Shaoxing Cuisine

SHAOXING is a prefecture-level city in northeastern part of Zhejiang Province. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River, it has been home to a number of notable people including ancient beauty Xi Shi, influential critic Lu Xun, educator Cai Yuanpei, female revolutionary Qiu Jin and one of the founding generals of the People’s Republic of China, Chen Yi.

Even those Chinese people who have never been to Shao-xing or tried Shaoxing cuisine are familiar with broad beans flavored with aniseed and Shao-xing rice wine, which are mentioned in Lu Xun’s famous essay “Kong Yiji,” written in 1919.

The essay has been taught in high schools across the country for decades. The protagonist, Kong Yiji, a downtrodden and poverty-stricken scholar, enjoyed eating broad beans flavored with aniseed and drinking Shaoxing rice wine. Therefore, you shouldn’t miss the Shaoxing wine, beans flavored with aniseed and deep-fried smelly tofu in this delightful restaurant in central Huaqiangbei.

Possibly the first restaurant of its kind in the city, the Old Shaoxing Restaurant has been providing authentic Shaoxing flavors since it opened in 2003. You can start with a plate of beans (eight yuan), which is cooked in soya sauce and fennel. Other appetizers included a serving of kaofu (16 yuan), a delicate combination of tofu, wheat gluten, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and walnuts. Stewed lion’s head (eight yuan) is a dish originally from East China. Consisting of large meatballs (about seven to 10 centimeters in diameter) stewed with vegetables, the name is derived from the shape of the meatball, which resembles a lion’s head. The meatballs are stewed in cream-white pork soup. The greasy taste is neutralized by the crisp vegetables.

Usually, rice dumplings have sweet or savory fillings, which are collectively known as tangyuan. However, Shao-xing-style dumplings are small and don’t have any stuffing. They draw their flavor from the rice wine and eggs.