Zhejiang cuisine is one of the Eight Culinary Traditions of Chinese cuisine with a light and fresh flavor. It is renowned for its attention to detail in selecting ingredients, unique cooking techniques, preservation of natural flavors, and meticulous fine production.
The ingredients of Zhejiang cuisine are fresh and in the season, which is selected strictly. Fresh seafood, river-based products, and ingredients that are in season are widely utilized. Zhejiang’s skilled chefs masterfully employ techniques such as sautéing, frying, stewing, stir-frying, steaming, and roasting to bring out and enhance the ingredients’ natural flavors.
Famous local specialties cuisine:
West Lake Fish in Vinegar: The grass carp is steamed with ginger and then topped with a flavorful sauce made from a mixture of black vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, corn flour, water, and stock.
Dongpo Pork: Braised Pork Belly: Made from half fatty and half lean pork belly meat, slow-cooked in a generous amount of Shaoxing rice wine.
Beggar’s Chicken: A traditional dish in which a chicken is tightly encased in lotus leaves and then sealed in clay before being baked in a special oven or over an open flame.
Longjing Shrimp: Large live shrimps are marinated in a mixture of egg whites, cornstarch, and rice wine before being cooked with steep Longjing tea leaves.
Braised Bamboo Shoot: Made by stir-frying tender spring bamboo shoots with a generous amount of oil and sugar.
Shaoxing Wine is a renowned yellow wine that hails from Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province, known for its exceptional quality and widespread use in Chinese cooking. It is commonly used to remove the greasiness and fishy odor from meat, fish, and seafood dishes.