If you enjoy Chinese food and want something a little more authentic than a chicken curry when you visit a Chinese restaurant, you should explore traditional Cantonese dishes. Cantonese cuisine originates from the Guangdong province and dishes are made with lots of fresh ingredients. The cooking style usually involves steaming or quickly stir-frying, and the flavours of the main ingredients in each dish take centre stage, as Cantonese dishes don't include lots of herbs or spices. Commonly used ingredients include soy sauce, spring onion, garlic, sesame oil and shrimp paste. Here's an overview of four traditional dishes that you shouldn't miss:
Shrimp Yi Mein
This is a filling dish that has a rich sauce made with oyster sauce, ginger, garlic and chicken stock. The shrimp are stir-fried before the noodles are added, and yi mein noodles are slightly chewy and dense as they are made with soda water and flour. If you are really hungry, the sauce used in this dish is delicious with a side order of steamed broccoli or mushrooms.
Sesame Jellyfish Salad
Sesame jellyfish salad is a real treat for your taste buds, and it's perfect as a starter or light lunch. This fresh-tasting dish uses marinated jellyfish that's sliced and served with toasted sesame seeds and cucumber. The marinade consists of soy sauce, white rice vinegar and sesame oil, and the end dish is a combination of crunchy and chewy.
Beef Brisket And Daikon
Marinated with slightly sweet soybean paste and ginger, the beef is slow-cooked in a meaty broth until it melts in the mouth. Daikon is a type of radish that tastes similar to turnip, and it's typically steamed until soft. Enjoy this hearty dish with rice noodles or steamed rice and seasonal greens.
Red Bean Soup
Although it's referred to as a soup, this dish is actually eaten as a dessert. It's made with aduki beans, which are used in many traditional Chinese desserts, and sugar water. This dish can also be flavoured with tangerine peels or coconut milk, and it is typically enjoyed with a cup of black tea.
These are just a few suggestions of authentic Cantonese dishes that are worth seeking out. Visit a Chinese restaurant like Han Palace to see if they have any of these dishes on their menu. If not, ask your server what traditional dishes they would recommend. You may be surprised by how fresh and packed with flavour traditional dishes are when compared to the classic, but completely Westernised, chicken curry.
Share19 May 2016
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