Classic Hangzhou Cuisine

Hangzhou Cuisine is an important component of Zhejiang Cuisine, one of China's top eight cuisines. It is characterized by its sweet, light flavor, and features a delicately seasoned, lightly flavored mix of seafood and vegetables, often served in soups or with liberal use of sugar and myriad sauces. Typical cooking methods include boiling, stewing, braising and simmering. The result is a fresh, tender, fragrant and rich flavor, either crispy or soft, but far from greasy. Because of its unrivaled cuisine, Hangzhou shines as a culinary paradise. Its dishes, desserts, dim sum and snacks are simply irresistible to food aficionados.

Every traveler should sample Hangzhou's classic dishes. These include Dongpo Pork, Beggar's Chicken, Shelled Shrimps with Dragon Well Green Tea, West Lake Water Shield Soup, West Lake Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce and Stewed Spring Bamboo Shoots. For a taste of these, head to Lou Wai Lou, Hangzhou's oldest culinary establishment, or Zhi Wei Guan, a one-stop snack shop.

Dongpo Pork

The famous dish is named after Su Dongpo, an ancient governor of Hangzhou who was also a great poet, prose writer and calligrapher. During his term as governor, he initiated the thorough dredging of the West Lake, a project involving thousands of workers and which benefited the local people immensely.

It is no secret that Su Dongpo liked eating pork so, in order to express their gratitude, the local people, during Chinese New Year, presented Su Dongpo with a lot of pork and Shaoxing Wine (a type of cooking wine in Chinese cuisine). Su Dongpo knew all too well that it was the workers who truly deserved the gift, so he told his family to stew together the pork and Shaoxing Wine and distribute the resulting dish to the workers. The pork proved to be extremely palatable, and thanks to the kindness of Su Dongpo, Dongpo Pork became widely preferred by all.

The pork used for this dish needs to be half fat and half lean, and is usually cut into cubes. Then the pork, along with the vinegar, scallions, ginger and sugar, is left to simmer in an airtight casserole over low heat for about an hour. Pork cooked in this way glows red and is as soft as tofu, and while it may be glutinous, it's nowhere near as oily.

Beggar's Chicken

Beggar's Chicken, also known as Hangzhou Weiji (Weiji means roast chicken in Chinese), is one of Hangzhou's 36 Famous Dishes to have been acknowledged by Zhejiang Province in 1956.

The origin of the dish is unknown, but folklore attributes it to an ancient beggar who was driven by cold and hunger to steal a chicken. With neither the tools nor the means to cook the chicken, the beggar, hungry and upset, wrapped the un-plucked chicken with mud and straw and then roasted it in a campfire. When the chicken was ready, it tasted extremely delicious and its extraordinary aroma traveled for miles and miles.

The legend's cooking method has, to date, been widely applied and has even been introduced into restaurants. It is only after constant experimentation that the original cooking method has developed into the one we know today, which is carefully selecting good-quality Yue Chicken (which is large, tender, and low in fat) and then cleaning, stuffing and wrapping it in a lotus leaf covered with the mixture of Shaoxing Wine (a Chinese cooking wine) followed by mud and then finally leaving it to roast for hours.

With the aromatic scent of wine and lotus leaf penetrating deep into the chicken, Beggar's Chicken not only smells fabulous but will leave you begging for more…

Shelled Shrimps with Dragon Well Green Tea

Combining succulent shelled shrimps with freshly picked Longjing tea leaves results in a much sought-after Hangzhou dish, a local specialty both highly recommended and swimming in flavor.

To prepare this dish, the Longjing Tea’s elegantly dark green leaves need to be picked around the Qingming Festival in early spring and the shrimps, selected from local rivers, need to be fresh and as white as snow. The two ingredients, both distinct in color and texture, are then combined together to form a dish oozing in flavor and aroma.

It is widely believed that this time-honored dish was inspired by Su Dongpo’s Ci (a type of classical Chinese poetry), which told of building a new fire to brew new tea.

Inspired by his poem, people came up with the idea of cooking fresh shrimps with Longjing Green Tea over Xinhuo (new fire). Without such poetic words, we would not be able to enjoy such an exquisite dish, a perfect example of Hangzhou’s flavorsome cuisine.

Note: 1. Su Dongpo, also known as Su Shi, was a talented poet and an important figure in Song Dynasty politics.

          2. Xinhuo: In the Tang and Song dynasties, there was a custom that on the day before the Qingming Festival, no fire was allowed to be used. Hence, the fire lit on Qingming Festival is called Xinhuo (new fire).

West Lake Water Shield Soup

The aquatic plant is cultivated in China’s three lakes, but it is the ones stemming from the West Lake that taste the best. Because of its shape, the West Lake water shield is called Maticao (grass that is like a horse’s hooves), and Shuilianye (leaves of lotus) in Chinese. It has always been one of China’s precious aquatic foods and besides its refreshing taste, it is also really nutritious. It is estimated that every 100 grams of fresh water shield contains about 900 milligrams of protein, 230 milligrams of sugar, a trace of iron and plenty of Vitamin C.

