SHANGRI-LA Hotel, Shenzhen is presenting authentic Fujian cuisine and culture at the Shang Palace Chinese restaurant through Sunday. The hotel has invited Chen Minghui, executive Chinese chef from the Shangri-La Hotel, Xiamen, who is offering some of the most popular Fujian dishes by combining the traditional cooking methods with surprising innovations.

Fujian cuisine, also known as Min cuisine, is one of China’s eight major cuisines which includes Cantonese and Sichuan cuisines. Fujian cuisine dishes taste light yet flavorful, fresh, and mellow, and are popular in Fujian and Taiwan provinces as well as some Southeast Asian countries. Woodland delicacies and seafood are frequently used with varied cooking methods. The chefs take their cutting skills and use of seasonings seriously, and the condiments often used include red vinasse, sugar, vinegar, satay, shrimp sauce among others.

Recommended dishes include “Buddha jumps over the wall,” which is a symbol of Fujian cuisine. It makes use of first-class sea cucumber, abalone, fish belly, scallop and other precious ingredients. To make this soup, raw ingredients are cooked into separate, different dishes in order to develop their unique flavors. The dishes are then layered in a jar with soup and wine. Lotus leaf is used to seal the jar, and the jar is finally placed on the fire to be heated.

Another famous dish is the “braised duck in ginger,” which is named for its main ingredients. The dish is cooked with native duck and sliced ginger, which are stewed together over a low fire.

“Seafood soy sauce” is also recommended. The chef chooses the freshest seafood, uses minimal seasoning and cooks it in the simplest way to present the original flavors of the food.

A specially designed Fujian cuisine set menu is available that includes all the above mentioned dishes plus additional Fujian and Cantonese specialties. Guests can also order from a rich a la carte menu.

(Tang Li)