Sweet and Sour Carp (Tang Cu Li Yu): The Shandong sweet and sour carp among the lesser-known real Chinese dishes in Brazil
Sweet and sour carp is an icon of Lu Cai (鲁菜), the cuisine of Shandong province, considered the oldest in China. The dish features a whole fish, usually a Yellow River carp, fried until its tail stands up as if it were alive. The sauce is made with Shanxi black vinegar and granulated sugar, creating a crystal crust. According to the list of representative dishes of the eight traditions compiled by the SMZDM portal, this is one of the masterpieces of Eastern Chinese cuisine.
The problem is that there is no tradition of eating whole sweet and sour freshwater carp in Brazil. Immigrants who arrived in Brazil in the 1950s replaced it with sweet and sour chicken, adapting to the local palate that preferred poultry proteins. In addition, the technique to remove the muddy taste from the carp requires specific knowledge of Shandong chefs. Here in Kunshan, which is between Shanghai and Suzhou, I sometimes find variations, but the original is only in the north. It is a dish that died in adaptation because it requires a fish that does not exist in the Brazilian market and a technique that was not passed on.
Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions (Cong Shao Hai Shen): The sea cucumber that proves the difference between real Chinese cuisine and the adapted one
The sea cucumber (海参 hai shen) is an ingredient that looks like a black and gelatinous sausage. In Shandong, it is treated as a jewel. The dish 葱烧海参 involves cooking this sea creature with large green scallions (大葱 da cong) until the broth is reduced and sticky. According to Chinese sources on the eight culinary traditions, this is a classic of Lu Cai that requires days of preparation to hydrate the sea cucumber.
The first Chinese restaurants in Brazil were opened by immigrants from Guangdong and Sichuan, but even these did not bring this recipe. The reason was logistical. The sea cucumber was too expensive and unknown in the Brazilian market at the time. In addition, the slimy texture is rejected by the Western palate, which expects firm seafood. Today in Qingdao, a coastal city in Shandong, I pay about 200 yuan (150 reais) for a decent serving. Here it is considered nutritious and luxurious. In Brazil, you won't easily find it even in Asian markets.
Couple's Lung Slices (Fu Qi Fei Pian): The offal dish that explains why Chinese restaurants in Brazil changed their menu
The name means "slices of couple's lung," but today it does not contain lung. It is made with tongue, heart, and beef stomach, boiled and thinly sliced. It is a cold dish from Sichuan cuisine (川菜), bathed in red chili oil and ground Sichuan pepper (花椒 hua jiao). According to the list of representatives of Chuan Cai, this appetizer is a must in Chengdu.
In Brazil, cold offal does not sell. Brazilians consume warm liver and heart, usually fried or grilled. The idea of eating cold tongue with spicy oil scares people. In addition, the level of spiciness is brutal. The dish covers the tongue with a chemical numbness (ma la) that does not exist in Brazilian food. Western restaurants usually soften or eliminate it. But the authentic one makes you sweat on the first bite. That's why immigrants left it behind. It was easier to sell spring rolls.
Mapo Tofu (Mapo Doufu): The spicy tofu that did not survive the journey to Western restaurants
You ordered tofu in Brazil and got something plain white or worse, with sweet tomato sauce. The original Mapo Tofu is fiery red. It uses Pixian fermented bean paste (郫县豆瓣 Pixian Douban), Sichuan pepper powder, and ground meat. It is listed as a representative of Chuan Cai in Chinese sources. History says it was created by a woman with a pockmarked face (麻婆 má pó) in the Qing Dynasty.
The dish in Brazil was castrated. It lost the ma (numbness) and the la (spiciness). It became a bland stir-fry. Here in Kunshan, I ate one yesterday that made me drink three cups of tea at once. It is intense. It is dirty. There is red oil floating. The average Brazilian does not tolerate this level of spice. Restaurants adapted to not scare customers. The result is a shadow of the original.
Beggar's Chicken (Jiao Hua Ji): The beggar's chicken wrapped in mud that does not exist in Brazilian Chinese dishes
This is theatrical. The name means "beggar's chicken" and comes from Jiangsu cuisine (苏菜 Su Cai). The whole chicken is seasoned, wrapped in lotus leaves, covered with wet mud, and baked for hours. When it arrives at the table, the waiter breaks the mud with a hammer. The aroma of herbs explodes. According to the lists of Su Cai dishes, this is a classic of Suzhou.
