Tastes of the sea

Danjia hotpot features green-shell mussels, shrimp, meatballs, beef, enoki mushrooms and local vegetables. [Photo by Yang Feiyue/China Daily]

As visitors flock to Hainan province to seek warmth and clean air as the winter cold envelops much of China, restaurants there dish up local gourmet treats.

The favorite ingredients of the local Danjia people have been introduced to the tables of the Chinese restaurant Five Senses at the Westin Blue Bay Resort & Spa.

Danjia cuisine focuses on bringing out the original taste of fresh seafood and uses very simple seasonings, mostly oil and salt.

"We want guests to enjoy the taste of Danjia cuisine and experience Danjia culture," says Huang Qiyuan, the executive chef of the restaurant. The Danjia people are aboriginal residents mostly living in stilt houses along the coast of the island, as well as Guangdong province and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Huang has been a star hotel chef for 16 years. Some of the courses have been adjusted a little to better cater to outsiders' tastes, while some were made by the book for their distinctive characteristics.

"Mixing the Guangdong cooking methods could blunt the edge of some spicy dishes and enrich the taste of some others," Huang says.

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