Creating Epic Chinese Cuisine

harvest // blog issue 14

Chinese Cuisine

It’s almost Chinese New Year and 2021 marks the Year of the Ox in Chinese culture. 牛年快乐 ! Did you know in the Chinese language, a common greeting is 你吃了吗 ? Essentially “How Are You” but rather “Have you eaten yet?” . I’ve always thought of this as such an endearing cultural norm. In Chinese culture, food comes first! To celebrate Chinese New Year of February 12th, I’m sharing this fun and festive Chinese streetfood meal idea along with some history of Chinese cuisine.

China’s culinary landscape is entirely distinct one province to the next and impossible to summarize. Chinese food is often characterized by 8 major cuisines dramatically influenced by varying climate, terrain, ethnicity and geography (oceanic or rural). Historically, wine with food has never been a big part of Chinese culture however this is changing in a rapid way with a rising middle class in China and a developing taste for the sophisticated nuances in premium wine. The following provides a very basic overview of the 8 major cuisines of China (not including Taiwan or Hong Kong) and a simple wine pairing to suit the flavor profile.

ANHUI 安徽省 (Ānhuī shěng)

Anhui is an east China province home to aimlessly flowing rivers and lakes providing plentiful freshwater fish. Buddhist mountains in the center of the Anhui province are famous for vegetarian dishes. Oil-heavy, seafood stews, sautéing and smoked food is common, accented with fresh, aromatic herbs and floral tea.

SHANDONG 山东省 (Shāndōng shěng)

The eastern coastline province of Shandong also specializes in seafood. The oceanic influenced “Lu” cuisine features an abundance of fresh local vegetables and artisan tofu such as the regional favorite - braised ginger tofu and bamboo shoots. Sea cucumber, abalone and shark’s fin are some other local delicacies, only ever seasoned with salt and lightly spiced to highlight the fresh marine flavor.

JIANGSU 江苏省 (Jiāngsū shěng)

Jiangsu has long enjoyed a prosperous economy, and in turn, came thousands of years of eccentric, elevated cuisine. The coastal province enjoys a grand variety of marine life including eel, crabs, squid, shrimp and saltwater duck. Stylistically “Su” cuisine favors light, fresh and sweet preparations.

Now it is one of the eight Chinese cuisines known for its pleasing appearance and umami, light, mild, fresh and natural taste.

FUJIAN 闽菜省 (Mǐncài shěng)

Fujian’s cuisine is diverse featuring light flavored in the north, hearty and meat centric in the west and sweet and spicy seafood in the south. Fujian dishes are generally fresh and note greasy.

Unique to the region of Fujian, chefs place great emphasis on exquisite cutting techniques. The slices should be as thin as paper.

ZHEJIANG 浙江省 (Zhèjiāng shěng)

Famously known for its perfumed Shaoxing rice wine exported across the world. Hangzhou in the far north of Zhejiang province is unique in its light and healthy cooking. Quick stir-frying, sautéing, steaming and blanch cooking are common. Hangzhou use less oil and salt than anywhere in China but this is juxtaposed with decadent, slow wine-braised meat, cured hams, fried anchovies and famous pork belly found in the south, bringing true meaning to the term yin and yang.

GUANGDONG 月生省 (Yuè shěng)

Year round freshness is key to the “Yue” cuisine found in the southern coastline region of Guangdong. Flash, stir-fried or steamed ginger fish, tofu and seasonal vegetables are regional favorites. Pork, poultry, goat, geese and beef brought from the farm, butchered and sold on the same day. Nearby Hainan is famous for its fragrant, mouthwatering wenchang chicken (later named Hainanese chicken)

SICHUAN 四川省 (Sìchuān shěng)

Home of the Sichuan (or Szechuan) peppercorn, “Chuan” cuisine is epitomized by aromatic and mouth-numbingly spicy and pungent stews and soups. Buddhist vegetarian food (for example the well-known mapo tofu) is very popular among Sichuanese folk.

HUNAN 湖南 (Húnán shěng)

Hunan cuisine favors salted, sour and spicy, fermented, preserved vegetables, cured meats and steamed food.

RURAL CHINA

The harsh, cold, remote inland mountain regions including Shaanxi, Ningxia, Qinghai, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang is home to a lot of grain farming and agriculture including the epicenter of China’s booming wine industry. Cuisine of central, north and western China has an increased ethnic (Muslim and Tibetan) influence reliant on cured and preserved ingredients and hearty slow braised casseroles of wild exotic birds, mutton and game as well as other conventional meats.

