Huaiyang delights in Shenzhen

Steamed yellow fish with chicken soup at the Shang Garden.  Provided to China Daily

The bounty of the Yangtze River inspires a special regional cuisine at Shang Garden, Lin Baiyu reports in Shenzhen.

Huaiyang dishes, mainly from the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, are known as "the first good taste of the Southeast". This cuisine is a specialty of the Shang Garden at Futian Shangri-La Hotel, Shenzhen. We order a table of Huaiyang food and do not know which plate to taste first. One of the signature dishes in the Shang Garden is steamed egg white with crab roe. Served on a carved cucumber, the yellow crab is fresh, mixed with the chewy roe on the top of the egg.

The pleasing color and presentation make us reluctant to disturb the beauty by eating it. On the bottom is the egg white, tasting smooth like tender, smooth tofu. We cannot stop eating until it is all gone.

The steamed yellow fish with chicken soup and conpoy (dried scallops) placed right next to the egg white is quite attractive. A steamed fish lies on the white plate, topped with layers of shredded ginger, red dates, slices of sausage and bean curd. We feel greedy imagining all the essences of the ingredients that are absorbed into the fish as we wait for a taste.

Amid the dates and bean curd, the sausage flavor is not obvious. Apparently, the ginger is to avoid a fishy smell. Putting a little bit of soy sauce on top of the yellow fish keeps the taste delicious.

After finishing the fish, we come to another seafood - deep-fried shrimp with oatmeal. The batter includes a hint of mustard that melds nicely with the sweet oatmeal. The whole flavor tells you this is exactly what a shrimp dish should be.

Our next course is red dates filled with glutinous rice in osmanthus syrup, a well-known dish that requires some skill to make well.

Dates are a favorite of women: The flavor is sweet. So we finish it very soon. The skin of the dates is thin and the glutinous rice is soft but not sticky. Dates with glutinous rice are a perfect match and an indispensable ingredient in Huaiyang dishes.

Huaiyang chefs at the Shang Garden transform fresh ingredients into beautifully presented dishes with pleasant colors and appealing shapes. Each one is like a finely embroidered piece of art, framed on a plate.

IF YOU GO

Shang Garden

Futian Shangri-La Hotel, Shenzhen, 4008 Yitian Road, Futian district, Shenzhen. 755-8828-4088.

Average bill per head: 300-500 yuan ($48-81).

Recommended: Steamed Egg White with Crab Roe, Steamed Yellow Fish with Chicken Soup and Conpoy, Red Dates with Glutinous Rice in Osmanthus Syrup.