Jiangxi Province — Gan cuisine is one of China's lesser-known but historically rich regional traditions
Gan cuisine's (Gan cai) signature pork preparation: hong shao rou with a distinctive use of local Jiangxi dried chili and fermented black bean paste, giving the braised pork a more assertive, rustic character than Shanghai or Hunan versions. Often cooked in clay pots over wood fire.
Rich, slightly spicy, deeply savoury pork with earthy clay-pot character
{"Render pork skin until golden before braising","Local dried chili adds warmth without Sichuan numbing","Fermented black bean paste is the umami backbone","Clay pot retains heat and develops deeper flavour than wok"}
{"Jiangxi cuisine uses preserved pickled vegetables (pao cai) as accompaniment","Add a small piece of old dried tangerine peel for complexity","Serve with steamed rice and Jiangxi rice wine to cut richness"}
{"Using fresh chili instead of dried — different flavour profile","Rushing the rendering stage","Metal pot loses the rounded clay-pot flavour"}
Land of Fish and Rice — Fuchsia Dunlop