海南菜 (hǎi nán cài), Hainan Cuisine
Unlike Tibet (above), I have been to Hainan. Unforgettable, for a very wrong reason. As I was leaving to fly back home, then plane had just reached take-off speed down the runway when the pilot slammed on the brakes and we skidded to a halt then evacuated the plane down an emergency chute. Had the pilot delayed for another second I wouldn’t be here to tell the tale. Now I know why we wear seat belts for take off. The thing nearly cut me in half.
About four hours later a replacement plane finally arrived to take us home. I’ve never been a happy flier and that was a nightmare.
Hainan has been China’s southernmost province since 1988, previously having been included in Guangdong Province. It is a beautiful tropical island and I thoroughly enjoyed the visit until I tried to leave.
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The food is mild, similar in many ways to Cantonese but even more heavily seafood-centric with both shellfish and ocean fish widely available. It is also coconut central in China and, unlike anywhere else, coconut features in many dishes.
Much of the tropical fruit I buy locally is also from Hainan.
Many people will think of Hainanese Chicken Rice in connection with the island, but that is actually a Singaporean / Malaysian dish introduced by Chinese immigrants. It is however, loosely based on a different dish – 文昌鸡 (wén chāng jī), Wenchang Chicken.
Wenchang chicken is both a yellow-skinned breed of chicken and a dish incorporating it. The breed is a small variety, always kept free range and fed on peanut bran and coconut. The birds are cooked by the white cut method of placing it whole into cold water, raising to the boil and then turning the heat off, leaving the meat to cook in the residual heat. The result is a soft, tender meat.
Indeed poultry is also important here, with other well known chicken, duck and goose dishes all on offer.
Another favourite dish is 文昌椰子鸡 (wén chāng yē zi jī),Wenchang Coconut Chicken in which the birds are poached In coconut water with coconut flesh, garlic, sand ginger, green loquat and 'facing heaven' chillies and served with rice.
Wenchang Coconut Chicken - Image Meituan shopping app.
嘉積鴨 (jiā jī yā), or Jiaji Duck raised by being force-fed a diet consisting of tofu and cereal three times a day, then steamed.
Jiaji Duck - Image: lvdaotianxia.com
溫泉鵝 (wēn quán é ), Wenquan goose is a local hybrid breed which is fattened in a mix of rice bran and silage.
Wenquan Goose - Image: lvdaotianxia.com
Most unusually for southern China. Lamb is popular here. Except it’s often actually goat! Chinese rarely distinguishes the two. 东山羊 (dōngshān yáng), Dongshan ‘lamb’ is either roasted or braised in coconut juice.
Dongshan 'Lamb' - Image: k.sinaimg.cn
Noodles dishes are common and usually served cold or at room temperature as a ward against Hainan’s heat.
