Zhe Cuisine

 

Zhe cuisine

Zhejiang cuisine, called Zhe cuisine for short, is originated from South China's Zhejiang Province. It is famous for its mellow, yet not greasy, taste.It consists of three major styles, namely Hangzhou style, Ningbo style and Shaoxing style. Among them, Hangzhou style is the most notable. It has good taste as well as delicate appearance. It requires expertise in the cooking techniques of quick frying, stir-frying, braising and deep-frying and features clearness, freshness, tenderness, delicateness and purity. Besides seafood and freshwater fish, Hangzhou style exhibits a fondness for bamboo roots. About half the dishes on a Hangzhou menu contain bamboo roots, which add a tender element to the food. Ningbo chefs are especially skillful in making seafood. The best-known Ningbo cooking techniques are stewing, baking and steaming. The taste is moderate in freshness and saltiness. Ningbo chefs' specialties are making dishes fresh, tender and soft. Emphasis is placed on its original flavor. Shaoxing style is fragrant, crisp, soft and glutinous, with thick soup and pure flavor. Shaoxing style specializes in poultry and freshwater fish.


Famous Dishes 

Ingredients
1 kg (2.2 lb) piece pork belly
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tea leaves
4 stalks spring onions
7 cm (3") length fresh, young ginger, sliced lengthways into matchstick widths
Optional: 300 g (11 oz) broccoli, cut into small florets


Sauce Ingredients
1 cup water
8 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
5 slices old ginger (or 7 slices young ginger)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons yellow wine (e.g. Shaoxing wine)
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons sugar
Thickening: 1 teaspoon corn flour, 1 tablespoon water, stirred well before use


Method

1. Blanch pork in a pot of boiling water. Throw out water.
2. Put pork back in pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Heat a wok and add sauce ingredients. Mix well and bring to a boil. Add pork and cook each surface for a few minutes over a medium heat. Remove pork and drain well. Pour remaining sauce into a small saucepan and set aside.
4. Clean and drain wok. Heat vegetable oil to a medium heat. Fry pork on all sides until it is well browned, making sure skin side is a little crispy.
5. Steep tea leaves in hot water for a couple of minutes, remove and set aside. Place pork in pot of water again–topping up water if necessary. Add tea leaves and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Place scallion stalks on bottom of a steamer. Transfer pork to steamer. Steam for 2 hours, turning pork after 1 hour (because of long steaming time, you may need to replenish steamer water).
7. Add broccoli to steamer for final 5 minutes of cooking time (boil it separately for 3 minutes if there is no room in steamer.
8. Remove pork to a serving dish and arrange broccoli around it. Reheat sauce in saucepan, adding and stirring in thickener. Pour over pork and serve.
9. Garnish with young ginger slivers, which are meant to be eaten