Ask a QuestionZhejiang Cuisine is one of the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine which focuses on freshness, crispness and tenderness, keeping the original color and taste of the raw materials. As the capital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou is home to delicious Zhejiang cuisine. Following our step to explore the top 10 famous traditional food in Hangzhou.
West Lake Fish in Sweet Sour Source (Chinese name: 西湖醋鱼)
West Lake Fish in Sweet Sour Source is known as the most famous fish dishes in Hangzhou area. It can tell from the dish name, the fish in the dish are mainly from the West Lake, or the Grand Canals. Before cooking, a fresh alive grass carp should be firstly kept hungry in clear water for one or two days to clear its intestines, in this way the meat will become firmer and the earthy smell can be removed from the fish body. Then cut the fish in two parts from head to tail but not separate it, delicately poached and then served eyes-up and topped with a sharp sweet and sour, vinegar-based sauce. Fish meat tastes tender and delicious.
Recommended Restaurants:
→ Huangfan Er Restaurant 皇饭儿酒楼(高银街店)
Address: 55 Gaoyin Street, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province
→ Hangzhou New Century Hotel (Jiefang Road Main Branch) 杭州新开元大酒店（解放路总店）
Address: 142 Jiefang Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou 310001, China
→ Zhiweiguan · Weizhuang (West Lake) 知味观 · 味庄 (西湖)
Address: No.10-12 Yanggongdi, Xihu District, Hangzhou, China
Dongpo Pork (Chinese name:东坡肉)
Pork is taken as the main ingredient for Dongpo Pork dish. The pork is cut to around 2 inches square in dimensions, consisting of half fat and half lean meat. The dish is named after a revered poet, calligrapher and artist in Song Dynasty, called Su Dongpo, who is supposed to have invented Dongpo Pork. Although it is made from a slab of pork belly with a lot of fat, it has been cooked for a couple of hours to get rid of the greasiness. The meat is so tender that you can quite easily cut it in small pieces with chopsticks. To cook an authentic Dongpo Pork, it takes at least four hours to simmere twice, braise, sautéd and steam.
Recommended Restaurants:
→Lou Wai Lou Restaurant: 30 Gushan Road, Solitary Hill, Hangzhou
→Zhi Wei Guan Restaurant: 83 Ren He Lu (near to Dongpo Lu), Shangcheng District, Hangzhou
Beggar's chicken (Chinese name: 叫花鸡)
Beggar's chicken is a famous dish in the south of the Yangtze River with long history, especially in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces. The cooking process involves wrapping a whole spiced chicken in lotus leaves first, then encasing it in mud and being simmered by open fire.
Recommended Restaurants:
→Hangzhou Restaurant: Tiyuchang Lu, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou
→Lou Wai Lou Restaurant: 30 Gushan Road, Solitary Hill, Hangzhou
Fried Shrimps with Longjing Tea (Chinese name: 龙井虾仁)
Fried Shrimps with Longjing Tea is a delicacy of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province. The flavor is fragrant and light. The alive river prawns are the main ingredients which are coated with egg white and moistened starch, then fried in lard at a medium-low temperature for 15 seconds, removed from the oil and drained when jade-white in color, and then quickly stir-fried over extreme heat with boiling water infused with Longjing tea, tea leaves and Shaoxing wine.
Recommended Restaurants:
→Hangzhou Restaurant: Tiyuchang Lu, Xiacheng District, Hangzhou
→Lou Wai Lou Restaurant: 30 Gushan Road, Solitary Hill, Hangzhou
Sister Song’s Fish Broth (Chinese name: 宋嫂鱼羹)
Sister Song’s Fish Broth has been popular among local people for more than 800 years which is a world-famous traditional Hangzhou cuisine. It tastes as good as crab meat, and is lustrous in color, and creamy in taste.
Recommended Restaurants:
→Lou Wai Lou Restaurant: 30 Gushan Road, Solitary Hill, Hangzhou
→Zhi Wei Guan Restaurant: 83 Ren He Lu (near to Dongpo Lu), Shangcheng District, Hangzhou
Stewed Bamboo Shoots (Chinese name: 糟烩鞭笋)
Stewed Bamboo Shoots is a traditional vegetarian dish in Hangzhou. The main material is bamboo shoot. Then it is cooked with pickled grains by sauteing, fried and stewed. It tastes tender and refreshing and is rich in fragrance.
Recommended Restaurants:
→Lou Wai Lou Restaurant: 30 Gushan Road, Solitary Hill, Hangzhou
Beancurd with Eight Delicious (Chinese name:八宝豆腐)
Beancurd with Eight Delicious takes tofu, egg white, lotus seeds, lily, sea cucumber, chicken, ham, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, cole and Green onion, ginger, flavours, starch as seasonings.
Stewed Fish Head with Tofu (Chinese name: 鱼头豆腐)
Fish Head with Tofu is one of the most renowned dishes in Hangzhou, especially in winter. Its ingredients include silver carp (a special sort of fish), winter bamboo shoots, mushrooms, bean curd, and garlic sprouts. This dish taste tender, smooth, fragrant and tasty. This dish can be found in many restaurant in Hanghzou.
Duck Soup with Dried Bamboo Shoots(Chinese name: 笋干老鸭煲)
The soup is of a strong taste and not greasy at all. The duck tastes crispy and tender. Ingredients includes overyear old duck, Jinhua Ham, Tianmushan bamboo shoots, dried raw chicken feet, fresh reed, scallion, eaves, ginger, monosodium glutamate, Shaoxing Wine, chicken powder.
Hangzhou Soy-sauce Duck(Chinese name: 杭州卤鸭)
In the cuisine make out of duck, Beijing Roasted Duck is no doubt the most famous one. However, there is also another kind of duck famous amongst the residents of Hangzhou - Soy-sauce Duck. Soy-sauce Duck is a traditional local dish which is especially popular during the Spring Festival. It is often served cold. In order to preserve the tenderness of the dish, the duck used in the dish is carefully-selected less-than-one-year-old one.
The above are top 10 Famous Traditional Food in Hangzhou. More Hangzhou gourmets are waiting for you to explore. Feel free to contact us to tailor-make your unique Hangzhou tour: sales@topchinatravel.com.
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