A taste of Guizhou in Beijing

For many foodies, Beijing is a great destination, with flavors from all over China being available in restaurants around town. Guizhou Province, in China's southwest, is no exception. For those who want to try what food from this province is like, people from there all testify that the most sophisticated and traditional dishes can be found at Guizhou Mansion in Chaoyang district.

As the oldest place dishing up Guizhou food in Beijing, its kitchen is run by experts of Guizhou cuisine. Most of the cooks have over a decade of Guizhou cooking experience and know what the traditional flavors should be.

We caught up with Tang Yiqiang, the director of Food & Beverage at Guizhou Mansion, who has cooking up only Guizhou dishes for around 20 years. Even though Tang is a local Beijinger, he has so much experience in the industry that he really understands what flavors make Guizhou food so unique.　

"Typical Guizhou dishes require really fresh and pure ingredients, which is why we have them imported directly from Guizhou, where the great mountains and rivers are fertile ground for good food," Tang said. "Different seasons have different dishes on offer in my kitchen. This period, for example, is the time for fungus in the mountains and so these feature a lot on the menu now."

From fish to baby bamboos, all the materials and ingredients that the dishes need are transported directly from Guizhou. By the time the food reaches the table, the whole procedure has taken around two days, a quick turnover ensuring the food remains very fresh.

Guizhou is a province where many of the ethnic groups in China gather and therefore the cuisine is very diverse. "One thing they all have in common though is a pungent and sour flavor, the one major symbol of the food," Tang explained.

Tang also points out that many dishes that people think are from Sichuan Province are in fact from Guizhou. For example, fish in sour soup, which often features on Sichuan restaurant menus, is actually a dish from Guizhou that is served in many family kitchens throughout the province.

The fish in sour soup is in fact one of the signature dishes here. It is bright red in color and absolutely delicious. Other signature dishes include yang lang chicken, which features small chunks of fried chicken marinated in salt and cooking wine. The core ingredient of fresh red and green peppers from Guizhou makes the dish stand out, adding a pungent flavor to the chicken.