Yuxiang (simplified Chinese:鱼香;traditional Chinese:魚香;pinyin:yúxiāng;lit. 'fish fragrance') is a seasoning mixture inChinese cuisine, and also refers to the resultingsauce in whichmeat orvegetables are cooked. It is said to have originated inSichuan cuisine, and has since spread to other regional Chinese cuisines.[1]
Despite the term literally meaning "fish fragrance" in Chinese, yuxiang contains noseafood and is typically not added to seafood.
On top of the basic mixture, cooking yuxiang almost always includes the use of sugar, vinegar,doubanjiang,soy sauce, andpickled chili peppers.[2]
Proper preparation of the yuxiang seasoning includes finely minced pao la jiao (pickled chili), white scallion, ginger, and garlic. They are mixed in more-or-less equal portions, though some prefer to include more scallions than ginger and garlic. The mixture is then fried in oil until fragrant. Water, starch, sugar, and vinegar are then added to create a basic sauce.[1]
The sauce is used most often for dishes containing beef, pork, or chicken. It is sometimes used for vegetarian recipes.Barbara Tropp suggests inThe Modern Art of Chinese Cooking that the characters can also be interpreted as meaning "Sichuan-Hunan" (渝湘) flavor. Dishes that use yuxiang as the main seasoning have the term affixed to their name.[3] For instance: