Hunan chef promotes local sun-dried food

For the past nine years, Zhang has organized an annual cooking event centered on sun-dried ingredients. Each year, he selects a single ingredient and invites chefs from across China to create two dishes with it.

The goal is to preserve the tradition of Hunan cuisine through open-minded exchanges. For Zhang, the sun-dried flavor is a shared heritage that different culinary traditions across China can interpret in their own ways.

"We also introduce Hunan cooking techniques to chefs from other regions, so they can create new dishes in their own localities," he said.

According to Zhang, sun-dried ingredients can play three roles in a dish. "They can be the main ingredient, making up 70 percent of the dish," he said. "They can serve as a supporting ingredient, like preserved vegetables under braised pork, taking up 30 percent. Or they can be a flavor enhancer — just 10 or 20 grams can elevate an entire stir-fried dish."

Unlike machine-dried ingredients, sun-dried ones have a distinct character. "They are natural, healthy ingredients," Zhang said."No chemicals, no artificial additives."

Modern technology, he insists, cannot replicate the natural drying process. "The sun does not lie, and ingredients do not lie."

Among all sun-dried ingredients, one stands out as the most representative of Hunan cuisine — the white chili. "That is probably the first thing Hunan people think of," Zhang said.

Contrary to popular belief, white chili is not a distinct variety. It is crafted from fresh green chilies that are blanched in boiling water and then laid out under the intense sunlight. "On a hot summer day in Hunan, typically above 35 C, the chilies turn completely white in a single morning," Zhang said.