West Lake Water Shield Soup is another of Hangzhou’s traditional foods which is sometimes called Chicken, Ham and Water Shield Soup because of its other complimentary ingredients. With such colorful ingredients, you have an eye-catching dish that is oozing in both flavor and nutrition.

West Lake Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce

West Lake Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce is a traditional Hangzhou dish and should most definitely be on your list of things to try. Like the majority of Hangzhou’s dishes, West Lake Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce is favored not only for its palatable taste but also for the story lying behind it.

The story is a famous legend and goes something like this… Near the West Lake lived two Song brothers who made a living by fishing. The elder brother had a beautiful wife, Sister Song, who attracted the likes of a local villain and the only way this villain could get close to Sister Song was by murdering her husband, the elder brother. With no way of getting justice from the local government, Sister Song had to hide from the villain, and together with the younger brother they planned to leave their hometown.

During the farewell dinner and to remind the younger brother of his elder’s death, Sister Song cooked a special fish dish, which tasted both sweet and sour. Years later, the younger brother came back as a high-ranking official, avenged his brother and found Sister Song, then resigned his post to live a simple life by the West Lake with her. Since then, West Lake Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce has been handed down, generation to generation.

Following fiction there is fact… once a man, who was so enchanted by the amazing taste of West Lake Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce, wrote a poem on the restaurant’s wall to praise it and following that a constant stream of people went to taste it and then the dish gained in popularity.

Stewed Spring Bamboo Shoots

Stewed Spring Bamboo Shoots is included in the menu of most restaurants and families for its savory flavor, easy cooking quality and high nutrient value. The dish is prepared by stewing tender bamboo shoots in vinegar and plenty of sugar. Its salty and sweet flavor has won thousands of people’s hearts.

The cooking method is quite simple, but the ingredients need to be of a high standard. The main ingredient, spring bamboo shoots, needs to be unearthed around the Qingming Festival. Spring bamboo shoots are fresh, tender, and extremely nutritious. Blessed with these qualities, spring bamboo shoots gradually started being used in restaurants, becoming an indispensable part of Hangzhou's local food.

Recommended Restaurants

Lou Wai Lou

Hangzhou Lou Wai Lou Restaurant is an over-170-year-old world-known restaurant. It sits at the foot of Gushan Hill by the beautiful West Lake. It was established in 1848 (the 28th year of the Daoguang Years of the Qing Dynasty) by Hong Ruitang, an intellectual who failed imperial examinations and left his hometown Shaoxing to make a living in Hangzhou. He opened a restaurant in Hangzhou and named it with three words chosen from the famous Southern Song poet, Lin Sheng's poem, Lou Wai Lou.

In Lou Wai Lou, there are plenty of rooms for large groups, and the occasional tour group traipses through to get to them. There’s even a boat that goes out on the lake. The staff is attentive and courteous, and the food comes in good time. The dining atmosphere isn’t the best, but the view from the front window is spectacular. As for the food, you’ll find no finer Hangzhou cuisine than here. The menu is beautifully and professionally done, and it even gives the stories behind the specialties.

Address: 30 Gushan Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou

Telephone: +86 571 87969023

Huang Fan Er

Situated in the antique Hefang Street, Huang Fan Er is quite an influential restaurant in Hangzhou. Its history can be traced back to over a hundred years ago. It is said that the original restaurant was sponsored by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) and the name was bestowed by him as well during his inspection tour to Jiangnan Region.

Huang Fan Er mainly serves Hangzhou Cuisine. The specialty of Huang Fan Er is “Emperor Qianlong Fish Head” which was praised by the emperor. Other representative dishes of Hangzhou Cuisine like “Dongpo Pork” can also be found here.

The restaurant itself is a three-floor villa-style building. Its decoration is a mixture of traditional Chinese style and Western style. It may sound a little weird, but it turns out that it works out just fine. To some extent, it even enhances the restaurant. Elements like lace curtains, redwood chairs and tables, crystal chandeliers and ink-wash screen match well with one another.

Address: 53-57 Gaoyin Street, Shangcheng District

Telephone: +86 571 87807768

Zhang Sheng Ji

There are five floors in Zhang Sheng Ji. Half of the first floor is reserved for the decorative, live mallard ducks, their houses, a small stream to make them feel at home and a mini museum of artifacts. The other half of the first floor and the second floor are open dining rooms while the rest of the building is private rooms. If you aren’t a big fan of Hangzhou Cuisine, don’t bother coming here. Their most renowned dish is the Stewed Duck with Dried Bamboo Shoots.

Address: 77 Shuangling Road(near East Qingchun Road)

Telephone: +86 571 86026666