Exploring Michelin | The unique and attractive Fujian flavors from every local snack

Mostly covered by mountains followed by waters and cultivated lands, Fujian has red brick buildings, rattan chairs and ancient earth buildings. Fujian, a pearl located in the southeast coastal region of China, has both mountains and seas and enjoys a long history. It seems like a delicate and gentle wash painting interpreting a story that spans a thousand years.

Fujian cuisines are one of China’s 8 cuisine systems. The unique features of Fujian cuisines can be summarized as follows: Slowly braised pure soups, steaming at proper heat for retaining the freshness, steaming in clear soup to retain the original flavor, and fast stir-frying to ensure both dish color and fragrance. The local dishes reflect a sour, sweet, light and mellow taste. On the basis of retaining the original flavors, the dishes are made tasty and unique. Each local Fujian cuisine fully interprets the local people’s attribute to the gifts from nature.

On December 3, the Michelin Guide started its first tour to Fujian together with Shinho and unveiled the first list of Fujian Michelin Guide in Xiamen City, which signifies the start of a tour to explore the local Fujian cuisines.

The essence of Fujian cuisines lies in not only their special aroma, such as the “Buddha Skipping Wall” dish served in the state banquet but also the diverse flavors evolved from the beef cooked in different skills.

Xiayang Beef Ball, as a traditional famous dish in Fujian Province, has a history of more than 300 years. With its unique flavor, it is also a typical Hakka cuisine and has been included in the "Eight Famous Dishes" in western Fujian, becoming a representative business card of Xiayang Town. In Xiayang Town, beef balls are mainly produced in family workshops. These balls can be produced in alleys by simply setting up a bench and lighting a stove.

The beef balls in the steaming bone soup are puffy and plump. The beef soup with pepper powder and scallions yields natural fragrance. The balls are chewy, crispy and tender. After adding SIBIAN chili sauce, the flavor becomes richer, including the fragrant sauce and meat freshness, triggering endless aftertaste.

During the Michelin Guide’s first tour to Fujian Province, Shinho, as the only official condiments partner of the Michelin Guide in China mainland, launched the exquisite cuisine --- “Black Beef with Xiapu Nori and Donkey-hide Gelatin” together with Wang Haoquan, the chief chef of “Lushanglu”, the 2025 Beijing Michelin Guide 2-star restaurant. Stewed slowly and at a low heat, the special cuisine has integrated the flavors of North and South China and was cooked based on Fujian’s local cooking method.

The black beef is cut into small pieces and marinated for 12 hours to ensure it can be fully seasoned. Then it is stewed at 60℃ for 12 hours to decompose the connective tissue. Finally the tender and juicy beef can be served.

The steamed donkey-hide gelatin is mixed with black pepper, WEI DA MEI ZHENPIN oyster sauce and SHANGPIN cooking wine first and then is boiled at a low heat for 2 hours. Finally the mellow and delicious donkey-hide gelatin sauce was done. The delicate and juicy black beef attached with the sauce could satisfy the sense of taste and nutrition.

While exploring cuisine innovation this time, Shinho and WEI DA MEI enrich the flavor of cuisines based on the high quality and in-depth understandings on and respect of ingredients, finally improving the quality significantly.

The WEI DA MEI ZHEN PIN oyster sauce [package for F&B industry] contains the concentrated oyster juice, which is made from the high-quality oysters from Taiwan Strait. After the addition of professional pure soy sauce, it features fresh, natural and mellow tastes. WEI DA MEI SHANGPIN cooking wine contains the 3-year aged yellow rice wine and several kinds of spices. It can retain the natural flavor of materials, besides removing odor and enhancing aroma, finally contributing to special aroma.

Since its establishment in 1998, WEI DA MEI, as Shinho’s one professional brand catering chefs, has sought cooperation with professional and renowned chefs.

Shinho has long engaged in the R&D and innovation of condiments. In addition, it also pays special attention to and helps with the growth of young chefs by leveraging its resources, in order to provide the greatest support for the cooking masters exploring both taste and aesthetics and help them to produce "master's flavor"

In the future, Shinho hopes to work with more young chefs with firm belief and ideal to explore the depth and width of Chinese cuisine culture, introduce the mysterious Chinese cuisines to the whole world and open a new chapter for delicious cuisine exploration.