Recommended local specialties of Hangzhou

Hangzhou is a very beautiful city, with the reputation of "heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below" since ancient times. Here, the environment is beautiful and there are numerous famous scenic spots and historical sites. There are countless delicious foods and specialties, and tourists from home and abroad choose to come here for sightseeing. Below, the editor will recommend some local specialties worth buying in Hangzhou

Featured local specialties of Hangzhou:

1. West Lake Longjing Tea: One of the top ten famous teas in China, produced in the Longjing area of West Lake in Hangzhou. Its color is emerald green, with a rich aroma and a mellow taste, earning it the reputation of being the "crown of green tea". Spring is the best season for picking every year, when the tea leaves are tender, juicy, and of the best quality. West Lake Longjing is not only for personal tasting, but also a good choice for gifting to friends and family
2. Hangzhou Silk: Hangzhou has a long history of silk production and is known as the "Silk Capital" of China. Hangzhou silk has excellent quality, a wide variety, exquisite design, fine weaving, bright color, delicate patterns, making people unable to put it down
3. Lin'an walnuts: High in nutritional value, rich in protein, fat, and various minerals, with the effects of moistening the lungs and strengthening the kidneys, reducing blood lipids, etc. It is a specialty of the Tianmu Mountain area in northern Zhejiang. Its fruit has a large core, thin shell, good quality, crispy and delicious, and is known as the "beautiful fruit of the world". Lin'an District is the "capital of Chinese walnuts", with a total area of 620000 acres of walnuts and an average annual output of over 12000 tons. The processing volume of walnuts accounts for about 80% of the country's total
4. Yuhang Jingshan Tea: One of the traditional famous teas in Zhejiang, with a fresh and mellow taste and elegant aroma. Jingshan tea belongs to the curly type Maofeng tea, also known as Jingshan Maofeng tea. It is named after Jingshan, the northeast peak of Tianmu Mountain at an altitude of 769 meters in Yuhang, and is a famous green tea. Its appearance is fine, tight, even, and green, with a bright green soup color and a fresh, refreshing, and mellow taste. The leaves are tender and even at the bottom, forming a single flower
5. Tianmu dried bamboo shoots: Originating from the Tianmu Mountain area in Zhejiang Province, it is deeply loved by people for its thin shell, thick flesh, tender texture, and sweet taste, and is also known as a "health vegetable". This dried bamboo shoot not only has a good taste, but also has high nutritional value, which can help digestion, stimulate appetite, and promote appetite
6. Xiaoshan dried radish: With a production history of over a hundred years, it is processed using the "air dehydration" method and is known for its bright yellow color, uniform strip shape, thick meat texture, rich aroma, suitable saltiness, crispy and refreshing taste, and delicious taste. The raw materials used are Xiaoshan local varieties "Yidao Zhong" and "Hua Cai" radish, with a current planting area of about 2000 hectares and an annual output of about 38000 tons
7. Tangqi loquat: Beautiful in color and shape, tender in flesh, juicy and delicious in taste, with a unique flavor, especially the soft white sand is the most precious. The fruit flour is slightly yellowish white, the skin is extremely thin and easy to peel, the flesh is jade white and soft with a fragrant aroma, extremely fresh and sweet. Linping District has integrated resources such as Tangqi Ancient Town to create the "Tangqi Loquat Festival" festival brand, forming a number of modern leisure tourism, rural tourism, folk cultural experiences and other projects based on the Tangqi Loquat industry
8. Jiande Strawberry: Jiande is known as the "hometown of Chinese strawberries", with varieties such as "Jiande Red", "Yuexiu", "Hongyu", "Snow White", etc. Jiande is fully committed to building the "Jiande Strawberry" regional public brand, innovating strawberry planting models, creating standardized strawberry planting, and continuously accelerating the integration of agriculture and tourism. The "Strawberry Leisure Picking Tour" has been awarded as a winter boutique scenic spot route for leisure agriculture and rural tourism by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. At present, the strawberry planting area in Jiande is 78000 mu, with a yield of 153700 tons
9. Lotus root powder: Made from fresh lotus roots, it undergoes processes such as washing, slicing, sun drying, and grinding. Lotus root powder is white or slightly yellow, tastes delicate and smooth, and has the effect of nourishing and health preservation. People often use it as a Dim sum for breakfast or afternoon tea, with a cup of hot tea, which has a unique flavor
10. Wang Xingji Fan: Made with bamboo as the bone and paper as the surface, carefully designed and crafted. Wang Xingji fans are not only practical, but also exquisite works of art. The patterns or poems on the fan surface are full of strong cultural atmosphere, making people feel the profoundness and profundity of traditional Chinese culture
11. Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors: a famous product in Hangzhou, founded in the second year of Kangxi's reign, known for its sharpness, durability, and exquisite craftsmanship. Whether it is for daily household use or professional cutting, Zhang Xiaoquan Scissors can easily handle1
12. Tianzhu chopsticks: Made from fine bamboo in the Tianzhu Mountain area of Hangzhou, with good quality and practicality, and rich local characteristics, they are well-known both domestically and internationally. Bamboo chopsticks emit a faint bamboo fragrance, and the chopsticks are often printed with beautiful and practical strokes, making them very easy to wash. Nowadays, the production process of Indian chopsticks has been continuously improved. The chopsticks are made of slender solid bamboo, with characters and paintings ironed on them. There are flower patterns such as landscapes, flowers and birds, and West Lake scenery, available in red and white colors, and decorated with silver heads, tooth heads, bones, bead heads, etc
13. Dingsheng Cake: also known as Steamed Chinese sponge cake, it is one of the traditional cakes in Hangzhou. It is made from glutinous rice as raw material, through soaking, grinding, fermentation and other processes. Dingsheng cake has a pure white color, a soft and elastic texture, and a faint sweet aroma. In Hangzhou, people often use Dingsheng cake as a food for festival celebrations or festive occasions, symbolizing good luck and steady progress
14. Osmanthus cake: One of the traditional snacks in Hangzhou, made mainly from glutinous rice, osmanthus and other ingredients. Its appearance is as white as jade, with a soft and sweet taste, emitting a faint fragrance of osmanthus. During the golden autumn season, the figure of osmanthus cake can be seen in the streets and alleys of Hangzhou

