Hunan
湘菜
Hotter than Sichuan and without the numbing to soften it — dry heat, smoke, and pickled everything.
Photo: Alex Lozupone · CC BY 4.0
Xiang cuisine takes chilli more seriously than Sichuan does, and applies it without the peppercorn's anaesthetic. The characteristic techniques are dry-frying, smoking and curing, and the characteristic flavours are xiang la (fragrant-hot) and suan la (sour-hot), the latter built on chillies fermented in brine until they turn soft and acidic. Hunan is also a smoking culture: pork, fish and tofu hung in the rafters above a wood fire until they turn amber. It is one of China's great cuisines and it is badly under-represented abroad.
05Dishes to seek out
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Steamed fish head with chopped chilli 剁椒鱼头
A split fish head under a blanket of red fermented chilli, steamed and served with noodles to soak the juices. The signature dish of the province.
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Mao's braised pork 毛氏红烧肉
Belly pork caramelised in sugar and braised with dried chilli. Chairman Mao was from Shaoshan in Hunan and this was reportedly his dish.
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Stinky tofu 臭豆腐
Changsha's version is black, fermented in a brine of amaranth and mushroom, deep-fried and dressed with chilli. Confronting and delicious.
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Smoked pork with dried beans 腊肉炒干豆角
Wood-smoked cured pork stir-fried with rehydrated dried beans and fresh chilli. The taste of a Hunan farmhouse.
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Sour fish soup 酸汤鱼
Shared with neighbouring Guizhou: fermented tomato and rice broth, river fish, and a sourness that builds over the meal.