The story goes that a beggar stole a chicken and buried it in mud to cook without a visible flame. In Brazil, health surveillance would not allow mud in the kitchen. In addition, the process takes three hours. Brazilian restaurants prefer to fry quickly. The result is that you never saw this there. It's a shame. It is one of the most memorable experiences of real Chinese cuisine.
Yangzhou Lion Head Meatballs (Yang Zhou Shi Zi Tou): The Jiangsu meatballs that show the sophistication of real Chinese cuisine
The "lion head" from Yangzhou are giant pork meatballs, but different from Western ones. The meat is minced by hand with two knives, never ground. It mixes fat and lean in the exact proportion of seven to three. They are cooked in a clear chicken broth for hours. They become as soft as cotton. This dish is listed as a representative of Su Cai in sources on the eight traditions.
The name comes from the irregular shape that resembles the mane of a Chinese lion. In Brazil, meatball is a compact ball of ground meat with flour. These fall apart on the fork. It requires a technique that immigrant chefs from the last century did not bring. It is rare even in modern Chinese restaurants in Brazil. Here in Kunshan, which is near Yangzhou, it is common at wedding parties. There, it is nonexistent.
White Cut Chicken (Bai Zhan Ji): The white chicken that Cantonese eat and Brazilians are unaware of
The sliced white chicken is an icon of Guangdong (粤菜 Yue Cai). The 白斩鸡 is boiled in water with ginger and onion, then plunged into ice. The skin becomes gelatinous and crispy at the same time. The meat is pink on the inside. It is served cold or at room temperature. According to the lists of Cantonese dishes, it is a basic of Hong Kong and Guangzhou.
In Brazil, chicken has to be hot and well-cooked. The idea of eating cold chicken with soft skin seems strange and even dangerous to those who fear salmonella. The sauce is grated ginger with scallions and hot oil. It is not ketchup. It is not mustard. It is pure southern flavor. You find it in any Guangzhou market for a few yuan. But not in Porto Alegre. Immigrants adapted to hot checkered chicken.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (Fo Tiao Qiang): The Fujian soup that proves that real Chinese dishes are impossible to replicate in Brazil
"The Wall That Buddha Jumps Over" is the most famous soup from Fujian (闽菜 Min Cai). The name comes from the saying that the smell is so good that vegetarian monks jump over the temple wall to eat. It contains shark fin (鱼翅), beef tendons, abalone, shiitake mushrooms, and Shaoxing rice alcohol. It is cooked for two days in a clay pot. It is listed as the number one dish of Min Cai in Chinese sources.
It was the food of emperors from the Qing Dynasty. In Brazil, ingredients like shark fin are prohibited or environmental taboos. In addition, the cost is extremely high. A small pot costs 500 yuan (375 reais) in Fuzhou restaurants. Impossible to sell in Brazil at an affordable price. It disappeared from the menu of immigrants from Fujian who came in the last century. They brought bakkoi, but they did not bring this.
Longjing Tea Shrimp (Long Jing Xia Ren): The tea shrimp that reveals the subtlety ignored by foreign Chinese restaurants
Longjing Tea Shrimp is from Zhejiang cuisine (浙菜 Zhe Cai). The tea is picked in the Longjing mountains, near Hangzhou. The shrimp are small, fresh, and peeled manually one by one. They are quickly stir-fried with green tea leaves. The taste is bitter, sweet, and marine at the same time. According to sources on Zhe Cai, this is a spring dish served at room temperature.
In Brazil, we only use tea for drinking. The idea of cooking seafood with aromatic grass did not occur to the adapters of Chinese cuisine in the 20th century. In addition, real Longjing is expensive. The result is that this dish is invisible in the West. It is an example of how real Chinese cuisine can be subtle, contrary to the image of greasy and heavy food sold abroad.
West Lake Vinegar Fish (Xi Hu Cu Yu): The vinegar fish from West Lake that divides opinions and never reached Brazilian Chinese restaurants
West Lake Vinegar Fish is another Zhejiang dish. The carp is caught in Hangzhou's own lake. The sauce is made of aged rice vinegar, sugar, and ginger. It has a pungent taste that divides even the Chinese. Some love it, others find it excessive. It is listed as a representative of Zhe Cai in the compilations of the eight traditions.
