To celebrate ‘Double Fifth’, the traditional Chinese festival which falls on Tuesday 26th June this year, Hutong will be serving a menu of five dishes, exploring five different cooking methods commonly used in Chinese cuisine – deep-frying, poaching, steaming, stir-frying and braising.
The festival marks the death of patriotic poet Chu Yuan, who drowned on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 278 B.C. Boat races held during the festival are symbolic of the attempt to rescue Chu Yuan, and legend has it that his followers threw bamboo leaves filled with cooked rice into the water so that the fish would take this offering rather than the poet.
The menu starts with deep fried Dragon Beard cod dim sum, in which the incredibly thin ‘dragon’s beard’, a traditional Chinese shredded pastry, is deep fried until crisp and wrapped around the delicate cod. Next, the poaching method is explored in classic poached monkfish in lamb broth. The monkfish is cooked very gently to ensure it melts in the mouth, with the subtle flavour contrasting with the rich lamb broth in which it is served.
The main course is steamed halibut fillet with pickled chilli, a dish which explores distinctly Asian flavours with sour notes and spice from the pickled chilli. The robust texture and flavour of the halibut is able to stand up to the heat and acidity of the accompanying ingredients, and the cooking method ensures the fish flakes beautifully from the fillet. The fourth dish highlights one of the most well-known cooking methods of China, stir frying. The stir-fried ma la beef tenderloin with bell peppers is a classic dish of the Sichuan region combining Sichuanese peppercorns, chillies and various spices which is both spicy and slightly sweet. The beef is thinly sliced to ensure the meat remains tender with the quick cooking method, and the tossed bell peppers provide a pleasing contrast in texture. A vegetable course completes the savoury offering, and features braised lo-han style vegetables.
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