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Letter From Hunan
Not mala, but this spicy Chinese cuisine is fastest growing in China and winning fans in S’pore too
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The flavours of Hunan cuisine, or xiangcai, have grown on Chinese and Singaporean tastebuds alike.
ST PHOTOS: LIM MIN ZHANG
CHANGSHA - In the bustling capital of central Hunan province, Western chains from Starbucks to McDonald’s – and even big-name Chinese brands such as HeyTea – take a back seat.
Instead, what are drawing queues are Hunanese versions of street food such as black spicy-and-sour smelly tofu, deep fried sugar-coated glutinous rice balls, as well as Chayan Yuese, a line of milk tea sold mostly in Hunan.
