1． Beggar’s Chicken
Around 200 years ago, a Qing Dynasty emperor took a ride out in the country. Suddenly he
smelled something delicious. He ordered his men to track the smell, and they found a beggar
eating a chicken by the roadside. It was fresh from a fire. Emperor’s men asked the beggar how to
prepare the chicken. When they went back to imperial palace, the emperor ordered a chicken to be
done in the beggar’s way, and it turned out to be the best chicken the emperor had ever enjoyed.
Since the way of cooking is taught by a beggar, it got the name Beggar’s Chicken. But it is also
known as Emperor’s Chicken, for the emperor liked it so much.
How to prepare:
First, use Tender Chicken of 1500g, stuff the chicken with cooked shrimps, pork, gingers and
other condiments. Then wrap the chicken with lard net, and cover the lard net with lotus leaves.
This step not only prevent the chicken from burnt but also add a flavor of lotus to the chicken.
Last, muddy the chicken with jars clay and tie it with cotton thread, roast it for four hours until the
chicken is fully done.
Lou Wai Lou Restaurant of Hangzhou serves the best Beggar’s Chicken. Because it takes four
hours to do the roasting, so customers need to reserve the table half a day in advance before
having the delicious dish.
2． West Lake Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce
Before cooked, the live fish must be kept hungry in West Lake water for three days. This is to
clean fodder and mud out of the fish body, keeping tightness of the fish to make it more delicious.
Different with other fish dish, the West Lake Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce is cooked with water
and seasoning instead of oil. To ensure tenderness and original taste, plate the fish as soon as it is
cooked. There is a strict rule on heat control. If you want to do it perfectly, you can only cook the
fish for 3-4 minutes.
3. Shelled Shrimps with Dragon Well Green Tea
Prepared materials are live river shrimps and new tea which is picked around Qing Ming Festival.
These two parts give the dish a special taste.
Dragon Well Green Tea is famous for its four features: green color, fragrant aroma, sweet taste,
and smooth and even appearance. River shrimp, on the other hand, is called Top Dining Material
with its tenderness and abundant nutrition. What’s more, river shrimp is good for kidney, boosting
male virility and clearing toxic materials out of human body. The two ingredients match together
like emerald with white jade. With its pleasant fragrance and fresh taste, Shelled Shrimps with
Dragon Well Green Tea becomes one of the most famous traditional dishes in Hangzhou.
4. “Jingle Bells”
Jingle Bells is made of doufu sheets, which are of highly nutritious because the protein contained
in it is easily absorbable.
The major ingredient specially used for Jingle Bells is Sixiang Doufu Sheets which has a history
of over 1000 years. With 18 steps of production process and soy beans and high quality water its
raw ingredients, the sheets are thin as silk and shining as gold, soft yet strong enough to cover the
stuffing. That’s why the Sixiang Doufu Sheets is also known as the Golden Coat.
The dish being called “Jingle Bells” is because the rolls are so crispy that they would produce a
sizzling sound when bitten.
5. West Lake Water Shield Soup
Water shield is a specialty of Hangzhou, cultivated in West Lake. It has been one of the most
precious aquatic food since long time ago, with West Lake its long-term cradle. It is said that
around 200 years ago, each time Emperor Qianlong visited Hangzhou, he would definitely ordered
West Lake Water Shield Soup to his meal.
Water shield is full of colloid and vitamin. Every 100 grams fresh water shield contains 900
milligrams protein, 230 milligrams sugar, rich vitamin C and a small amount of iron. When
cooked with carp, the dish will not only be more delicious but also granted a positive effect on
clearing pathogenic heat and toxic materials out of human body.
Besides, the soup carries a meaning of homesickness. Nowadays, many overseas Chinese and
people who live far away from home are like to order the soup when they visit Hangzhou, to
release their deep homesickness.
6. Dongpo Pork
It is one of the representative dishes of Hangzhou cuisine. Around 900 years ago, Su Dongpo is
the Governor of Hangzhou. During his tenure he started a thorough dredging of West Lake and
built the famous Su Causeway, which refresh the sight of West Lake and convenient the
transportation of Hangzhou. The local people were very grateful to Su Dongpo, they present him
with many gifts, including pigs and wine. Receiving the gifts, Su Dongpo told his family to slice
the meat in squares and cook them. Then distributed the pork among workers who took part in the
dredging project. People favorably named the dish as Dongpo Pork. And the pork has become a
local specialty ever since.
The great thing about Dongpo Pork is that it looks fat but doesn’t taste fatty. It’s made of pork of
two-inch wide square, with upper level fat and lower lean. It melts on the tongue and releases a
fragrance of wine. I bet you will like it.
7. Sister Song’s Fish Broth
It is a traditional, well-known dish dating back over 800 years, when the Southern Song Dynasty
was just founded with Hangzhou as its capital. One time the emperor toured around the West Lake,
and he decided to buy out turtles and fishes in the lake to set them free. Among people obeyed the
order there is one woman named Sister Songwu, who made her living by selling fish broth. The
emperor taste her fish broth and spoke highly of it. From then on Sister Song’s Fish Broth became
a popular dish of Hangzhou.
The main material is usually a mandarin fish which is steamed before the removing of its skin and
bone, and then cooked with sliced ham, bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms, yolk and chicken soup
seasoned with rice wine and vinegar. The thick broth prepared looks bright yellow and tastes as
good as crab meat, even more tender and smooth. So it got another name Broth Better Than Crab.
8. Stewed Duck
The main material for this dish is south local duck. To ensure its tenderness, the duck needs to be
killed within 60 days old. It is stewed in a casserole with exclusive recipe. Restaurant Zhang
Sheng Ji is most famous for its Stewed Duck.
