Beggar's Chicken

This China traditional food, Beggar's Chicken has a dramatic tale behind it. There are many versions but in common began with a starving, homeless beggar in old China.  He stole a chicken from a yard he passed by.  He killed it right away, built a fire and ready for cooking.  Unexpectedly, an emperor's guard came passing by.  In his panic to hide the stolen chicken he covered it with mud and threw it into the fire. The baked chicken was said to be the tenderest and most flavorful food he's ever eaten. 

Nowadays the dish is not beggar friendly any more.  Everyone who would like to taste it should pay an expensive price in high class Chinese restaurants.  Besides, you are asked to order it way in advance before dine, because it involves very long cooking times.

Dongpo's Pork

The famous Hangzhou dish, Dongpo's pork is made by stewing five-layered pork.  The total of five layers pork meat is the most particular fact of it.  From outer to inter are skin, fat, lean meat, fat, and a final layer of lean meat.  Generally speaking, the half fat, half lean meat tastes oily but not greasy, with the fragrance of wine, work up a very delicious taste.

The name of Dongpo's pork is derived from a great poet "Su Dong Po".  In the legend life of Su Dong Po, besides the great contribution of poetry, he made an improvement of cooking process.  First of all, he braised the meat, added some liquor and made up red-braised pork, then stewed it on a low heat.  When the time it spread to Hangzhou, the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, it became one of Hangzhou's most famous dishes on the restaurants.

West Lake Vinegar Fish

The West Lake, the most frequently mentioned scenic spot in the Chinese poetry.  The lake has plenty of both romantic history and seafood.  The West Lake Vinegar Fish may be the most famed fish dish in China.  A fresh grass carp from the West Lake is cut in half from head to tail, poached and then seasoned with a sharp sweet and sour, vinegar sauce.  This dish integrates delicious tastes, and the meat tastes like crabmeat.

Dragon Well Tea

Pinyin: lóngjǐngchá is a famous green tea.  In Hangzhou, where it is grown by hand under sufficient rainfall, humidity, perfect soil and appropriate sunlight.  The high quality of Dragon Well Tea (Longjing tea) earns the China Famous Tea title.  Dragon Well Tea (Longjing tea) now is divided into seven grades: Superior, Special, and then 1 down to 5.

When you steep the leaves, the tea produces a yellow-green color, a pure aroma, and a rich flavor.  The tea contains plenty of Vitamin C and amino acids. Some connoisseurs consider it to be the finest green tea in the world.

Pian Er Chuan Noodle

Pian Er Chuan Noodle has been a famous Chinese food for hundred years. It is the specialty of a century old Kuiyuan restaurant in Hangzhou sine the Qing dynasty. Pian Er Chuan Noodle is made in appetizing spiced soup. On the top are sliced lean pork, fresh bamboo shoots, eggs and Xue Cai which is a seasonal vegetable.

Fried Shrimps with Longjing Tea

The famous Hangzhou cuisine Fried Shrimps with Longjing Tea has a fun story behind back in 17th century. One day Emperor Chien Lung wore civilian clothes to travel West Lake, Hangzhou because he did not want people to know his status. However the waiter in the local restaurant saw Emperor Chien Lung's dragon robe that he wore inside. Then the waiter told the chef this shocking thing. The chef got very nervous and flurried which made him mistakenly cook shrimp with Dragon Well leaf because he thought that was green onion. Fortunately Emperor Chien Lung said it was very delicious. That's the origin of the Fried Shrimps with Longjing.

Fried Shrimps with Longjing is made with fresh shelled shrimps, eggs, some flavoring and fragrantly Dragon Well tea. If you want to taste the fresh seafood with Hangzhou's best Dragon Well tea you should definitely try this meaningful Hangzhou cuisine.

Shallot Stuffed Pancake

Shallot Stuffed Pancake is a well-know snack in Hangzhou. Its origin was to commemorate a very famous Chinese general Yueh Fei who was frame-up by Qin Gui. People show their hate to Qin Gui by making this snack. They fried the bread sticks which symbolize fried Qin Gui in Chinese.

Shallot Stuffed Pancake served with green onion and sweet and spicy sauce. It is very simple, but very delicious. The outside is crunchy and the inside is chewy which makes it has great mouth feel.