Foreign tourists taste it in Hangzhou and make faces. Pure vinegar scares the Western palate, accustomed to fried fish or caper sauce. That's why no restaurant entrepreneur dared to bring it to Brazil. It stayed in China. It's a shame because it is one of the oldest dishes, with more than a thousand years of history.
Chopped Pepper Fish Head (Duo Jiao Yu Tou): The spicy fish head from Hunan that Brazilians have never experienced
The fish head with chopped pepper comes from Hunan (湘菜 Xiang Cai). They use large carp or bighead heads. They cover it with fermented red pepper (剁椒 duo jiao) and onions. They steam it for twenty minutes. The cheek meat is the best. The brain is considered a delicacy. It is one of the most ordered dishes of Xiang Cai according to Chinese sources.
In Brazil, fish heads are discarded or go to flour. It is not considered a noble part. In addition, the amount of pepper is absurd. The red covers everything. It is spicier than Mexican food. The Cantonese immigrants, who are the majority in Brazil, do not eat that spicy. So, it never arrived. It is an explosion of flavor that has no equivalent in Brazilian food.
Steamed Preserved Meats (La Wei He Zheng): The traditional smoked meats that are missing in Chinese dishes served in Brazil
This is Hunanese smoked meat. 腊味合蒸 combines smoked pork sausage, smoked duck, and sometimes fish. Everything is cured with salt, rice wine, and spices for weeks. Then cooked together in steam. The taste is of wood, smoke, and time. It is a tradition of Xiang Cai served in winter.
The curing process takes weeks in specific weather. In Brazil, we have sausages, but not with this Chinese method of la wei. In addition, the color is dark, almost black. The taste is too intense for those accustomed to mild checkered chicken. Restaurants in Brazil simplified everything. They lost the complexity of traditional smoking, which is the basis of rural food in Hunan.
Fermented Mandarin Fish (Yan Xian Gui Yu): The fermented Anhui fish that challenges concepts of authentic Chinese cuisine
The cured mandarin fish is the soul of Anhui cuisine (徽菜 Hui Cai). The 腌鲜鳜鱼 undergoes controlled fermentation for days. The fish is smelly. It smells like ammonia. But in the mouth, it is soft, like a well-cured French cheese. It is listed as a key dish of Hui Cai in sources on the eight traditions. In Anhui province, it is a local pride.
In Brazil, health surveillance would not allow a "rotten" fish to be served. In addition, the smell would drive customers away before the first bite. It is one of the greatest expressions of fermentation in Chinese cuisine. But it was locked in Huangshan mountain. Very few Chinese outside Anhui know it. Imagine in Brazil.
Beijing Roast Duck (Beijing Kao Ya): The real roast duck from Beijing versus the version found in Brazil
You will say that you ate Peking duck in Brazil. That is not Peking duck. You ate common roasted duck. The real 北京烤鸭 uses specific breeds of duck fed with corn. It is inflated with air, scalded, and dried for 24 hours. Roasted in a closed oven of chestnut or fruit wood. The skin is separated from the meat. It is eaten with thin pancakes of wheat (荷叶饼 he ye bing), not with rice. It is cited in lists of foreigners' favorite dishes in China according to the source of 163.com.
But the Brazilian version is usually fried duck or open-oven roasted duck. It lost the technique. It lost the crispy skin separated from the fat. It lost the ritual of rolling with scallions and hoisin sauce. It is a completely different dish. Here in Kunshan, even medium restaurants do better than the best "Peking duck" in São Paulo.
Blood Curd Hot Pot (Mao Xue Wang): The final dish that proves that real Chinese cuisine is bolder than we imagine
To finish, something scary. 毛血旺 is a giant bowl of red oil with curdled duck blood in cubes, offal, and pepper. It comes from Chongqing, a region of Sichuan. The name means "fervent blood". It is cited in variations of Chuan Cai. The blood has the texture of firm tofu. The broth is greasy and explosive.
In Brazil, blood in food is feijoada or sarapatel. But not in the form of red cubes floating in pepper oil. In addition, the amount of spice is insane. It is the kind of dish you eat in Kunshan at midnight with beer. Impossible to imagine this in a land of barbecue and salad. It is real. It is Chinese. It is unattainable in Brazil because it challenges all the rules of what we think is "Chinese food". And it is delicious if you have courage. 