in about 30 seconds.
Return the shrimp to the pan, pour it into the tight green tea liquid and add salt. Stir-
Highly fried until the shrimp is cooked and the liquid is reduced for about 3 minutes.
Decorate with chopped scallions and reserved tea platters.
Eat with sherry vinegar in a bowl.
I love the iconic Dongpo pork in Hangzhou, but it's hard to swallow a fat mouth or two.
Wax gourd, despite its name (
White fluffy coat of ripe gourd)
When it's hot outside, it's refreshing to eat.
Buy thick and strong melons (not hollowed-out)
Meat in most Asian markets.
There, you can also find the famous Shaoxing wine in Zhejiang (
Buy cheap dishes)
Salty light soy sauce for taste, dark soy sauce for color.
These brave liquids make the original bland pumpkin better --
Season juicy.
This recipe is also adapted by Hangzhou satellite TV chef Chen Lilei.
Do 4 catties of wax gourd *(
Diameter at least 6 inch
Remove 2 tablespoons of oil from skin and seeds
1-inch fresh ginger, peeled and cut into slices, chopped, white and green parts separate 3/4 cups of Shaoxing wine * 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce 1 glass of water 2 teaspoons of sugar 1 teaspoon of deep soy sauce 1 teaspoon of corn starch, dissolve with 2 teaspoons of water white pepper * for sale in Asian market, cut melon meat into 2-inch chunks.
Heat the oil in a hot pot.
Add all the white parts of ginger, scallions and about 1 tablespoon of chopped green stems. Stir-
Fry at 1 minute heat until fragrant but not burning.
Add wax gourd and stir-
Fried in medium for 3 minuteshigh heat.
Pour Shaoxing wine, soy sauce and water on the melon, stir well and mix well.
Add sugar and a little salt.
Cook it.
Reduce the heat to the medium when the liquid reaches boiling-
Low, cover the pot, cook for about 15 minutes until the wax gourd is just a fork-tender.
Uncover the pot, add dark soy sauce and corn starch solution, raise the heat again, stir
Stir-fry the sauce for about a minute.
Season with salt and white pepper.
Place the wax gourd and sauce in a bowl filled with wax gourd, decorate with the remaining scallions, and serve.
The green tea restaurant in Hangzhou will not give a recipe for their delicious smoothies.
So I did my best. create it.
This is a rich salty flavor of cream.
Sweet wine.
Taste of peanuts
Peanut milk tea with ice and snow taste in Taiwan.
At least 4 natural desserts for s1 Cup
Peanut butter cream (
No sugar if possible)
1 cup of whole rice/3 cups of honey 3 1/2 cups of chopped salted peanuts (I use red people)
Mix peanut butter, milk and honey in a blender at high speed until smooth for about 1 minute.
For thicker smoothies, freeze the mixture for at least 30 minutes before adding ice (
This step is optional).
Then add ice cubes and stir to paste.
Place the spoon in the glass and decorate it with chopped peanuts.