Advertisement Inside, the centerpiece of a 250-seat dining room is an enormous buffet nearly as sprawling as the parking lot outside. Its steam tables brim with the familiar names of Americanized Chinese food: lo mein, fried dumplings, hot and sour soup, pepper steak, General Tso’s chicken. On the tables are Chinese-zodiac placemats; on the far wall, a backlit picture of the Great Wall looms.
This sort of locale is the most recognizable face of Chinese food in America today — a monolith, abundant and often delicious but with only faint echoes of China’s culinary regionalism.
The reality of eating in China is far more varied and subtle, as will become obvious to any visitor to the 2008 Beijing Games who ventures past the confines of the globalized Olympic juggernaut.
The old joke goes like this: What do you call Chinese food in China? “Food.” But behind the punchline is an important notion: “Real” Chinese food is a compelling crazy-quilt of cuisines as diverse as the world’s most populous nation itself. Your taste buds will never be bored.
You probably won’t find in much of America, for example, the sweet, malty Hunanese dish called hongshao rou, or red-braised pork belly, which was said to be the favorite dish of the region’s sometimes-favorite son, Mao Zedong. Far fattier than the meats to which Americans are accustomed, it is an explosion of flavors and porky liquids.
Many American Chinese restaurants are run by Fujianese immigrants, who come from a coastal province not far from Hong Kong. That’s great if you’re craving food from that southeastern region, but if you’re looking for other eats in America, the search is more arduous.
Many Americans assume all Chinese know how to “cook Chinese,” but when a southeasterner tries his hand at whipping up, say, a Sichuanese dish for a buffet in Idaho, it’s akin to being served New England clam chowder by a West Texan somewhere in Botswana.
Inadequate renditions of regional cuisine are only one of the pitfalls facing Americans who want to eat Chinese cuisine as it really is in its homeland. In fact, some of the best regional food in China is rarely considered for American menus.
So, what can an American with a motivated palate do? Look for Chinese restaurants filled with Asian faces, put aside the menu and ask the waiter to bring you his favorite regional dish. Otherwise, wipe the brown sauce off your Chinese-horoscope placemat, crack open your fortune cookie and hope the message heralds a more varied culinary tomorrow.
WHEN IN CHINA:
—Please don’t make it too spicy: “Bu yao tai la” or “Wo bu hui chi la.”
—Please go ahead and make it spicy: “Wo bu pa la” (literally, “I do not fear spiciness“).
—Could I have a glass of cold water?: “Ma fan ni lai yi bei bin shui.”
—Could I have a bottle of cold beer?: “Ma fan ni lai yi ping pi jiu.”
—Do you have some rice?: “Ni you mi fan ma?” (pronounce “you” as “yo,” as in “Yo, Adrian!“)
—Do you have a fork?: “Ke yi lai cha zi ma?”
—I’m full: “Wo chi bao le.”
—I’m still hungry: “Wo hai e” (pronounce “e” as “uh“)
—Where’s the washroom?: “Xi shou jian zai na li?” (pronounce “xi” as “see“)
—Thank you — this was a great meal: “Fei chang hao chi, xie xie.”
—Check, please: “Mai dan.”
And, if you must ...
—Do you have sweet-and-sour pork?: “You tang cu li ji ma?” But expect the unexpected.
Hunan is in southern or central China — the argument over which still rages — and its food reflects the dichotomy. While most Americans think of Sichuan food as the spicier cuisine, Hunan dishes can be even more pyrotechnic; fresh peppers instead of preserved ones are often used, increasing the kick. While stir-frying is certainly present in Hunan, methods such as braising and simmering also have produced some of the region’s most memorable dishes, such as this one enjoyed by Mao Zedong, who grew up in rural Hunan.
Chairman Mao's Red-Braised Pork from Hunan Region
1 pound pork belly or salt pork (skin optional)
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for seasoning
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
3/4-inch piece fresh ginger, skin left on, sliced
1 star anise
2 dried red chilies
1 small cinnamon stick
Light soy sauce, to taste
2 fresh scallions, greens only, chopped
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the pork belly and simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the meat from the saucepan and set on a plate to cool. When cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size chunks.
