Cantonese cuisine is one of the Eight Great Cuisines of China.
Guangdong or Cantonese cuisine has very deep roots and a strong foundation going back more than 2,000 years. The history of Cantonese cuisine parallels the history of China herself.
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| The land and maritime Silk Roads meet at Guangzhou |
Since the days of the ancient Silk Road, the coastal Guangdong Province has long kept its doors and windows open to outside influence. Guangdong people also kept an open mind about foreign ideas, adopting the appropriate and adapting them into the province's ancient cuisine. Hence, we can see traces of all of China and the outside world through Guangdong or Cantonese cuisine.
The ground zero of Cantonese cuisine is the district of Shunde 顺德 in Foshan city in Guangdong. Shunde is considered the cradle of Cantonese cuisine, and is the hometown of many celebrated culinary masters and top chefs of China.
Shunde is just 80km south of Guangzhou city (capital of Guangdong Province) and is connected by highways and high speed rail.
The Cantonese palate favours fresh ingredients with relatively light and balanced flavours. Yes, I can attest to that and people who have been following my articles know that I have this bias for fresh food, with light and balanced flavours.
We are making a foodie trip to Shunde. So what are we planning to eat? 😁😬🤭
First and foremost, 鱼生 yusheng or raw fish. Live fish, usually the mud carp, is gutted, filleted and sliced. The tissue thin slices are seasoned with salt and peanut oil, and eaten tossed with julienned ginger, carrot, radish, pepper, sesame seed, etc.
Shunde yusheng which is eaten all year round is the precursor of the Chinese New Year lou hei yee sang custom of Singapore / Malaysia.
In Shunde, there are one-fish-three-dish places where they serve raw fish and use the remaining bones and excess meat to serve another two dishes such as fried or steamed fish bone, fish meat porridge, etc.
Shunde was a centre of silk production which was prized as far as Europe since the days of the ancient Silk Road.
Shunde pioneered the Mulberry Dike Fish Farm system 3,000 years ago to integrate and optimise cultivation of mulberry trees with farming of silk worms and mud carp fish. Mud carp fish 鲮鱼 is still at the heart of Cantonese cuisine to this day.
双皮奶 Double Layer Milk made by steaming water buffalo milk, egg white and sugar to make a dairy milky sweet tasting custard dessert which can be served hot or chilled. Modern renditions come with toppings like boiled red bean, jelly, etc.
炸牛奶 Deep Fried Milk is a mixture of buffalo milk and egg white deep fried in oil to make a browned bar which is crisp outside and creamy molten inside.
酿鲮鱼 Stuffed Dace Fish (mud carp). The river fish is gutted, and flesh removed leaving just the skin and head intact. The carp meat is grounded and mixed with chopped mushroom and water chestnut. The fish meat, mushroom and water chestnut mixture is stuffed back into the fish skin like a sleeve or glove. This remade "fish" is then pan fried and served dressed with savoury sauce.
Pork Organ Congee 生滚粥. Not exactly a Shunde dish as it is common throughout Guangdong and a Cantonese staple. But, Shunde does it very well, or the best according to its fans. The key to good pork organ congee starts with porridge of the just right texture - all the rice grains dissolved and the gruel flow like thick milk. Then, add quality ingredients which are fresh and cooked just right in the boiling congee. The latter requires mastery by the chef as each food item has a different optimal cooking time. When to put in and take the item out of the pot of boiling porridge is an art. The best congee chefs can manage up to 8 boiling pots at once, like a magician.
烧鹅 Roast Goose. Shunde is the capital of roast goose. The large fat bird is seasoned with spices and roasted till well golden brown crisp outside and wet with warm juice inside with soft tender flesh.
White Cut Chicken. Singapore's so-called Hainanese chicken rice is heavily influenced by Cantonese white cut chicken. Going to Shunde is a good chance to taste the benchmark quality of this iconic tender juicy poached chicken dish eaten with flavoured rice boiled with chicken stock and chili / ginger dip / sauce.
Steamed Fish. The Cantonese way of steaming fish is seemingly simple yet it is well loved and highly regarded. The fresh fish is cleaned, simply dressed with scallion, ginger, chili pepper, and cooked by steaming. The cooked fish is served doused with soy sauce, and rice wine. The dish is all about mastery of timing to elevate the delicate tenderness and sweetness of the fresh fish. I am looking forward to experiencing the epitome of this fine art in Shunde.
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| Street restaurant in 1960s Bugis Street Singapore. National Archives of Singapore photo |
Singapore and Malaysia cuisine have a Cantonese side which influenced many of our dishes even today, such as the dai chao of Kuala Lumpur and tze char of Singapore. I am excited about visiting Shunde to learn about one of the roots of our own cuisine in Singapore.
Shunde veterans, what other dishes should I try when I am there?
Written by Tony Boey on 9 Feb 2025
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