Fish cake and meatball is a specialty snack from Shashi District, Jingzhou City, Hubei Province. The Shashi fish cake and meatball is praised for its delicate texture—where you taste fish without seeing it, the fish carries the flavor of meat, and the meat has the aroma of fish. It is fragrant, smooth, tender, and melts in your mouth. Legend has it that the making of fish cake originated in the Chu Kingdom. In the capital of Chu, Ji'nan City, there was an inn that specialized in preparing various fish dishes to accompany drinks. One summer day, the innkeeper bought…
The New Year's Eve reunion dinner, known as the "Three-All" feast among the people of Hubei, is quite elaborate. The dinner typically includes the "Three-Alls"—a whole chicken, a whole fish, and a whole duck—as well as the "Three Cakes"—fish cake, meat cake, and mutton cake—and the "Three Balls"—fish balls, meat balls, and lotus root balls. To prevent the dishes from getting cold, in recent years...
First, slaughter the phoenix-head chicken, remove the internal organs, clean it, and boil it in hot water until it is 70% cooked. Then marinate it in a pot, deep-fry it in oil until the skin is crispy, cut it into pieces, and arrange them in the shape of a phoenix on a plate. Separately, slaughter the large yellow eel, remove the bones, and slice it into strips. Spread it with minced pork, ginger foam, and starch. This dish is made using large yellow eel and phoenix-head chicken as the main ingredients, and is a traditional specialty dish from Jiangling. The selection of ingredients is strict, and the preparation is meticulous. It is deep-fried in oil until crispy, arranged in the shape of a dragon on a plate, then served with a side of sauce. The dish is golden and shiny, with vivid shapes, crispy outside and tender inside, sweet and sour in flavor. Legend has it that it was created by Zhuge Liang for Liu Bei to serve upon returning to Jingzhou after marrying from Eastern Wu, hence the name Dragon and Phoenix Pairing.
In his later years, Du Fu lived in Shashi (then under the jurisdiction of Jiangling) for a period. During his hard times in Shashi, he had his family grind broken rice into rice paste. They would cook the paste and then squeeze it through a sieve into cold water to form rice balls. These boiled rice balls, seasoned with various condiments, were sold at a roadside stall by the river. Known for their honesty, Du Fu’s family made the rice balls...
Glutinous Rice Soaked in Yuan Beans is the most distinctive breakfast snack in Shashi. "Yuan beans" are actually peas, and locals don’t refer to it as "peas soaked in glutinous rice," but rather as "alfalfa pea soaked in glutinous rice." It is extremely popular locally and is an essential breakfast food for residents. It is made by soaking cooked glutinous rice and cooked peas in pork bone broth, then seasoned to taste with scallions...
Glutinous rice wrapped around fried dough stick, also known as sticky rice ball, is a famous breakfast snack in Shashi, Jingzhou, Hubei. The fragrant and sticky glutinous rice is wrapped around crispy fried dough sticks. Glutinous rice is warm in nature and has nourishing effects, especially beneficial for patients with diarrhea. Making method: Soak the glutinous rice in water for 12 to 24 hours. Place it in a small basin-like container, add an appropriate amount of water, …
Ingredients: pork ribs, sweet potato, Sichuan spicy broad bean paste, dark soy sauce, garlic, cooking wine (wine sauce can be substituted with cooking wine if unavailable), sugar, salt, chicken essence, steamed meat rice flour, scallions, cooking oil Method: 1. Cut the pork ribs into 3 cm long pieces, peel and dice the sweet potatoes, and mince the garlic and scallions.
When it comes to Huangjiatang, what always comes to mind is that fragrant beef noodle shop. Though the environment isn’t great, there’s always a long queue every morning. During the years I studied away from home, what I missed most was the rice noodles back home. They’ve accompanied us through these years—some people around us have left, some have stayed—but they’ve always…
No such fish or "Penholder Fish Maw" exists in other waters of the Yangtze River. A local folk legend says: Beneath Penholder Mountain lies an underwater palace inhabited by a fish king. Every fish that comes to worship him is rewarded with a large fish maw shaped like Penholder Mountain. Fish maw, also known as "fish glue," is an animal gelatin or gelatine made from the scales, skin, bones, and swim bladders of fish...
