I mentioned 香 (xiāng) in one of my very first posts here, on 魚香茄子 (yú xiāng qié zi). The primary meaning of 香 is "fragrant", and indeed 魚香茄子 is often translated as "fish-fragrant aubergine".
According to Gong Dan's Food & Drink in China, fragrance in Chinese cooking implies more than that which the nose can detect directly; it includes the freshness of the raw ingredients used, the blend of seasonings, and the proximity of a dish in terms of seconds from the cooking pot.
香 forms part of several words used on Chinese menus, such as 香菇 (xiāng gū/shiitake mushrooms), 香油 (xiāng yóu/sesame oil) and 五香 (wǔ xiāng/five-spice). Note that sesame oil has other, more literal names too, such as 麻油 (má yóu) and 芝麻油 (zhī ma yóu).
Here are some dishes with 香 in the name:
魚香肉絲 | yú xiāng ròu sī | fish-fragrant [魚香] slivered [絲] pork [肉] |
五香牛肉 | wǔ xiāng niú ròu | five-spice beef |
飄香辣子雞 | piāo xiāng là zi jī | "drifting fragrance" chicken with chillies |
香辣豆花 | xiāng là dòu huā | fragrant-and-hot [香辣] "flower" beancurd (very soft beancurd) [豆花] |
香辣豬脆腸 | xiāng là zhū cuì cháng | fragrant [香] spicy [辣] crispy [脆] pig [豬] intestine [腸] |
香菇雞包子 | xiāng gū jī bāo zi | bao filled with chicken and shiitake mushrooms |
香酥鴨 | xiāng sū yā | crispy [酥] aromatic [香] duck [鴨] |
香: | xiāng | radical 186 (香) | Cantodict | MandarinTools | YellowBridge | Zhongwen |
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