To continue with the China Food Project, we visited
the Zhejiang province government restaurant, on the north third ring road,
Beijing.
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| Lotus roots stuffed with rice infused in osmanthus sauce |
Zhejiang cuisine is one of the eight great culinary
traditions in China, together with Hunan, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Fujian, Guangdong,
Shandong and Anhui.
The flavours of Zhejiang are more subtle than say, Sichuan or Hunan,
and being a coastal area, seafood is a prominent ingredient. Zhejiang cuisine
has a reputation for being fresh, tender, and smooth. Another characteristic of
this cuisine is the slight touch of sweetness, which gives dishes mellow
undertone.
Eileen Wong explains in her book 'Beijing Eats' that food from this region is renowned for the hongshao cooking method, 'red cooking' or braising, which involves bringing to boil a mixture of soy sauce, Shoaoxing rice wine and crystal rock sugar, adding cuts of meat and then simmering. By the time the liquid reduces to a thick glossy sauce, the meat will be tender and thoroughly infused with the flavour of wine and soy sauce. Another key ingredient of this cuisine is yellow wine, huangjiu, a sweet mellow brew distilled from glutinous rice.
This Zhejiang authority eatery is the most
elegant restaurant we have visited so far and it gets booked up quickly, just like
all other provincial houses. It is beautifully decorated with fine
porcelain vases and other ornaments.
Eric, our regional expert, ordered delicious food and
we all enjoyed it very much, with 'Ooohs and Aaahs' every time a dish was brought to the table. He told us about life in the Shanghai/Zhejiang area, the difference in personality with his friends from other parts of China and we laughed at how mothers behave in a similar protective way all over the world!
The Menu
- Tofu cooked in a special sauce and sliced, served cold with soy sauce and wasabi 素鲍鱼 SU BAO YU
- Soup dumplings, 小笼包子 XIAO LONG
BAO ZI (these delicious little dumplings have a little bit of stock inside - be careful when you eat them, the juice can be very hot)
- Pork ribs in a rich, smokey, sweet and sour sauce - 糖醋小排 TANG CU
XIAO PAI
- Lotus roots filled with sticky rice, infused in a fragrant osmanthus sauce - 桂花糖藕
GUI
HUA TANG OU
- Stir fried mushrooms with garlic and chillies 手撕杏鲍 SHOU SI
XING BAO GU
- Braised aubergines, in a rich burgundy sauce (burgundy in colour, not taste) 酱爆茄子 JIANG BAO
QIE ZI
- Glass rice noodles with shrimps - 鲜虾粉丝煲 XIAN XIA
FEN SI BAO
- Bean-curd with green chillies and special pickled vegetables - 梅菜炒香干 MEI CAI
CHAO XIANG GAN
- Pork belly cubes braised in yellow wine, 红烧肉 HONG SHAO
ROU
- Tofu and crabmeat claypot xiefen doufu. A soupy dish, with very light and airy balls 清汤鱼圆 QING TANG
YU YUAN
- Pork and fish dumplings, served in a clear soup decorated with thin omelette strips - 鲜虾云吞 XIAN XIA
YUN TUN
- And we washed it down with Chrysanthemum tea
Here are the photos. Thank you Eric for providing the Chinese names and pinyin!
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| sliced tofu with soy sauce and wasabi |
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| xiaolong baozi - soup dumpling |
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| sweet and sour pork ribs |
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| stir fried mushrooms |
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| braised aubergines |
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| glass noodles with shrimps |
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| beancurd with green chillies and pickled vegetables |
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| braised pork |
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| fish balls |
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| pork and fish dumpling soup |
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| Gourmand group |
Restaurant details:
Zhejiang Building, 26 Anzhen Xili Sanqu, Beisanhuan, Chaoyang District, Beijing
北京市朝阳区北三环安贞西里三区26号浙江大厦裙房2楼
Tel 6442 0006
