Discover the Diversity of Hunan Cuisine: a Culinary Adventure at the Chinese Restaurant Xiang

We have written a lot about Sichuan cuisine in previous blog posts (e.g. Sichuan Grilled Fish or Seen in Munich), but now we would like to introduce you to a restaurant in Frankfurt that, along with some Sichuan influences, mainly serves dishes from the central Chinese province of Hunan.

China Restaurant Xiang is located just a few minutes’ walk from Frankfurt’s central station. The Hunan cuisine that the restaurant specializes in is also known as Xiang cuisine, hence the name of the restaurant. It is characterized by hot spices, a wide variety of fresh ingredients such as meat, fish and vegetables, as well as sour elements and the use of fermented foods. A famous example is “Mao Zedong’s favorite dish”, pork ribs in a spicy sauce with garlic, ginger and chili.

The Chinese restaurant Xiang has a very large selection and it is not always easy for us to decide. Today we want to introduce a small appetizer, two typical main dishes from Hunan and one of my favorite desserts from China.

While our main courses were being prepared, they served our appetizer – fried Chinese chive pockets, also known as “Chinese leek pockets” (in Mandarin Jiu Cai He Zi or 韭菜盒子), a delicious Chinese dumpling variation (for a comparison also see Xiao Long Tang Bao). These dumplings consist of a thin dough filled with a mixture of chopped Chinese chives (jiu cai or 韭菜). There are also a number of other possible ingredients for the filling, at the Chinese restaurant Xiang they use eggs and rice noodles. The dumplings are tradionally dipped in a vinegar sauce using the chopsticks and then eaten. Crunchy, fresh, and beautifully seared – a fantastic appetizer that is not overwhelming and gets the stomach ready for action.

Let’s move on to the main courses. On this day, we chose lamb ribs with cumin (孜然羊排) and pork stomach with chicken (猪肚鸡).

The lamb chops are a simple but very tasty dish. The lamb contains a lot of fat, which makes it wonderfully juicy and gives it an intense flavor. This intense flavor is rounded out by the addition of cumin. Cumin has a “warm”, slightly earthy flavor with a slight citrus note. Some describe the flavor as a blend of earthy, citrusy and slightly peppery.
It is served with fresh sauteed vegetables: Bell peppers, celery and onions.

The second dish of the day – pork stomach with chicken – is an unusual combination of ingredients for Western palates. Tender, juicy chicken is added to the cooked pork stomach. Fresh spring onions and pickled chili peppers are added. The whole thing is cooked in its own stock to create an aromatic broth.

Typical of Hunan cuisine are the sour and spicy aromas of the pickled chilis and the aromatic broth, which is neither too mild nor too strong. The chewy, slightly sweet, intensely flavored pork stomach and the tender chicken meat complement each other perfectly and make the dish very versatile, along with the spicy, hot flavor of the pickled chili peppers.

Finally, one of my absolute favorites of Chinese cuisine is on the menu: sesame balls stuffed with red bean paste (Zhīmáqiú or 芝麻球). This fried Chinese dumpling is often served at festive occasions in China. The dough of glutinous rice flour, honey and sugar is formed into small balls and filled with red bean paste. Roasted sesame seeds are sprinkled on top and the balls are deep-fried until golden brown.

During my time in China, I discovered this dessert for myself: sweet, but not too sweet, crispy on the outside and incredibly creamy on the inside. Honestly, I could eat Zhīmáqiú every day!

Have you ever had the opportunity to try the delicious dishes from Hunan? Feel free to share your experiences and suggestions in the comments section. We look forward to hearing from you! See you next time!