SOUTH CHINA FOOD-FOR TRAVELLERS

Kitchens can get competitive in South China when the talk turns to dim sum. Every year, Hong Kong chefs roll up their sleeves and flex their fingers to prepare for an annual dim sum competition. Dim sum, literally “a little bit of heart”, is a smorgasbord of sweet and savory tidbits, rolled by on trolleys, eaten at any time of day as a light pleasant meal and washed down with plenty of Chinese tea, preferably the kind known as Iron Buddha. It’s stronger and darker than, say, chrysanthemum tea, another favourite of mine where hot water is poured over whole dried chrysanthemum flowers for a delicately perfumed brew.
The southern Chinese are also passionate about their fish and their light airy congee, or rice porridge. Taste a delicious seafood congee with oysters, cooked in a pork broth. The southern Chinese love their shark’s fin soup. The fin unravels when cooked and looks like a pile of translucent noodles. Chinese are very concerned about shark. All over China, shark’s fin is a great delicacy
“Why not marry two things on earth – Chinese food and Western Wine?”
THE CORRECT WAY TO EAT A RICE BIRD IS TO POP THE WHOLE THING IN YOUR MOUTH AND SPIT OUT THE BONES AT THE END It has a gamey taste that took some getting used to, as did the sausages of fresh goose liver. “Autumn is harvest time, it’s good to eat rice birds or they pick away at our crops,”
“Straw mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, button mushrooms, bamboo mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrots, bamboo shoots,” are the ingredients of spring rolls. The eighth ingredient translated as champignon Chinois. “The key is to put the spring rolls in very hot oil. If the oil is not hot enough, the skin will absorb the oil and become soggy, not crispy.” Between September and November, the South China coast goes mad for hairy crabs (and green crabs and giant crabs and soft-shell crabs and creamy crabs). This was the time any self-respecting restaurant served crab in one form or another. Especially hairy claw crab.
Don’t forget tea. A mixture of milky tea and coffee, which perfectly epitomised the city: a grim and strangely addictive brew.
Where to eat: -in Guangzhou; 2Wenchang Road South (02081888388) Try the chicken braised with maotai liqueur, sharks fin, braised pigeons
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--Beiyuan Restaurant, - 246-xiaobei road (020-83332466). Try chicken flavored with Huadiao rice wine, fish stewed with pine nut kernels, roasted goose.

---Taotaoju Restaurant: - 20 Dishipu (020-81885769) try roast stugling pig, eight-treasure fish, and deep fried pawns.

--Huirulou Teahouse: - fifth sun yat-sen road (020-83349104) hot fragrant tea.

In Hong Kong

---Yung kee restaurant: -32-40 WellingtonStreet, central (85225221624) award winning for roast goose and seafood

--Golden Bauhinia, Hong Kong Convention& Exhibition

CentreWanchai (852-25827728) Good dim sum

---Xin Hou Lou: - 19 D Aiguilar street

--Lok Heung Yuen, 15 C Wellington street central, try tea and egg tart