recipes of Hangzhou's special local products:

West Lake Fried Shrimps with Longjing Tea:

ingredients: shrimp, Longjing tea, salt, cooking wine, egg white, starch, cooking oil

Steps:

• Wash the shrimp, use kitchen paper towels to absorb the water, put it in a bowl, add an appropriate amount of salt, cooking wine, egg white, and starch, stir evenly, and marinate for about 15 minutes
• Longjing tea is brewed in hot water at around 80 ℃, and after the tea aroma is produced, the tea leaves and tea soup are separated for later use
• Pour an appropriate amount of cooking oil into a pot, heat the oil and add marinated shrimp. Stir fry until the color changes, then remove and set aside

Dongpo Braised Pork in Hangzhou

Steps:

• Choose pork belly with thin skin and thick flesh (preferably Jinhua "two ends black"), scrape off the remaining hair on the skin, wash with warm water, blanch in a boiling water pot for five minutes, boil with water, wash again, and cut into 20 pieces
• Take a large clay pot, use a small steaming rack to bottom it, first spread scallions and ginger pieces, then neatly arrange the pork on top, add white sugar, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine, then add scallions, cover the pot, bring to a boil over high heat, seal the edges, and simmer over low heat for about two hours until the meat is 80% crispy. Open the lid, turn over the meat pieces, cover and seal, and continue to simmer over low heat until crispy
• Then use a clay pot to remove the oil from the heat, skim off the floating oil, put the skin up into two specially made small pottery jars, cover them, seal the jar with peach blossom paper, steam on high heat for about half an hour until the meat is crispy and tender. Before consumption, put the can into a steamer and steam over high heat for 10 minutes before serving

Hangzhou Jiaohuatong Chicken:

Ingredients: tender hens, onions, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, onions, cooking wine, salt, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, white sugar, pepper powder, thirteen spices, lotus leaves, tin foil, yellow clay

Steps:

• Clean the tender hen and evenly spread cooking wine, salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, white sugar, pepper, and thirteen spices on the chicken body. Marinate for more than 2 hours
• Pour a little oil into the pot, heat up the oil, add shredded onions, shredded mushrooms, and minced ginger and scallions, stir fry until fragrant, and then fill the fried filling into the chicken belly
• Prepare the yellow mud, mix it with water to make a slurry, and then evenly coat the wrapped chicken with yellow mud
• Put the chicken wrapped in yellow mud into a preheated oven and bake at 200 ℃ for 2-3 hours until the chicken is fully cooked and the surface of the yellow mud turns golden

Longjing Osmanthus Tea Fragrance Chicken:

Ingredients: Whole chicken, Longjing tea, star anise, fragrant leaves, salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, marinated chicken with boiling water, ginger slices, scallions, Sichuan peppercorns, sugar, garlic, edible oil, osmanthus, cooking wine or rice wine

Steps:

• Mix 15 grams of Longjing tea with dried spices such as Sichuan pepper, star anise, fragrant leaves, cinnamon, etc. in a large bowl, pour in 600 milliliters of hot water, soak thoroughly, and let cool for later use
• Add 3 slices of ginger, salt, and sugar and stir well. Then pour in cooking wine or rice wine and stir well. Next, add light soy sauce and dark soy sauce and stir well to make a fragrant tea soup
• Choose a 22cm diameter clay pot and cover the bottom with scallions, a slice of ginger, and garlic
• Put the chicken stuffed with spices, with its back facing up, into a clay pot, then pour in 300 milliliters of marinated chicken broth, and slightly add 100 milliliters of boiling water
• Place the clay pot in the steaming oven, select the high-temperature steaming function, cook at high temperature for 40 minutes, take it out after steaming, flip the chicken over, continue to put it in the steaming oven, cover the pot, and steam at high temperature for 25 minutes

