Hunan cuisine: Here are 5 famous Hunan dishes that you must try

Hunan cuisine is also recognized as Xiang cuisine. The unique spicy flavour of the cuisine's food is part of the eight culinary cuisines of China. Hunan dishes mostly contain large amounts of chilli peppers and garlic. Hunan cuisine is also slowly gaining prominence in Indian food culture. Compiled here is a list of top 5 Hunan dishes that are a must try.

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Top 5 dishes to try in Hunan cuisine

Steamed fish head with chopped chilli pepper

Steamed fish head with chopped chilli pepper is one of the most famous Hunan dishes. It contains the use of chopped chilli peppers as a condiment. The origin of the dish reportedly dates to the Qing dynasty. The meal usually tastes salty and spicy. You can eat it by dipping the fish headpiece in the chopped chilli peppers. 

Stinky tofu

One cannot stand the smell of the stinky tofu street food. The amazing thing, however, is that the moment you taste it you cannot stop eating it. The Hunan Changsha-style of stinky tofu has a less spicy smell. It is black in colour as a result of the ingredients used in the brine solution during the fermentation of the tofu. It is deep-fried and served with a hot delicious sauce. The tofu pieces are supposed to be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. One can also serve it with pickled veggies which will add some additional layer of flavour.

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Dongan chicken

Dongan chicken is originally vinegar chicken. The main ingredients contain the small pieces of chicken, chilli peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, white rice vinegar, ginger and scallions. One can add more ingredients if they wish to. It is the signature dish of the people of Hunan. The cooking process begins by parboiling the chicken first for a couple of minutes before you begin to stew it with salt vinegar and wine.

Mao’s braised pork

Mao’s braised pork is yet another common delicacy in the Hunan region. First, the pork is cut into cube dices then braised in the sauce with some sugar and red pepper. It has a unique taste that is slightly spicy, salty and sweet yet not oily. The meal has got its name from Mao’s family. 

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Steamed Yolkless egg with mushroom

The steamed yolkless egg is one most authentic Hunan meals of the Changsha tradition. It has reportedly been a traditional meal for over 100 years in Hunan. The chefs extract the yolk then leave the egg white within the shells. Then the chicken is added to the eggshell and mixed with the egg white before sealing it again and then the food is steamed. The dish is delicate and fresh.

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