Peach Blossom Mountain free-range chickens grow naturally in Peach Blossom Mountain Cave, roaming freely all day in the bamboo forest, pecking at wild herbs and drinking from pristine mountain streams—absolutely pollution-free and 100% natural. The Peach Blossom Mountain Chicken Soup, carefully simmered over a low flame using these farm-raised free-range chickens, is natural, healthy, and highly nutritious. It is renowned for its golden skin, clear broth, tender meat, and delicious flavor...
Reed shoots are a wild plant that naturally grows on the riverbanks and islets of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. They are the tender stems of reed and Miscanthus grass, commonly known as firewood shoots or wild asparagus. Reed shoots are entirely wild and grow in an environment untouched by modern industry and human activity. Their cultivation avoids the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and plant growth regulators, and…
Shishou chili peppers are a specialty small chili variety grown in Shishou. They are most abundantly and best-quality produced in villages such as Lianxinyuan, Huanglingshan, and Shawan in Tiaoguan Town of the city. On a single chili plant, six or seven small chilies usually grow in a cluster, facing upward, and are referred to as "heavenly sisters." Shishou chili peppers are slender and elegant, with a glossy red hue…
Peach Blossom Moso Bamboo – Peach Blossom Mountain Moso Bamboo Association of Shishou City, 10969173 – Processed bamboo shoots…
Xiulin Jade Liquid The production area of Xiulin Jade Liquid covers the current administrative region of Shishou City, Hubei Province. Producers within this production area may apply to the Shishou City Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau of Hubei Province for the use of the “Special Mark for Geographical Indication Products.” After review by the Hubei Provincial Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau and approval by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, ...
Peach Blossom Mountain Chicken Eggs are produced in the Peach Blossom Mountain area on the southeastern border of Shishou. The 45-li-long Peach Blossom Mountain features continuous peaks and shaded areas everywhere. The lush green forests act as a natural barrier, shielding the area from external pollution. With bamboo groves and mountain valleys where springs flow and insects chirp, the open terrain serves as a natural chicken farm. Jingchu Peach Blossom Mountain chickens are free-range amid the picturesque peach blossoms and bamboo thickets...
The Seven Sisters Bird’s Eye Chili belongs to the Solanaceae family and is a variant of fresh chili, falling between long-fruited and clustered types. It is named for typically growing in clusters of seven upright, pointed chilies. The Seven Sisters Bird’s Eye Chili plant features short stems, dense foliage, strong resistance to adversity, fewer pests and diseases, high fruit-setting rates, and relatively good yields. The individual fruits come in three sizes—large, medium, and small—with the medium size being the main variety…
Silver fish, also known as noodle fish, are colorless and transparent, and are a prized variety of freshwater fish. The fertile riverbed and clear waters of the old course of the Yangtze River at Shishou provide a natural habitat for the breeding and growth of silver fish. During the peak fishing season, daily catches can reach several hundred kilograms, with an annual yield of 4 million kilograms. Fresh silver fish, when dried, become silver fish fillets—pure in quality, delicious in taste…
The most rare and precious ingredient of this dish is the main component—Shishou Bijia Fish Maw. “This delicacy is unique to Shishou, found nowhere else in the world.” The catfish from the Yangtze River Basin grows exceptionally plump and large in Shishou City, often measuring over one meter in length and weighing between seven or eight jin to over twenty kilograms. Its flesh is tender and delicious, while its swim bladder is thick, large, uniquely shaped, and resembles...
The finless porpoise is an important ecological symbol of Shishou. The Shishou section of the Yangtze River is one of the most vital natural habitats for the species, home to a stable population of wild Yangtze finless porpoises. The Tian'e Zhou Baiji Dolphin National Nature Reserve within Shishou is the first translocation site in China for the ex-situ conservation of Yangtze finless porpoises. Since the establishment of the reserve in 1992…
The milu deer is said to have been the mount of Jiang Ziya and is honored as the "Chinese Divine Beast" in China. The Shishou Milu National Nature Reserve is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the old course of Swan Island, with its geographical center at 112.23°E longitude and 29.49°N latitude. The reserve covers an area of 1,567 hectares. The Shishou Milu Nature Reserve currently...