Secrets to Understanding Food and Cooking: Blogs for Everyone

Cantonese cuisine originates from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. Seafood dishes feature prominently due to the coastal location of the province, but meat dishes are also enjoyed. Traditional dishes utilise fresh ingredients, and strong herbs and spices are used sparingly, which allows the main ingredients of each dish to stand out. If you're a meat lover, look out for these authentic Cantonese dishes:

Beef Brisket With Daikon

Brisket is a flavoursome cut of beef that's slow cooked until tender. For this dish, the beef is cooked in a rich broth of soybean paste and ginger, which gives the meat a slightly caramelised flavour. It's served with rice and daikon, which is a type of locally grown radish with a peppery taste that complements the beef beautifully. This is a hearty, warming dish that's perfect on a chilly evening.

Dry-Fried Beef And Noodles

This is a simple but satisfying dish consisting of sliced skirt steak that's marinated in rice wine and sesame oil before being fried at a high temperature until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Garlic, dried red chillies, sesame seeds and just a little soy sauce are added to the pan and cooked for a few minutes until the flavours infuse the beef. The dish is garnished with spring onions and served with rice noodles.

Char Sui

Char sui is a traditional roast pork dish that's typically made with pork loin or belly. The pork is marinated in a hoisin barbecue sauce that gives the finished dish a sticky, shiny glaze. In addition to hoisin sauce, the marinade contains rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, sugar and dark soy sauce. It's often served with lap chong, which is pork sausage that's seasoned with rose water. Enjoy this dish with steamed bok choy and rice.

White Cut Chicken

For this dish, chicken is gently cooked in a ginger-infused bone broth to produce moist, flavourful meat that's served in pieces with the skin and bones intact. The chicken is served with a dip made with peanut oil, minced ginger and spring onions. This is a refreshing dish that makes a filling lunch and goes well with a steaming hot cup of jasmine tea.

These are just a few examples of traditional meat-based dishes. Next time you visit a Chinese restaurant, give the westernised chicken curry a miss and ask your server to point out the more traditional meat dishes on their menu.