In a wok over low heat, combine the oil and sugar, stirring until the sugar melts. Increase the heat and continue stirring until the sugar turns a rich caramel brown.
Add the pork and Shaoxing wine. Add enough water to just cover the pork, then add the ginger, star anise, chilies and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 40 to 50 minutes.
Toward the end of the cooking time, increase the heat to reduce the sauce. Season with soy sauce and sugar. Add the scallion greens just before serving. Makes 4 servings.
(Recipe from Fuchsia Dunlop’s “Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook,” W.W. Norton, 2007)
Yunnan province is filled with ethnic minorities, and because of that has a cuisine that can defy description. Some dishes have undertones of the cuisines of Southeast Asia, which the province borders, and Yunnan hams are renowned through China for their subtle tastes. Spiciness makes frequent appearances but is far from predominant. Yunnan is also famous for its teas.
Across-the-Bridge Noodles from Yunnan Province
1/2 teaspoon rice wine
1/8 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Salt
1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar
4 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 ounces fish filet (such as mahi mahi), skinned
2 ounces raw, shelled shrimp
5 ounces Chinese egg noodles
6 cups chicken broth
5 tablespoons chicken fat
1/2 small bunch fresh cilantro
1/2 medium carrot, shredded
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, to prepare the marinande, in a small bowl whisk together the rice wine, ginger, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, soy sauce and vinegar.
Cut the chicken, fish and shrimp in paper-thin slices, then arrange the slices on a serving platter. Drizzle with the marinade and let stand.
When the saucepan of water has boiled, add the noodles. Return to a boil and cook until soft, about 4 minutes for dried noodles and 2 minutes for fresh. Transfer the noodles to a collander to drain.
In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil over high heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the chicken fat.
Return to a boil and let boil for 1 minute. Quickly but carefully transfer the broth to a serving tureen and bring to the table along with the platter of meats and seafood and collander of noodles.
Pour the meat, seafood and noodles into the the boiling hot broth. They will cook instantly. Stir and serve in individual bowls, offering carrots and cilantro sprigs for garnish. Makes 4 servings.
(Recipe adapted from Chinavoc.com)
Shanxi food, from the northern Chinese region that many credit as being one of the cradles of “Chineseness,” is hearty, heavy and grainy. Dumplings and breadstuffs are everywhere, and noodles are a staple; one delicacy, “cat’s ear noodles,” are — worry not — named for their shape, not their ingredients.
Braised Beef from Shanxi Region
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
3 bunches scallions, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
1 pound lean boneless beef (such as top sirloin), very thinly sliced
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sesame oil
Generous pinch fennel seed
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons rice wine
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce and scallions. Add the beef and mix to coat.
In a small bowl, mix the corn starch with the water until dissolved. Add to the beef mixture and stir well. Set aside.
In a wok, heat the oil over high. Add the fennel seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until the oil starts to smoke. Add the beef mixture, with the marinade, and stir-fry until barely cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the stock and rice wine. Cover the wok and boil for 1 minute. Add the ginger, stir and serve. Makes 4 servings.
(Recipe adapted from Cuisine-China.com)
Xinjiang, a predominantly Muslim region of western China, is home to an ethnic group called the Uighurs that has more in common culturally with Central Asia than with most of China. Lamb is an exceedingly popular dish, and food often is seasoned with cumin and other spices rarely used in the cooking of China’s more central and eastern regions.
Lamb Kebabs from Xinjiang Region
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 pound boneless lamb leg or shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks
In a food processor, chop the onion until it forms a paste. Transfer to a medium bowl, then stir in the vegetable oil, pomegranate juice, salt, black pepper, garlic and cayenne.
Add the lamb pieces and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Meanwhile, if using bamboo skewers soak 8 of them in water for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare a charcoal grill to medium-high or heat a gas grill.
Thread the meat onto skewers, taking care not to crowd the meat. The pieces should barely touch.
Place the skewers on the grill and cook for 2 minutes. Turn and cook for 7 to 8 minutes more, turning periodically to ensure good color and even cooking. Makes 4 servings.
(Recipe from Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid’s “Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and Travels in the Other China,” Artisan, 2008)
