Hunan cuisine, as the name suggests, is also a Hunan style dish, because "Xiang" is the abbreviation of Hunan. As long as there is a little interest in food friends should know that Hunan people are very capable of eating spicy, it can be said that it is "spicy and crazy", so as the Hunan flavor of Hunan cuisine is naturally the main focus is spicy, but the spiciness of Hunan cuisine has its own uniqueness, that is, "spicy" and "sour and spicy" as the main tone.
Hunan cuisine belongs to one of the eight traditional cuisines in China, and the reason why it is famous is because Hunan has been known as the "corn town" in China since ancient times, and the people are brilliant, the land is rich in knowledge, and the natural advantages of hunan cuisine have been laid for a unique human geography. If divided according to specific flavor genres, the entire Hunan flavor can be divided into three major genres: Xiangxi flavor, Dongting Lake flavor and Xiangjiang River basin flavor.
The overall flavor characteristics of Hunan cuisine are varied seasoning, focusing on sour and spicy; exquisite knife workmanship, both shape and spirit; and diverse techniques, while the emphasis is on simmering.
So what are the famous classic dishes and famous dishes in Hunan cuisine? If you really want to come together, you have to write a novel of 108,000 words. You may wish to pick out the most classic 10 famous dishes in Hunan cuisine for you today, the dishes are spicy and refreshing, and each dish is the favorite of Hunan people. Let's enjoy it together.
1. Chop the head of the pepper fish
Chopped pepper fish head belongs to a traditional classic dish in Hunan cuisine, mainly popular in Xiangtan and the border area of Xianggan and Gansu. This dish has a very long history, which is said to have come from the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty and is related to a famous literati named "Huang Zongxian" in the Qing Dynasty. In order to escape from the prison of writing, Huang Zongxian took refuge in a small remote mountain village and a peasant family. One day, the farmer's son went home from outside catching a fish, and when making this fish, he used the method of chopping peppers and steaming them with the fish head, and he did not expect that the fish head was very delicious. Later, after many improvements by chefs, it has been passed down to this day and has become today's famous Dish in Hunan "Chopped Pepper Fish Head".
Nowadays, this red "chopped pepper fish head" in the north and south of the river, its main feature is its beautiful appearance, hot and spicy oil; the taste is soft and tender, fresh and spicy, the taste is extremely delicious, after eating, it will always make people remember. Minced pepper fish head is made with silver carp head as the main ingredient, first marinated to taste, and finally steamed with red minced pepper. Freshly out of the pot of chopped pepper fish head, white tender fish head meat covered with shiny and hot red minced pepper, the hot aroma is coming to the face, very charming.
2. Hunan small stir-fried meat
Hunan small stir-fried meat is not only a traditional dish in Hunan, but also a home-cooked dish that Hunan people are proud of. Because the ingredients of this dish are simple and ordinary, the cooking method is also very simple, but the emphasis is on the cooking technique. The most distinctive feature of this dish is that the meat is fragrant, spicy and delicious, and the meat is particularly tender to eat. Its main raw materials are the pork belly and beauty peppers that we usually eat, and the seasoning is mainly chili sauce. Therefore, the beauty pepper + chili sauce has created a unique taste of Hunan small stir-fried meat.
3. Hunan flavor shrimp
"Hunan flavor shrimp" is also known as "spicy crayfish", as the name suggests, the main ingredient used in this dish is not other shrimp, but "crayfish". This dish belongs to a local classic traditional dish in Hunan, and is also a traditional dish in Hunan cuisine, and it has begun to be popular throughout the country as early as the end of the 20th century. Its main characteristics are beautiful appearance, bright red color, smooth and tender meat, spicy taste, and of course, extremely rich in nutrition.
The hunan style shrimp is very simple, that is, the fresh crayfish is processed clean, and then fried and fired. Nowadays, this Hunan-style crayfish has long been not only the favorite of Hunan people, because it can be seen everywhere in street food stalls across the country, which shows how famous it is.
