Cantonese food also known as Yuet cuisine hails from the Guangdong region of Southern China. It is happens to prevail inside as well as outside of China among sub-cuisine varieties. The migrants of the region were responsible for spreading the cuisine outside of China. It is held among the great eight traditions of China and apparently the Cantonese cooks enjoy great demand in the country.
Historical and Cultural Influences on Cantonese Cuisine
Cantonese food is the result of different practices and influences. Archeological inferences reveal that farming and livestock rearing was in vogue in parts of the region thousands of years back. In the 16th century, when the region flourished as a trade port, there were many trade relations with far off places particularly, Europe. The practice of including diverse food habits with regard to meat and vegetables was resorted to since long time to survive through calamities like drought. The cuisine further progressed with the entry of chefs in Imperial reign of Ming dynasty in the 17th century.
Ingredients Commonly Used to make Cantonese Food
Cantonese food follows the philosophy of using fresh ingredients to make food as much as possible. It is almost blasphemous to overdo by adding lot of seasonings or cook a food too much.
Rice is the staple food in Cantonese cuisine prepared with a lot of variations and ingredients such as vegetables, meats, fruits and seasonings. The vegetables commonly used include potatoes, yam or sweet potato, spring onions, carrots and cabbage. Fruits such as bananas, pineapple, tangerine and lychee are commonly used. Spices include pepper, garlic, lemon grass, star anise, pepper, ginger, chili peppers, powdered white and five-spice powder. Coriander and basil are the widely used herbs. Meat varieties used are several to make Cantonese food including-fish, pork, duck, chicken, lamb meat, beef and seafood. Seafood includes prawns, shell fish, lobsters, squids, snails, shrimps and scallops. In addition to these Cantons also consume animals such as snakes, insects, worms and organs of animals such as duck tongues and chicken feet.
Cooking Methods Adopted to make Cantonese Food
Cantonese food is made employing many cooking methods including steaming, stir-frying, shallow frying, braising, deep frying and double boiling. Of them stir-frying and steaming are the popular ones.
Cantonese Food Recipes Popular in Foreign Culture
Cantonese fried rice, Sweet and sour pork and Steamed frog legs on lotus leaf are popular traditional dishes from Cantonese cuisine.
Deep fried dishes include Cha Leung, Yau Zha Gwai and Dace fish balls in Cantonese cuisine.
Popular slow-cooked soups include Cantonese seafood soup, Winter melon soup and Snow fungus soup
Popular seafood preparations include White boiled shrimp and Lobster with ginger and scallion.
Cantonese Dishes
Cantonese dishes refer to the dishes from the Guangdong Province of South China. These dishes are also popular outside China, in countries like Singapore and Hong Kong, where the emigrants from Guangdong settled in large numbers.
List of Cantonese Dishes
Sauces
Hoisin Sauce – Hoisin Sauce is a very popular dipping sauce prepared by boiling sweet potato with distilled vinegar, water, wheat or rice, red chili peppers, etc.
Shrimp Paste – The Cantonese shrimp paste has lighter taste and tones than its other Southeast Asian varieties. This paste is added to the vegetable, seafood, and stir-fry preparations.
Sweetened Vinegar – It is used as a popular sauce and is prepared by infusing the rice wine with herbs and sugar. The vinegar is spiced with ginger, pepper, clove and host of other spices.
Traditional Dishes
Cantonese fried rice – Fried rice is unique to many other Asian and European countries too. But the Cantonese fried rice is differentiated by the thick sauce, which is poured over the rice and mixed with it. The sauces are prepared with vegetables, meat, mushrooms, etc.
Sweet and Sour Pork – This is one of the popular Cantonese dishes where the pork is boiled in vinegar and sugar sauce.
Chinese steamed eggs- This egg dish is prepared by steaming the egg yolks until cooked. It resembles western dish custard.
Congee with century egg and lean pork – Congee is a rice soup which is served with preserved egg or century egg and fried lean pork. The century eggs are prepared by preserving the quail, duck or hen eggs in the mixture of salt, clay, rice hulls and lime. The eggs are left in this solution for months altogether before using.
Frog legs on lotus leaf – This is one of the unique Cantonese dishes where the frog legs are steamed in herbs and spice mixture and served on the lotus leaf in a very exotic way. The frog legs on lotus leaf are served in many high profile restaurants across Guangdong province.
Seafood
White Boiled Shrimp – This is a very popular night dish in the Guangdong province of China. The shrimp is plainly boiled in hot water and served intact with its shells. The shrimp is teamed with soy sauce.
Steamed Scallops - The scallops are boiled in water and served with garlic and ginger.
Pissing Shrimp- It is a very popular dish in Cantonese cuisine. The shrimps are cooked in water and their shells are cracked before serving. Their meat resembles meat of lobster more than that of shrimp. The dish is named after the species of shrimp, which has a tendency to spray water on the catcher, whenever caught.
Noodles
Chow Mein – Chow mein is a very generic term used to depict noodles which are stir –fried instead of boiling.
Wonton Noodles – A popular Cantonese dish which is served with an accompaniment of hot broth. The noodles are garnished with wonton dumplings and vegetables before serving.
References : chinatravel.com