The recipe below shares with you a classic and authentic meal idea. I’ve used slow braised pork shoulder but you can create a healthy spin by marinating and flame grilling or oven roasted a filet of pork tenderloin. Mix things up and have fun creating tradition Chinese cuisine.

🍽 Serves 4-6 | 🕒 Prep Time: 2-3 hours (1-2 days marinate) | Cook Time: 30-40 min | 🔪 Skill Level: Moderate-Ninja

Ingredients

Ingredients

· 2.2 lbs (1kg) pork tenderloin in 1 inch thick steaks,

· 2 tbsp honey

Char Siu Marinade

· 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine

· 1 tbsp Chinese five spice powder

· 1 tbsp oil (neutral, cottonseed or vegetable)

· 1 tbsp ginger juice (3 inch ginger grated and strained)

· 2 tbsp light soy sauce

· ¼ cup hoisin sauce

· ¼ cup honey

· 2 tbsp red fermented bean curd (from an Asian grocer) plus 2 tbsp of its liquid

Bao Buns

· 45g butter

· 160g milk, (heated to 110ºF/ 41ºC)

· 15g (2 sachets) active dry yeast

· 360g bread flour (high protein)

· 35g white sugar

· 5g fine kosher salt

· 2g baking powder

· 2g baking soda

· non stick spray

To serve

· 2 tbsp white sesame seeds

· 2 scallions, finely sliced

Method

Char Siu Pork

In a bowl, whisk together all marinate ingredients and marinate for minimum 24 to 48 hours
Preheat oven to 350º or 180ºC. Place marinated steaks on a grilling rack over a foil lined baking tray. Reserve marinade. Simmer remaining marinade with honey in a saucepan over low-to-medium heat. Reduce by a quarter to achieve a thick basting glaze.
Roast the pork neck for 25 minutes. Remove twice during cooking to baste pork with your spiced honey glaze. For some charred, blackened edges, broil on high heat for the final 3-5 minutes. Apply one final glaze once removed from oven. Serve immediately.

Bao Buns

Whisk together milk, lightly melted butter and yeast. In a separate bowl whisk together sifted flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Attach a dough hook to your stand mixer. Start by mixing milk-yeast mixture in the bowl and add dry ingredients one spoonful at a time. Mix for 10 minutes until a single dough ball forms and cleans the sides of the mixing bowl.
Turn the dough out on a work surface for one final knead by hand. Tucking the dough underneath itself to form a defined ball. Grease the mixing bowl with a nonstick spray, return the dough ball and cover with cling wrap to proof for 1 hour or until doubled in volume.
On a clean work surface. Use a rolling pin to form a ¼ inch thick circular sheet of dough.
Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to form even-sized circular buns. Spritz each dough circle lightly with nonstick spray and fold each circle into a semi circle, pinch softly where the edges meet and roll lightly with a rolling pin. Allow buns to proof for an extra 30 minutes (optional).
Simmer half to one cup of water in a pot and place a similar sized bamboo steamer on top lined with parchment paper with a 1-inch hole in the middle (you may wish to YouTube parchment cartouche). Position buns around the steamer, separated by ½ inch. Steam each batch for 8-10 minutes. Remove and allow cooling for 5-10 minutes. Load each bao pocket with your glorious, sweet and spicy Char Siu Pork, thin slices of cucumber, sesame seeds and finely sliced scallions.
Let your elders start eating first (time honored custom in Chinese culture).

Pairing Wines with Chinese Cuisine

From my seven years of educating, learning from and selling wine to Chinese consumers in Australia I learned a lot about the beautiful Chinese culture. I came to learn traditions, commonly enjoyed foods, wine and flavor preferences and even the Mandarin language.

I have met Chinese consumers-come-friends from Dalian (home of the best seafood in the north), Inner Mongolia to Guangdong in the southern most region of China. Among many Chinese wine lovers, fruity, botanical, lower acid white wines are a common favorite despite the current market demand for premium red wines. White wines simply complement most foods, specifically fiery, Sichuan inspired dishes but also clean, fresh flavors of steamed or wok fried fish and crustaceans and aromatic vegetarian provisions. Of course Chinese wine drinkers also appreciate red wine and many will demand it be fruity, smooth and opulent.