As the largest comprehensive sports event in Asia, the Asian Games opened in Hangzhou on September 23, 2023. In addition to sports competitions, the appetite of athletes and spectators from all over the world has also attracted widespread attention, and Hangzhou, as the host city, has made great efforts to build the Asian Games Village Restaurant, which can be said to bring together the essence of Chinese cuisine.
The menu of the Asian Games Village restaurant covers famous Chinese dishes and local snacks of Hangzhou, with exquisite selection of materials and fine cooking. Its 6 classic dishes, including Dongdong pork, stir-fried shrimp, Song Sister-in-law fish soup, garlic ribs, fried beef with Beijing onions and stir-fried pork, are particularly well-deserved souls of Chinese cuisine and are favored by the majority of athletes.
1. Dongpo meat: salty, fragrant, moderately fat and lean typical Subang cuisine
The name Dongpo meat comes from the Song Dynasty literary master Su Dongpo, according to legend, Su Dongpo was the governor of Huzhou, and asked the local cooking master to make this dish of bacon for him. Later, the dish was named Dongpo Pork after him.
Dongpo meat is made of plum blossom meat, cut into thick slices, marinated in sauce, and then put into a steamer and steamed over slow fire. The most traditional practice is not to wrap the meat with other spices, but to allow the meat slices to naturally permeate the flavor of the sauce during the marinating process.
The Dongpo meat in the Asian Games Village Restaurant is made of high-quality pork belly, which is tender but elastic and moderately salty. Insist on using charcoal fire when steaming, so that the Dongpo meat is slowly crispened in the charcoal incense, and the final Dongpo meat out of the pot is golden in color and full of aroma. Athletes and staff alike who tried it for the first time were amazed that it was a typical Subang dish.
2. Stir-fried shrimp: fresh and fragrant but not greasy, shrimp is fresh and fresh
Stir-fried shrimp, like Dongpo pork, is also a well-known dish among famous Chinese dishes. But unlike the complex Dongpo meat, stir-fried shrimp is simpler to cook, but it also pays attention to the heat.
The restaurant uses evenly sized white shrimp to make this stir-fried shrimp dish. The head and shell of the white shrimp are removed first, leaving the whole body of the shrimp and then cut into large pieces. Heat the oil in a pan, add the shrimp and stir-fry quickly, then remove from the pan and put it on a plate. Basically, there is no complex seasoning added, which highlights the deliciousness of white shrimp.
The stir-fried shrimp in the Asian Games Village restaurant, the white shrimp meat is delicate and elastic, sweet and delicious in the mouth, and the light taste makes people want to have another plate the more they eat. After eating it, many athletes praised the freshness of the white shrimp here, without the slightest fishy smell, and the stir-fry technique was just right.
3. Song Sister-in-law Fish Soup: Fresh and fragrant fish meat is more delicious with ginger
The origin of Song sister-in-law fish soup is also related to a historical figure, and according to legend, the wife of Song Dynasty physicist Zhu Xi, Ci Shi, was good at cooking this soup. Since then, this dish has been known as "Song Sister-in-law".
Most of the fish selected for making Song Sister-in-law fish soup are freshwater crucian carp or grass carp, and the fish meat is white and red, and the taste is delicious. Cut the fish pieces, blanch them, and boil them in the broth with minced ginger and chopped green onions. The soup is thick and fragrant, and the fish is soft and tender, and the flavor is excellent.
The fish used in the Song Sister-in-law fish soup at the Asian Games Village restaurant is even fresher, and it may also use the local Xitang three fresh. The rich aroma of fish and the spicy taste of ginger are perfectly balanced. After tasting it, the athletes couldn't help but praise it and called for a few more bowls.
4. Garlic ribs: fragrant ribs The aroma of garlic is more sufficient
Compared with several other famous Chinese dishes that need historical origins, the garlic rib dish is more down-to-earth. Its main feature is its fragrant and delicious flavor, which is favored by many people.
The key to making garlic ribs is the freshness of the ribs and the cooking techniques that go into it. High-quality pork ribs are made of three-layer ribs with delicate meat, washed and cut into pieces, marinated to absorb the flavor, then put into a hot oil pan and stir-fry, and finally add minced garlic to quickly stir-fry out of the pan.
The chefs at the Asian Games Village Restaurant have shown their superb cooking skills in making garlic ribs, not only the marinating of the ribs is in place, but the heat control is also just right during cooking. The garlic ribs that came out of the pot at the end were fragrant and tender, and the athletes couldn't help but ask for more after tasting them.
5. Beijing onion fried beef: The green onion is fragrant and the beef is fresh and tender
Beijing cuisine can be said to be one of the most representative cuisines in Chinese cuisine, and the Beijing scallion beef is also a favorite of Beijingers. The Asian Games Village Restaurant has brought this classic dish to the menu of the Hangzhou Athletes' Restaurant.
The key to making Beijing onion fried beef is first of all the ingredients, and imported Australian beef is used here to ensure the tenderness of the meat. Cut the beef into thin slices, marinate with sauce, then stir-fry in a pan and stir-fry with plenty of green onions, and the aroma is overflowing.
This dish of fried beef with green onions is filled with the fragrance of green onions, and the tenderness of the beef can also be tasted. After tasting it, the athletes praised the green onion for not being stingy here, and the green onion was very fragrant, which complemented the freshness and tenderness of the beef.
6. Stir-fried meat: the cooking technique of quick stir-frying Rich aroma and meat aroma
Compared to several other historical dishes, the stir-fried pork dish can be regarded as the most ordinary home-cooked dish. It focuses on the quick stir-fry and rich spice ratio, and the simplest dishes can be carefully prepared into gourmet dishes.
Cut the pork belly into small pieces, add hot oil and stir-fry until fragrant, then add green and red peppers, garlic and other spices to stir-fry quickly to make a bright red stir-fried pork. It may seem simple, but controlling the heat and timing is the key.
A lot of thought has clearly gone into this stir-fried pork dish at the Asian Games Village restaurant, and the meat of the pork belly is tender and paired with chili peppers and garlic to fully integrate the flavors. Many athletes are fans of this most simple home-cooked dish, and they can't help but eat several plates in a row.
These 6 classic Chinese dishes have brought out the most classic flavors and practices of the dishes themselves, and have become the favorite signature dishes of the athletes in the athletes' restaurant in the Asian Games Village. It can be said that they represent the essence and soul of Chinese cuisine, tell the Chinese food culture, and show the breadth and profundity of Chinese cuisine to the athletes and staff who come from afar.