Yuxiang is a seasoning mixture in Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...

, and also refers to the resulting sauce in which meat or vegetables are cooked in. It is said to have originated in Sichuan cuisine, but has since spread to other regional Chinese cuisines. The technique of sauteeing the combined base ingredients of garlic

Garlic

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...

, scallions and ginger

Ginger

Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....

 is sometimes compared with the French

French cuisine

French cuisine is a style of food preparation originating from France that has developed from centuries of social change. In the Middle Ages, Guillaume Tirel , a court chef, authored Le Viandier, one of the earliest recipe collections of Medieval France...

 mirepoix

Mirepoix (cuisine)

A mirepoix is a combination of celery , onions, and carrots. Mirepoix, either raw, roasted or sautéed with butter, is the flavor base for a wide number of dishes, such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces...

, and is acknowledged as the Chinese equivalent of the holy trinity

Holy trinity (cuisine)

The holy trinity is the Cajun and Louisiana Creole variant of mirepoix: onions, bell peppers, and celery in roughly equal quantities. This mirepoix is the base for much of the cooking in the regional cuisines of Louisiana...

 culinary term.

On top of the basic mixture, cooking yuxiang almost always includes the use of sugar, salt, doubanjiang

Doubanjiang

Doubanjiang is a spicy, salty paste made from fermented broad beans, soybeans, salt, rice, and various spices. Doubanjiang exists in plain and spicy versions, with the latter containing red chili peppers and called la doubanjiang .It is used particularly in Sichuan cuisine, and in fact, the people...

, soy sauce

Soy sauce

Soy sauce is a condiment produced by fermenting soybeans with Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds, along with water and salt...

, and chili pepper

Chili pepper

Chili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...

s.

Preparation

Proper preparation of the yuxiang seasoning includes first finely mincing the white portions of the scallion, as well as the ginger and garlic, which must both be peeled. They are mixed in approximately equal portions, though some cooks prefer to include more scallions to the ginger and garlic. The minced mixture is then fried in vegetable oil with the doubanjiang and chili to create the basic sauce.

Dishes

Despite the term literally meaning "fragrant fish

Fish (food)

Fish is a food consumed by many species, including humans. The word "fish" refers to both the animal and to the food prepared from it. Fish has been an important source of protein for humans throughout recorded history.-Terminology:...

" in Chinese, yuxiang is typically not used in seafood

Seafood

Seafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...

 but rather for dishes often containing beef, pork, or chicken, as well as vegetarian recipes. Dishes that use yuxiang as the main seasoning have the term affixed to their name. For instance:

• Yuxiang rousi (魚香肉絲): Pork strips stir-fried with yuxiang
• Yuxiang qiezi (魚香茄子): Braised eggplants with yuxiang
• Yuxiang niunan (魚香牛腩): Beef brisket stewed with yuxiang