The versatility of Chinese cuisine

Andrea Tejokusumo ,  THE JAKARTA POST ,  JAKARTA   |  Sun, 06/28/2009 11:36 AM  |  Supplement

A traditional saying about Chinese cuisine goes: "East is sweet, South is salty, West is sour, North is spicy."

Over the years, however, this phrase has undergone numerous alterations and most recently ended up as "South is sweet, North is salty, East is spicy, West is sour."

While the origins of these sayings are unknown and their validity not always agreed upon, there is no denying that Chinese cooking traditions vary rather wildly from one region to another.

Conventionally, Chinese cuisine is divided into Eight Great Traditions that derive their names from the provinces the dishes originate from. These comprise the distinctive cooking traditions of Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Sichuan and Zhejiang.

"This means that even when the same ingredients are used, the ways of preparing them are very different, which can result in a number of different dishes altogether," said Chef Muhamad of the Nan Xiang/Shanghai Classical Restaurant at The Sultan Hotel Jakarta.

Ryan Chan, manager for Shang Palace Chinese Restaurant at the Shangri-La Jakarta, agreed with the notion. "One approach in describing Chinese regional cuisine is to note the general characteristics of culture and cooking by the locations.

Generally, rice-based food products are found mostly in China's southern and eastern regions, while wheat-based food products are mostly found in the northern parts," he said.

As pointed out by Chan, the climate in China's northern region is suitable for growing wheat, which is then turned into wheat flour to produce noodles, buns and bread such as found in the Hunan tradition.

The highlands and lowlands that form China's eastern region, meanwhile, are fertile and allow the production of a wide variety of vegetables resulting in the fresh and delicate essence of Jiangsu cuisine.

By the same geographical consideration, Sichuan in southwest China is known for its high altitude and plentiful rainfall. "That sort of climate gives a generous use of spices and chili to Sichuan cuisine," added Chef Muhamad. "On the other hand, the southern regions are known for their simpler, fresher and lighter tastes."

Not only are Chinese regional cuisines very much influenced by history, geography and climate, the people's differing lifestyles also help in creating new "great traditions" of cooking such as found in Beijing and Shanghai today.

Shanghai-style cuisine, in particular, has become a popular staple among Chinese food lovers in Jakarta lately. Combining the braising and stewing techniques of the Jiangsu tradition with the savory quick-fries a la Zhejiang, Shanghai cuisine boasts light tastes and hints of sweet and spice ideal for urban consumption.

One of the cuisine's well-known exports is its special kind of dim sum, most iconically embodied by the small steamed bun or xiao long bao, a delicate steamed bun version filled with meat and soup.

"Shanghai dim sum is characterized by its rich fillings and thin wrappings, as opposed to the more balanced and compact Cantonese dim sum," said Chef Li Jian, Nan Xiang's Shanghai dim sum specialist.

Furthermore, Shanghai dim sum tend to use less prawns or other seafood filling than Cantonese-style dim sum like siu mai or har gau.

Yet another Shanghai specialty is the la mian or hand-pulled noodles, the making of which is always guaranteed to turn the heads of diners and passersby alike.

"The dough is pulled in a special way to create thinner strings of noodles. La mian is prepared by boiling quickly and is normally served by adding various ingredients such as beef, chicken, chili or vegetables depending on preferences," said Cyril Arrouard, executive sous chef of The Ritz-Carlton, Jakarta.

Thanks to a number of factors including China's ever-changing lifestyle, new Chinese cooking styles and techniques - and even some Western fusions - will inevitably be experimented with in the near future.

"Nowadays, many restaurants have a combination of Eastern and Western influences in their menus. This trend has been growing quite rapidly recently, even though it was quite unusual during the early 1990s," said Chan.

Many, however, would argue that the traditional method of serving and enjoying Chinese food is still and will always be best.

All that being said, Chinese cuisine has become a global commodity with billions of loyal followers from almost every corner of the world. Recent trends have also persuaded chefs to come up with healthier and more organic menus, including those that are halal or vegetarian-friendly.

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