Regional Cuisine Hunan Cuisine
by Kirsten Hawkins
Hunan cuisine shares many commonalities with its close, more
well-known cousin, Szechwan cooking, Both cuisines originate in
the Western region of China. The climate there is sub-tropical –
humid and warm enough to encourage the use of fiery spices to
help cool the body, and to require high spicing of food as a
preservative. With similar climate, the two regions also share
many ingredients – rice is a major staple in both diets, and
chili peppers are an important part of most dishes. The two
styles of regional cuisine are similar enough that many
restaurants and cookbooks lump them together under ‘Western
Chinese cooking’ or simple refer to both as Szechwan cuisine.
There are some important differences, though. Hunan cooking is,
for one thing, even more fiery than most Szechwan dishes.
Szechwan dishes often include chili paste for rubbing into
meats, or including in sauce. Hunan chefs include the entire
dried chili pepper, with its intensely spicy seeds and rind.
The differences in the actual land of the two regions also has
an effect on the differences in their cuisine. The Szechwan
region is mountainous jungle, with little arable land for
farming. The Hunan region, by contrast, is a land of soft
rolling hills and slow rivers. Because of its fertile hillocks
and valleys, the Hunan region has access to an amazing variety
of ingredients that aren’t available to Szechwan chefs. Seafood
and beef are both far more common in Hunan cooking, as are many
vegetables.
The land, and the hardships associated with it, also give the
Hunan more time to concentrate on food. Hunan cooking features
complex and time-consuming preparation time. Many dishes begin
their preparation the day before they are to be served, and may
be marinated, then steamed or smoked, and finally deep-fried or
stewed before they reach the table. The same attention is paid
to the preparation of ingredients, and it is said that Hunan
cuisine is the most pleasing to the eye of all Chinese
cuisines. The shape of a food in a particular recipe is nearly
as important as its presence in the final dish. Hunan chefs are
specialists with the knife – carving fanciful shapes of
vegetables and fruits that will be used in preparing meals, or
to present them.
Hunan cuisine is noted for its use of chili peppers, garlic and
shallots, and for the use of sauces to accent the flavors in the
ingredients of a dish. It is not uncommon for a Hunan dish to
play on the contrasts of flavors – hot and sour, sweet and
sour, sweet and hot – pungent, spicy and deliciously sweet all
at once. Hunan chefs are noted for their ability to create a
symphony of taste with their ingredients. A classic example is
Hunan spicy beef with vegetables, where the beef is first
marinated overnight in a citrus and ginger mixture, then washed
and rubbed with chili paste before being simmered in a pungent
brown sauce. The end result is a meat that is meltingly tender
on the tongue and changes flavor even as you enjoy it.
More and more, restaurants are beginning to sort out the two
cuisines, and Hunan cuisine is coming into its own. Crispy duck
and Garlic-Fried String Beans are taking their place alongside
Kung Pao Chicken and Double Cooked Spicy Pork. But there is no
battle between the two for a place of honor among Chinese
Regional cuisines – rather, there are only winners – the diners
who have the pleasure of sampling both.
About The Author: Kirsten Hawkins is a food and nutrition
expert specializing the Mexican, Chinese, and Italian food.
Visit http://www.food-and-nutrition.com/ for more information
on cooking delicious and healthy meals.
