Eating is everyone's favorite
activity in Guangzhou. When it is time to eat
here, the range and diversity of dishes will impress
even the most expert Chinese food connoisseur.
Guangzhou dishes are among
the most famous in China. This fame derives partly
from the excellent resources and fertile land
surrounding the area and partly from the scarcity
of money in the city. Guangzhou is situated close
to the sea and fresh sea food is readily available.
The land here is also very fertile and a wide
range of vegetables and fruits are grown. The
European influence in the area can also be seen
and fruit such as lychee and Portuguese oranges
are commonly served up- an effect of the areas
proximity to Macau. However, the fact that this
is a traditionally poor area has also contributed
to the growth of a great local cuisine. In times
of need, resources were pooled and ingenuity ruled
the kitchen! As such, the visitor to Guangzhou
today can still find an incredible range of dishes
that use ingredients in an unusual but inspired
way.
|
Roast
Goose
|
| Cantonese roast goose is prepared
by seasoning the skin of the bird and then marinating
the meat with honey and spices. The goose is next
cooked above a charcoal fire until it is golden and
roasted. Cantonese goose is traditionally served with
a delicious soy based dipping sauce. |
| Mantanxiang Assorted Soup |
| This soup consists of chicken,
goose, duck meat, shark fin and mushrooms simmered
in delicious Shaoxing wine. This dish is also said
to be nutritious and is great to warm you up on a
cold winters day! |
| Sliced Steamed Chicken |
| Sliced and delicately steamed chicken
is the most common way to prepare chicken meat in
Guangzhou. As such, this is a very popular dim sum
dish and the meat prepared this way maintains its
succulence and flavor. Meat prepared in this way has
its skin brushed with peanut oil and the cooked chicken
is usually accompanied by a ginger and shredded onion
sauce. The Banxi Restaurant serve some good dim sum. |
| White Melon Bowl with Assorted
Delicacies |
| Local Guangzhou residents believe
this dish has properties to help them cool down in
the summer time. This dish is made by removing melon
flesh from the skin and boiling it. The melon skin
is then stuffed with oyster, ham, frog, pork and turkey
meat and the boiled melon is added. The whole concoction
is then steamed in the melon skin and then served.
This delicious dish is widely available in most Guangzhou
restaurants and the combination of flavors, while
alien to many foreign palates, is surprisingly tasty. |
| Rice Flour Noodles |
| Rice four noodles originated in
Guangzhou approximately 100 years ago. These noodles
differ from egg noodles in that they are very fine
and translucent. To cook, the noodles are boiled for
literally seconds as they are fine enough to absorb
water very quickly. They are often served with salad
or stir fried with vegetables. |
| Steamed Raddish Cake |
| These small steamed cakes are a
popular dim sum dish in Guangzhou made from rice flour
and shredded radish and shrimp. These cakes are especially
popular during the Autumn moon festival but are available
all year round in most Guangzhou restaurants. |
| Water Chestnut Cake |
| Water chestnut cakes are made by
frying sugar and water chestnut paste together and
steaming this paste in a bun. These golden colored
cakes are usually served as a desert or with tea.
Visitors to Guangdong who have been elsewhere in China
will welcome the abundance of sweets and deserts in
Guangzhou which are not so popular elsewhere in the
country! |
| Shrimp and Rice in Lotus
Leaves |
| Rice served in Lotus leaf is widely
available in most Guangzhou restaurants. Rice served
in this way makes a refreshing change from the staple
diet of boiled or steamed rice popular elsewhere in
China. There are many variations on this dish including
rice flavored with crab, chicken and sesame, all are
served and presented in Lotus leaves like a small
parcel. This makes a great snack to eat on the move
or to have in a restaurant. |
| Won Ton Soup |
| Won ton (dumpling) soup originated
in Guangzhou. This delicious and very popular soup
is traditionally made with pork and shrimp meat dumplings
which are served with egg noodles in a light translucent
soup. |
| Wenchang Chicken |
| If you order Wenchang Chicken you
will be served boneless pieces of chicken and chicken
livers cooked in a spicy sauce. The county of Wenchang
in Hainan is famous for its tender birds and game
meat, hence the name of this dish. The combination
of tastes in this stew are great and the Guangzhou
Restaurant is a good place to sample Wenchang Chicken. |
| Shrimp Dumplings |
| Shrimp dumplings were actually
the invention of one of the original chefs in the
Banxi Restaurant many years ago. Filled with lean
pork and shrimp and flavored with coriander, the dumplings
are traditionally served in small steamed baskets.
They are particularly good dipped in soy sauce and
vinegar. |
