Is Dai Wei better than Banna or better than Dehong? This question is like the sweet and salty debate of tofu brain, and I am afraid that the answer will never be debated. In Hangzhou, Manxiang Sina is synonymous with Xishuangbanna Dai flavor, and the representative of Dehong's Dai flavor cuisine is Taixiang Yunnan Restaurant. In fact, Taixiang Yunnan Restaurant is only a very small and affordable restaurant, but in Hangzhou, where there are few restaurants in Yunnan, the existence of such a Dehong Dai restaurant is really valuable.
Dominated by the taste of the Dai people, the food of Dehong and Banna has a lot in common, with a sour, spicy and bitter taste, which is a distinctive branch of Yunnan cuisine. However, Dehong is particularly sour and spicy, Banna is more like sweet, and in the Taixiang Yunnan restaurant, which focuses on Dehong Dai flavor, there are very few dishes with obvious sweetness in addition to pure desserts. Correspondingly, the acidity and spiciness of many of Taixiang's dishes are also more significant, but the restaurant still adjusts the spiciness of most of the spicy foods. For example, for diners who don't like spicy food, the restaurant will take the initiative to solicit opinions and reduce the sprinkling of spices according to the situation, while other flavor spices and dipping water are not discounted, and the original flavor is presented and the taste is authentic. Grilled fish with lemongrass, grilled pork ribs with lemongrass, grilled lamb chops and grilled pork belly are all full of flavor and salty, and are worth trying.
In addition to the difference in sweetness, there is another difference between Dehong Dai and Banna Dai, that is, Dehong Dai is better at stewing and stir-frying. Dehong's stewed food customs can be glimpsed on the Thai fragrant "steak stew", this dish almost only exists in Dehong flavor restaurant, "grill" means cooked thoroughly, "boiled" means stewed, the so-called steak stew is actually stewed beef, which is one of the main ways for the Dai people to eat beef. The steak is served in a casserole, seasoned with mint, millet spicy and coriander, which is hot and spicy and has a peculiar aroma, but the amount of meat is small, and the flavor is difficult to please most diners.
Peacock eggplant almost every table must be ordered, it is named because the plate is like a peacock opening screen, eggplant is open, green onion pepper minced meat coriander and so on are full, salty and fresh rice, a lot of oil. The so-called roasted chicken tendons are roasted with banana leaves wrapped in ingredients and spices. In addition to the roasted hamstrings, the seasoning used is basically the same. Sa is also a unique dish of the Dai nationality, "Sa" is the Dai language, which means cold salad, the practice is not the same in various places, the practice of the Dehong Dai people is composed of dipping water and attached vegetables, the dipping water is made of various ingredients and spices, and the various side dishes are dipped in "dipping water" when eating. The lemon sprinkle promoted by Taixiang is a kind of Dehong sa skimming, which is made by dipping water with ground beef, salt, monosodium glutamate, coriander, millet spicy and lemon juice, and the attached vegetables are rice noodles, shredded vegetables and beef slices, which are eaten with dipping water, and the taste is sour and spicy.
The façade of Taixiang Yunnan Restaurant is very small, the seats are only 2 or 4 people, the space is relatively cramped, but the layout is exquisite, there are many Yunnan ethnic elements embellished, and the owners, waiters and chefs in the store are basically Yunnan Dehong Dai people. Although the restaurant is small, the service is not slack, warm and courteous, and the attitude is gentle. Taixiang Yunnan Restaurant is located in a remote area, and public transportation is inconvenient, so it is recommended to travel by car.
