Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province — West Lake culinary tradition
The most celebrated dish of Hangzhou cuisine: freshwater river shrimp stir-fried with first-flush Longjing (Dragon Well) tea leaves. The shrimp must be crystal-clear, barely-cooked, and the tea leaves wilted to jewel-green perfection. A dish that requires extraordinary technique: velveting the shrimp to achieve the signature crystalline texture, and wok technique that does not discolour the tea.
The most delicate expression of Hangzhou cuisine: clean sweet shrimp, grassy fresh tea fragrance, barely-there seasoning — celebrates terroir of West Lake
{"Shrimp: must be live river shrimp or very fresh; peeled, deveined, velveted with egg white and starch","Longjing tea: first-flush spring harvest (明前龙井); steep briefly in warm water to rehydrate leaves","Velveting: egg white, cornstarch, salt; rest 20 minutes; blanch in 60°C oil until just opaque","Wok technique: very brief stir-fry — shrimp should be translucent at centre when plated; residual heat finishes cooking"}
{"Mingqian Longjing (明前龙井 — before Qingming Festival tea) is the prestige variety — harvested before April 5th","Some chefs add a small amount of tea infusion to the sauce for layered tea flavour","The dish is best in spring when both river shrimp and first-flush Longjing are available simultaneously"}
{"Using dried tea instead of rehydrated leaves — dried tea burns and turns bitter","Overcooking shrimp — even 30 seconds too long ruins the crystalline texture","Using large shrimp instead of small river shrimp — the dish requires tiny, sweet freshwater shrimp"}
Land of Fish and Rice — Fuchsia Dunlop