4. Bandit ducks in western Hunan Province
Xiangxi bandit duck belongs to a classic dish in Hunan and is part of Huxiang food culture. This dish not only has the characteristics of Hunan cuisine, but also incorporates the flavor of Yunguichuan, thus forming a unique local characteristic of western Hunan Province.
The most distinctive feature of Xiangxi bandit duck is that the spicy taste is very strong, the appearance is red and bright, and the taste of duck meat is soft and crispy. The main cooking method of this dish is to use duck as the main ingredient, supplemented by a variety of spicy spices sautéed into the flavor and then fired.
5. Steamed with wax flavor
La-wei combined steaming is a very famous traditional specialty dish in Hunan cuisine, and it is easy to guess from the name of the dish that the main ingredient of this dish is a mixture of local la-flavored specialties. The specific method is to mix the specialties of pork tongue, pork, chicken gizzard and pork, add chicken broth and spices and steam.
The distinctive feature of this dish is that the appearance color is bright, the taste of the taste is rich and fragrant, the meat is soft, salty and sweet, and the flexibility is not greasy.
6. Mao's braised pork
Speaking of the dish of "Mao's braised pork", also known as "Mao's braised pork", it belongs to a traditional dish of color, aroma and taste in Hunan. Mao's braised pork is not only famous in Hunan, but also in all parts of the country. The reason why this dish is called "Mao's braised pork" is mainly related to our great man Chairman Mao, because Chairman Mao liked to eat braised pork very much, but Chairman Mao did not eat soy sauce, so how did the sweetness come about? It can only be made of "sugar", which can be both colored and sweet. Therefore, this braised pork specially customized for Chairman Mao was named "Mao's braised pork".
The biggest feature of this dish is that the color is bright red, sweet but not greasy, salty and spicy, spicy and sweet, and fragrant. The method is to use pork belly as the main ingredient, and sugar color and pepper as the main seasoning.
7. Yongzhou Blood Duck
Yongzhou blood duck belongs to a traditional specialty dish in Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, and is also a local home-cooked dish in Yongzhou, and it is also a famous dish in Hunan cuisine. The biggest feature of this dish is that it is ruddy in color, spicy and crispy, cold and blood appetizing, so it is loved by the locals. At the same time, the history of this dish is also relatively long, according to legend, it was originally from the hands of a chef from Hong Xiuquan during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period, and then improved by many local high-level chefs in Yongzhou, and finally became famous for its unique taste.
8. Dongan chicken
Dong'an Zi Chicken, also known as "Dong'an Chicken", belongs to a traditional dish in Hunan Hunan cuisine, and is also one of the recipes of the state banquet, enjoying the reputation of "the first of the eight Hunan cuisines". Because the main ingredient of this dish is made from the new hen of Dong'an, it got its name. The distinctive feature of Dong'an zi chicken is its unique appearance color, with red, white, green and yellow colors; it tastes sour, spicy and fragrant. Mainly thanks to the unique cooking process of this dish and the selection of auxiliary spices, this dish must go through four main processes of cooking, stir-frying, stewing and juice collection, and its accessories use peppercorns, balsamic vinegar, ginger shreds, sesame oil and green onions.
9. Xiaoxiang pig hand
Xiaoxiang pig hand also belongs to a major special flavor dish in Hunan cuisine. Its distinctive characteristics are bright red color, soft and sticky flesh, sweet and sour taste, rich and spicy juice, full of collagen. The method is to cook the pig's hand through cooking techniques such as boiling, burning, and steaming.
10. Spicy winter shoot tip
Spicy winter shoot tip, as the name suggests, its main materials are "oil spicy seeds" and "winter shoots", is a famous traditional dish in the Xiangxi region of Hunan Province. The most typical feature of this dish is that the color is bright and red, and the taste is spicy and crispy, which is favored by the locals in western Hunan Province. The cooking technique of the spicy winter shoot tip is characterized by the use of braised method but the use of chili pepper as the main seasoning.
Well, today I shared with you the 10 classic dishes that Hunan people love to eat in Hunan cuisine? How many of those have you eaten? Welcome to leave a comment!