When you travel, it feels as if there are two worlds: your home and the rest of the world. When you step into a restaurant, this feeling is echoed, and it changes based on which restaurant you are in. Right around the corner from home, a restaurant may feel like you are in Thailand eating pad Thai, in America enjoying a cheese burger or in France eating snails. In other cases, you may be half way around the globe in a spot full of Aussies that makes you feel like you are back home. Hi, my name is Betina, and I love eating out and travelling. This blog looks at everything related to those concepts. It talks about the sense of home and away in restaurants. Whether you are a diner or a restaurateur, I hope you enjoy the diverse posts I include in this blog.
When you're browsing your local Chinese food takeaway menu, you'll likely notice there's a section for Cantonese dishes and a section for Szechuan dishes. If you'd like to branch out from your go-to takeaway dish and try something new, it can be helpful to understand the differences between these two types of Chinese cuisine to ensure you opt for a dish you will enjoy. Read on to learn about the classic traits and flavours of Cantonese and Szechuan cooking.
Cantonese Regional Cuisine
Cantonese is a broad term for cuisine originating from any province across Southern China. Despite each province having their own unique dishes, there are a number of similarities that bind the provinces together, and these similarities define Cantonese regional cuisine. Cantonese cuisine focuses on highlighting the flavour of the main ingredients of a dish, so the food is not heavily spiced or seasoned and dishes are often cooked by steaming or braising to prevent dilution of flavour. Fish and seafood, tofu and leafy greens are popular in Cantonese dishes, and the region is also known for its meaty hotpots and dim sum.
Traditional Cantonese dishes that can often be found on takeaway menus include steamed shrimp dumplings and char siu, which is a sweet roasted pork dish that's eaten with steamed rice. Wonton noodles are also worth looking out for and consist of satisfyingly chewy egg noodles in a flavoursome broth of seafood and vegetables.
Szechuan Regional Cuisine
Szechuan is a Western province and the food from this province differs quite a bit from Cantonese cuisine, as there is a heavy focus on adding bold flavours to a dish rather than highlighting the flavours of the main ingredients. As such, hot chillies and peppercorns are commonly used in dishes. Pickled vegetables are popular and meats, such as duck and pork, are often smoked and served with a rich sauce.
Szechuan dishes to look out for at your local Chinese takeaway include king pao chicken with its deep umami flavours and twice cooked pork, which involves simmering the pork in a broth of rice wine, ginger and star anise before stir-frying it with leeks, hot chilli paste and soy sauce.
There's such a contrast between Cantonese and Szechuan dishes that regardless of your personal preferences, you'll be able to find something delicious when looking for a new dish to try next time you treat yourself to a Chinese takeaway. If you're not sure what to order, let your takeaway know what flavours you like and enjoy the surprise of having them pick out a dish for you.
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