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September 11, 2014

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Modern twists on classic Hangzhou dishes

MANY say globalization is a double-edged sword, and this also applies to the culinary world.

Fusion cuisine has some fierce critics believe some chefs are ruining food traditions. Others keep an open mind, believing chefs can create some exciting new dishes by mixing and matching ingredients from different culinary styles.

In Hangzhou, restaurants that are taking the tenets of Hangzhou cuisine and trying to create something new are gaining popularity.

These contemporary Hangzhou cuisine restaurants use much the same ingredients as traditional local cuisine, but add a twist by borrowing from other Asian cuisines like Thai and Cantonese. Some chefs are even bolder, blending Hangzhou cuisine with French and Italian flavors.

Shanghai Daily samples some restaurants making popular contemporary Hangzhou cuisine.

Green Tea Restaurant 绿茶

This little gem of a restaurant is known for its mix-and-match interior décor and fusion dishes. Many are creative adaptations of local cuisine, such as grilled pork.

It uses the same meat used in the classic Hangzhou dish Dongpo pork, which is braised in soy sauce. The difference is Green Tea preserves the pork for hours and then grills it.

They also make fish head soup, a Qiandao Lake specialty, with Sichuan peppers to highlight the tenderness and original flavor of the fish.

As one may suspect, the chefs also use green tea leaves in various dishes. The creations include: green tea grilled fish and green tea cake, which are round, baked and smell like tea. It makes a great dessert. Other recommendations include shrimp in soy sauce and shrimp on fire.

 

Address: 83 Longjing Rd, Hangzhou

Telephone: (0571) 8788-8022

D-Lovee 古庭

Combining Hangzhou and Cantonese cuisines, this is an increasingly popular restaurant. Locals obviously love the mildness of Hangzhou dishes, but they also enjoy the delicacy of Cantonese food.

The chicken wrapped in tofu sheet is a newer and bigger version of Hangzhou juanji, a vegetarian dish that somehow tastes like chicken. D-Lovee’s version uses actual chicken.

Sautéed shrimp and eel is a classic topping in noodle soups.

But this restaurant is charting its own path, substituting sautéed bullfrog and eel, braised with lots of garlic and onions in a stone pot.

The dish is much spicier than Hangzhou food and boasts a strong scent of soy sauce.

The yolk rice pancake is a variation of the tomato rice pancake. The brittle rice pancakes are coated with a hot, salty and pasty yolk. D-Lovee also makes Qiandao Lake fish head soup, which blends tender fish flesh, tofu and the restaurant’s own recipe.

 

Address: 188 Dadou R, Hangzhou

Telephone: (0571) 8817-5757

Wu Yue Shi 武岳食

Golden fried dough sticks are a common sight around the city. Known as youtiao, it only cost 1 yuan (16.4 US cents) per piece, but at Wu Yue Shi they sell for 12 yuan (US$1.95).

However, the price hasn’t slowed business down because these dough sticks are big, stuffed with meat and topped with minced shrimp.

Youtiao was first created in Hangzhou around 1,000 years ago, but they are eaten nationwide today. Wu Yue Shi dough sticks are crispy on the outside with soft and tasty meat inside. The result is similar to biting into a fully topped thin-crust pizza.

The restaurant’s other signature dish is congbao hui, somewhat like a Chinese hamburger, stuffed with either Peking duck or Wushan grilled chicken.

Congbao hui is a youtiao derivative. When youtiao is overcooked it becomes too brittle. But a long time ago, a clever cook decided not to waste food, taking an overcooked youtiao and wrapping it with shallots in a thin pancake. People often add either a spicy or sweet sauce.

Wu Yue Shi has taken two congbao hui and added meat in the middle, thus the comparison to a burger.

They also serve bak-kut-teh, a Southeast Asian food consisting of pork ribs simmered in a broth of herbs and spices for hours. This soup goes well with chopped up youtiao.

 

Address: 51 Wushan Rd, C section of Hubin Intime Department Store, Hangzhou

Tel: 1550-588-8190




 

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