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Chinese Smoking Technique (Xun / 熏)

‹ The Method

I

Origin

Sichuan and Hunan — national technique with regional variations

II

Description

Traditional Chinese technique of using tea leaves, rice, sugar, and wood chips as smoking agents in a wok or clay pot. Tea-smoking is particularly associated with Sichuan and Hunan traditions. The smoked tea duck (Zhang Cha Ya) is the most famous application — brined duck tea-smoked over camphor wood and tea leaves before deep-frying.

III

The Thread

—Japanese wood-smoked katsuobushi (smoked bonito)
—American BBQ smoking technique
—Scandinavian cold-smoked salmon
IV

Flavour Context

Subtle tea-camphor smoke fragrance layered over the base protein flavour; the smoke is an accent, never the dominant note

Pillars V — VII
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‹ The Method · Contents · The Library