Hubei Cuisine
Hubei cuisine consists of dishes from Wuhan, Jinnan, Xiangyun and Southeast Hubei. Wuhan cuisine originated in an area where there is a major-scale inland fishery. Fish is the main ingredient of many dishes, such as steamed Wuchang fish, penholder-like fish belly, brown-sauce-stewed fish and quick-boiled fish with oranges. Other typical local dishes include steamed triplet from Mianyang, chicken broth stewed in an earthen jar, thousand-sliced pork, calipash soup with wax gourd and medicinal soups made by the long and gentle stewing of fried chicken with seasonings.
There are also some famous local snacks in Wuhan such as "Flower" Shaomai, where the dumpling corners are drawn up into five little pockets and filled with different-colored stuffing; hot and dry noodles flavored with a sesame-paste sauce; Laotongcheng, bean-paste omelets; and steamed dumplings.
1. Steamed Wuchang fish
Wuchang fish lives in the Fankou section of the Yangtze River. The fish meat is delicate. Being the most famous and representative dish in Wuhan, this course is very delicious. It is usually braised in distinctive stocks and tastes fresh and tender. Late-chairmen Mao Zedong highly-praised the taste of Wuchang fish and ever mentioned it in his widespread poems. Since then, the blunt-stunt bream Wuchang fish has earned a nationwide fame.
2. Mandarin fish in tomato juice
This dish requires complicated process: the fish needs to be steeped in scallion and ginger sauce and cooking wine for 30 minutes before being deep-fried in 8-fold hot oil till it changes color into golden brown and looks like grapes. Then pour the cooked tomato sauce over the fish. It has an elegant shape with bright color and tastes crispy and rich.
3. Eight-treasure sea cucumbers
In this dish, sea cucumbers are cooked with bamboo shoots, ham, chicken and water chestnuts in the chicken soup. It is stir-fried first then stewed with mushrooms, scallion and ginger. It has different colors, mouthwatering in the plate, and the soup is rich and thick, tasting fresh with strong fragrance.
4. Eight delicacies orange cups
This dish is fun to look and has special taste. The mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, ham, chicken breast and walnuts are chopped and mixed first, then spooned into the elegantly cut orange cups. This dish not only tastes delicious but also is nutritious.
