- Names: Anhui food, Hui cuisine
- Location: Anhui province, Huangshan, Hefei
- Distinctives: many wild plant/animal ingredients, more stewing and oil
The Anhui cuisine originated in Southern Song dynasty, it was a local specialty. Its unique geography and humanistic environment give Anhui cuisine unique taste. In fact, Anhui cuisine is not the most delicious or unique in all the Chinese cuisines. Anhui cuisine is mainly good at stew, braise, steam, and not focused on stir-fry or other cooking methods. Most dishes of Anhui cuisine are greasy and deep colour. Unlike Shandong cuisine, Anhui cuisine does not pay much attention to cooking methods or technique, but heat is very important.
Due to the differences in the raw materials, chefs have to adjust heat very carefully in order to fully cook all the ingredients evenly. The diverse dishes use various fire control techniques which are the key factor in cooking accomplishments of the chefs, as well as the basic means by which the crisp, tender, fragrant and fresh characteristics of Anhui Cuisine are obtained. The skills of smooth frying, braising in light soup and fresh smoking are highly prized.
Anhui cuisine focuses on natural, healthy food. Anhui cuisine has inherited the thought of traditional Chinese herbal medicine that food can also be medicine and sometimes emphasizes food as a kind of drug supplements. This is a major feature of Anhui cuisine.
Seasonings Used
For Chinese, food is medicine. They pay attention to both the season and the weather, and use yin foods and yang foods as necessary to achieve balance and promote health and comfort. Locally produced bayberry, tea leaves, bamboo shoots, and dates all come from mountain areas. Locally picked wild herbs add both aroma and medicinal effects.
Special Cooking Techniques
Reflecting the peasant origins, their chefs use comparatively simple methods of preparation. Hui chefs are particular about controlling cooking time and temperature. High, medium, or low heat is applied according to the quality and characteristics of the different ingredients, and the flavour requirements of finished dishes. They aim to cook food to perfection, and not overcook to protect the nutrition. So they have special skill in sautéing and stewing to achieve a delicate lightness in taste.
Anhui Cuisine: Staple Dishes
Stinky Mandarin Fish. The mandarin fish is marinated and braised. It is one of the most famous dishes. It may smell stinky, but it tastes great with tender fish meat separated from fish bones.
Fried Hairy Tofu. This Anhui food is made from the fermented tofu with white hair growing on the surface. After being fried, it becomes golden and has a mellow taste. People dip chili sauce when eating it.
Steamed Partridge. Partridge is the specialty in Huangshan, Anhui. Steamed Partridge is featured with aromatic light soup and fresh tender meat, being rich in nutrition, like protein and calcium.
Stewed Bamboo Shoots of Wenzheng Mountain. The bamboo shoots are from Wenzheng Mountain in southern Anhui. It tastes salty and a little sweet. Hams and mushrooms added improve the taste and aroma to make the dish more attractive.
Li Hongzhang Chop Suey. This dish is related to the famous minister Li Hongzhang in late Qing Dynasty. It is stewed with multiple ingredients, including chicken, sea cucumbers, fish belly and squid. It tastes salty, fresh and not greasy.