Hangzhou Fuyang Wine Mantou:

Materials: sweet wine, flour

Steps:

• After fermentation of sweet wine, squeeze out the juice
• Mix the squeezed sweet wine juice with flour and knead it into a dough by hand
• You can lay lotus leaves in the steamer, place the kneaded dough on the lotus leaves, and let it rise<272. Steamed Mantou can be eaten directly, or mixed with Braised pork belly and other ingredients, or fried

Hangzhou traditional famous dish Stewed Spring Bamboo Shoots:

ingredients: raw and clean bamboo shoots, soy sauce, sesame oil, white sugar, Chinese prickly ash, monosodium glutamate, salad oil

Steps:

• Wash the bamboo shoots, cut them open, loosen them with a knife, and cut them into five centimeter long sections
• Heat the wok over medium heat, add salad oil to around 130 degrees, add Sichuan peppercorns, fry until fragrant, then remove and stir fry the spring bamboo shoots until they turn slightly yellow. Then add 100 milliliters of soy sauce, sugar, and water, and simmer over low heat for five minutes. When the soup thickens, add MSG and drizzle with sesame oil

Hangzhou traditional famous dish Fish Ball in Light Soup:

Ingredients: clean silver carp fish paste, cooked ham, cooked bamboo shoots, Shuifa cooked mushrooms, pea seedlings, refined salt, monosodium glutamate, cooked chicken oil

Steps:

1. Add salt and MSG to the minced fish meat, stir until frothy, then add water and continue to stir until sticky, then let it stand for 5 minutes
2. Heat up the pot and add water. Add fish balls and bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to "cook"
3. Later, add salt, monosodium glutamate, and pea sprouts. After the flavor is set, put them into a serving pot. Place cooked ham slices and bamboo shoots in a triangular shape, with cooked shiitake mushrooms in the middle and pea sprouts around. Drizzle cooked chicken oil and it's ready

Hangzhou traditional famous dish West Lake water shield soup:

Ingredients: fresh West Lake water shield, cooked ham, cooked chicken jerky, refined salt, monosodium glutamate, premium clear soup, cooked chicken oil

Steps:

1. Cut cooked chicken jerky and cooked ham into 6cm long strips
2. Place the wok on high heat, scoop in 500 grams of water and bring to a boil. Add water shield and immediately remove it after boiling. Drain the water and serve in a soup bowl
3. Put the premium clear soup, refined salt, and monosodium glutamate into a wok and bring to a boil. Pour it over the water shield, then add cooked chicken jerky and ham shreds, and drizzle with cooked chicken oil. That's it

Hangzhou traditional famous dish honey juice fire recipe:

Ingredients: cooked ham with skin, white lotus, candied green plum, rock sugar cherry, sweet osmanthus, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, dry starch

Steps:

1. Soak the lotus in hot water at 50 ℃, place it in a bowl with a steamer, and steam it over high heat until crispy and ready to use
2. Put the fire recipe in a tall soup plate, surround it with lotus seeds, and garnish with cherries and green plums

Hangzhou traditional famous dish Fried Eel Slices:

Ingredients: large eel, wet starch, large garlic, flour, Shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, salad oil, refined salt

Method steps:

1. Drop the eel to death, make a small incision under the forehead, cut open the internal organs, use the tip of the scissors to cut a long knife along the thick sides of the spine from head to tail, then use the knife to remove the spine, cut off the head and tail, wash the fish meat, place it flat on a cutting board (back down), make a few cuts (the depth of the knife is one-third of the thickness of the fish meat), then batch it into water chestnut slices, put it into a bowl, add salt and mix well, soak it in 5 milliliters of Shaoxing wine, add 40 grams of wet starch, add 25 milliliters of water, sprinkle flour and gently mix well
2. Place the pot on high heat, add salad oil, and heat it to around 170 degrees. Quickly disperse the eel slices and put them into the pot. When the outer shell is crusted, use a strainer to scoop them out and put them into a plate

Qianjiang shredded pork:

Ingredients: shredded pork, scallions, dark soy sauce, bean paste, starch, white sesame seeds

Recipe steps:

1. Marinate shredded meat with cooking wine for a while, heat up the pot and cool the oil, stir fry until slightly discolored
2. Prepare the scallions around the edges in advance, stack the stir fried shredded meat in the middle of the scallions, and sprinkle some white sesame seeds

Steamed scallion buns:

Ingredients: flour, deep-fried dough sticks, shallots, fresh pepper sauce, sweet flour sauce

Procedure: cut the deep-fried dough sticks into small sections for standby