Xiang Cuisine

Spicy and Sour with a real burst of flavour.

Photo by Luna Wang on Unsplash

It is very common to most foreigners that Sichuan food is one of the spiciest in China and the world. But little do they know of another province that has possibly spicier food, with a sour after taste, though devoid of such numbing spice feeling that is common among Sichuan cuisine. So, if you dare to taste such a cuisine then let’s learn about these spicy and sour dishes of Hunan.

Spicy and Sour with a dallop of Salt

The range of flavours on offer is due to the wide variety of agricultural products available to the region. The numerous chili peppers to citrus fruits lends itself to a range of spicy and sour dishes, such as the Hunan Orange Chicken, while chopped chili is a sauce made from chili, vinegar and salt that is added onto noodle and meat dishes to give it that spicy, sour flavour they crave. Your taste buds will love all the new flavours on offer, especially the vinegar chili mix on offer.

Hunan food is much spicier than Sichuan food and the spice does not numb your mouth. As such the food is able to better stimulate the taste buds and bring out and help you perceive the flavours of the ingredients and condiments used. It also has some health benefits as the use of the vinegar spice aims to bring down ones blood pressure and cholesterol, thereby providing a healing effect.

Why Spicy and Sour Dishes?

Among the Chinese, or certain provinces, there is a preference for spicy food which has some references to traditional Chinese medicine. The wet, chilly winters and hot humid summers push people to eat sour and spicy food. This stems from the heat of the peppers and other spices counteracting the cold and wet weather. While the vinegar ensures your body is kept cool during hot spells and to aid with digestion and kill parasites. However, even with this, it is so culturally engrained that there is a saying that Sichuanese do not fear spicy food, Hunanese fear no spice at all, and the Guizhonese fear food devoid of spice.

Ingredients, Cooking Style and Seasonings

The area of Hunan is blessed with a subtropical environment, and as such, rice and rice noodles are staple of this region, alongside a variety of vegetables. For example slapped cucumber is a local delicacy in the summer which is prepared by placing the cucumbers in a vinegar dressing, seasoned with garlic and dried chili flakes. The people of Hunan also like the crunch of their vegetables and, as such, they prefer to prepare them by sauteing it with a little oil to give it that el dente crunch factor. It also ensure the vitamins and mineral composition is preserved.

Hunan cuisine utilises a variety of peppers and bulb vegetables to provided the needed Yang energy to counteract the cold ying energy. While honey and sugar is used to sweeten food and utilised in certain dishes, such as Lotus seed candy.

With Hunan cuisine being a melting pot of the region/province, chefs here have developed various ways to prepare food. Methods such as boiling or stewing soups, to stir-frying or sauteing, baking, smoking, pickling, braising to fermenting foods. Fermentation is a key technique used to ensure the vegetables and meat are stored and preserved well for the winter and hot summer months. For instance, tofu is generally pickled by first letting it sit, followed by fermenting it in a brine which consist of liquor, star anise and chili, for a month or two.

So, whether you like spicy and sour food or prefer your food on the more neutral side, Hunan food is a must on any Chinese foodies wish list. Let’s hope the spice doesn’t cripple you so you can enjoy the sites and scenery of this beautiful province other than its food.