Hunan-style: Hunan (Xiang) cooking is as hot as Sichuan's but leans on fresh and pickled chilies, smoked meats and sour notes instead of numbing peppercorn. Steamed fish head with chopped chili and Chairman Mao's red-braised pork are the signature dishes; "Hunan beef" on American menus is a chili-and-vegetable stir-fry inspired by the style. On this menu as: Hunan Hot & Sour Chicken Gizzards · Hunan Diced Chicken with Hot Sauce · Shredded Hunan Meat with Tofu.
Tofu (bean curd): Pressed soybean curd, from custard-soft (for mapo tofu and soups) to firm (for stir-fries and braises). Fried tofu puffs soak up sauce; tofu skin (yuba) is the sheet lifted off simmering soy milk, rolled and braised or fried as a "vegetarian duck". On this menu as: Twice Cooked Pork with Dried Bean Curd · Sauteed Shredded Pork, Dried Bean Curd & Celery · Shredded Hunan Meat with Tofu.
Fried rice: Day-old rice stir-fried with egg, scallion and whatever the kitchen adds. Yangzhou (Yang Chow) style means shrimp, char siu and peas, and is the version most menus mean by "house special". Good fried rice is dry and separate-grained, never wet. On this menu as: Fried Rice, Chow Fun, Chow Mein · Chicken Fried Rice · Pickles Fried Rice.
Hot and sour soup: A thick soup sharpened with black vinegar and white pepper, with shredded tofu, wood-ear mushroom, bamboo shoot, egg ribbons and pork. The "hot" is pepper heat, not chili; the "sour" is vinegar. Sichuan in origin, universal on American menus. On this menu as: Hunan Hot & Sour Chicken Gizzards · Hot and Sour Shredded Cabbage · Hot & Sour Pork Noodles Soup.
Twice-cooked pork: Pork belly simmered whole, sliced thin, then stir-fried until the edges curl and crisp with leeks or cabbage, fermented bean paste and sweet bean sauce. A Sichuan home-cooking classic: rich, salty and only moderately spicy. On this menu as: Twice Cooked Pork with Dried Bean Curd · Twice Cooked Pork with String Bean.
Cumin lamb: Sliced lamb stir-fried (or skewered and grilled) with whole cumin seed, dried chili and onion, the signature seasoning of China's northwest, especially Xinjiang and Xi'an. Also common in Hunan kitchens, where it gets fresh chilies too. On this menu as: Cumin Chicken Wings · Cumin Lamb with Cilantro · Cumin Beef with Cilantro.

How these dishes compare

Fried ricetypically $13.99 across 421 menus
Hot and sour souptypically $7.95 across 223 menus
Mapo tofutypically $15.95 across 176 menus
Fish-fragrant (yu xiang)typically $13.95 across 175 menus
Cumin lambtypically $17.75 across 123 menus
Twice-cooked porktypically $16.95 across 84 menus
Red-braised porktypically $17 across 41 menus
Tang yuantypically $10.49 across 16 menus

Central China Restaurant on our other sites

WokMenusChinese menus, with a glossary of Chinese dishes

Central China Restaurant

Menu

Famous Sauteed

Boiled / Casserole

Special Dishes

Dried Pot

Vegetables

Iron Pot Special

Soup

Cold Appetizer

Fried Rice, Chow Fun, Chow Mein

Dessert

Drinks

Lunch Special (Mon–Fri 10:30am–3pm)

How these dishes compare

Central China Restaurant on our other sites

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