Jiangxi Stir-Fry, why exactly has it become so popular in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai?
The cost performance is exceptionally high! Two people can eat until they are stuffed and still take leftovers home for just over 60 yuan. Every dish is so good with rice, who understands! About twenty yuan per person on average, the cost performance is super high! It’s so irresistible! I have to eat there at least once every day, even the owner advises me to try other places to change the taste! … When you are still struggling with whether to go for Sichuan, Hunan, or Cantonese cuisine over the weekend, many workers have already started ordering dishes in Jiangxi stir-fry restaurants. Especially in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai areas, Jiangxi stir-fry has become an existence like a “specialty product,” and even Jiangxi stir-fry restaurants have become the new “ideal cafeteria” in the minds of workers.
Jiangxi Stir-Fry, conquering Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai!
When it comes to Jiangxi cuisine, everyone might think of Nanchang rice noodles, clay pot soup, Artemisia stir-fried with cured meat, Ningdu three-cup chicken… The same question in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, many would instinctively answer: “Jiangxi Stir-Fry.” Restaurants with names like “Jiangxi Small Stir-Fry,” “Jiangxi Masses Stir-Fry,” “Jiangxi Local Restaurants” are enjoying a boom and their popularity is not to be underestimated. Taking Yiwu, Zhejiang as an example, a search on the internet reveals over thirteen hundred results for Jiangxi stir-fry. Social media platforms show videos where, on a street less than a hundred meters long in Yiwu, there are five or six Jiangxi stir-fry restaurants, making netizens comment: “Yiwu has been occupied by Jiangxi stir-fry!” Last year at a music festival, the audience unanimously echoed the same specialty—Jiangxi stir-fry.
Not just Yiwu, in other cities of Zhejiang, Jiangxi stir-fry is also a common choice for food seekers. In Taizhou and Wenzhou, the search results are even in the thousands. The craze of Jiangxi stir-fry has even swept through Shanghai and Jiangsu. In Shanghai, a “Jiangxi Restaurant” that serves Jiangxi style stir-fried dishes is dearly loved by the floating workforce, becoming a “web celebrity restaurant,” with customers willing to queue for three hours just to taste these authentic stir-fries. In Jiangsu, netizens shift their focus on whose Jiangxi stir-fry is more authentic.
The popularity of Jiangxi stir-fry on social media platforms remains high, appearing on the “rising hot topic” charts, attracting nearly one and a half million views, with video views under the “Jiangxi stir-fry” topic exceeding eighty-four million times.
Jiangxi Stir-Fry, what exactly makes it sweep across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai?
How did Jiangxi Stir-Fry, a branch of Gan cuisine that is not even covered by the “Eight Great Cuisines,” rise to be this amazing new power? Gan cuisine, which has hardly ever caught public attention, has not easily ranked among cuisines like Anhui, Hunan, Cantonese, Fujian, and Jiangsu-Zhejiang cuisine. In such a situation, Jiangxi stir-fry won widespread reputation and recognition with its unique charm, becoming a food paradise in countless workers’ hearts.
Jiangxi folks, with their deep affection for their hometown dishes, have actively promoted Gan cuisine across the country, especially in neighboring provinces, greatly promoting the development and popularization of Gan cuisine culture. In recent years, as more and more people from Jiangxi seek livelihoods elsewhere, Jiangxi has become a “major labor-exporting province.” Taking Yiwu as an example, the area hosts a large community of Jiangxi people.
Many people from Jiangxi spotted the opportunity and started to open restaurants in regions like Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, catered to the taste of Jiangxi. These restaurants, named “Jiangxi Xiaochao,” began to blossom everywhere. They are embraced by the Jiangxi working community due to their affordable prices and variety of dishes.
Many migrant workers acclaimed “Jiangxi Xiaochao” as the “upgraded version of Shaxian snacks,” with a wide range of options including characteristic Ganzhou dishes and delicacies from different places such as fried qinghao with cured meat, Gannan stir-fry fish, and braised pork with fermented tofu. They accommodate various palates, including those who cannot eat spicy food, by offering dishes like sweet and sour ribs and twice-cooked pork meat without spiciness.
Besides the diverse food selections, Jiangxi Xiaochao restaurants also provide “solo diner” options like fried noodles and rice toppings, which cater to the needs for convenience and diverse diets among the busy working crowd. This undoubtedly proves the variety of Jiangxi Xiaochao’s cuisine and the chefs’ profound skills.
In conclusion, the popularity of “Jiangxi Xiaochao” is not only due to their ample menu but also their populist pricing strategy. For instance, a flavorful Kung Pao chicken might only cost 20 yuan, while a refreshing stir-fried seasonal vegetable could even be priced in the single digits, making Jiangxi Xiaochao a prime choice for both quality and value.
To enjoy elaborately prepared “big dishes” like whole fish or whole chicken or duck, customers typically only need to pay about 50 yuan. This allows young people, accustomed to the formality of high-end restaurants, to unwind and thoroughly enjoy themselves. Customers are full of praise: “Great value for money, the boss is very enthusiastic and generous, and the portion sizes are more than adequate.” “With 20 yuan, you can eat until you’re full, and with 50 yuan, you can eat very well, Jiangxi Xiaochao really takes care of my budget.” “It is simply the ‘ultimate value for money’ in the hearts of migrant workers in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai region.” They generously share their dining experiences on social media without reservation.
Jiangxi Xiaochao takes a stand against pre-cooked food with its fresh ingredients and made-to-order cooking style. Upon entering a Jiangxi Xiaochao restaurant, customers are immediately attracted to the display freezers full of fresh ingredients. When placing orders, customers can browse the menu or directly pick ingredients from the freezer and communicate their preferences and cooking styles to the kitchen staff, who are adept at fulfilling their requests.
Those savvy owners who understand the human touch can even remember the tastes and preferred dishes of their regulars. If customers are indecisive, the owner will approach the freezer to recommend fresh ingredients and help choose dishes, all the while emphasizing, “All ingredients are freshly purchased on the day.”
During the cooking phase, Jiangxi Xiaochao’s open kitchen showcases every step, with some establishments even placing a couple of woks at the storefront. As soon as the ingredients hit the wok, the rich aroma immediately wafts through the air, drawing in passersby for a meal. The strong sense of home cooking at Jiangxi Xiaochao gives off a homely warmth. Hence, netizens have commented that in Jiangxi Xiaochao restaurants, they no longer worry about the “stab in the back” from pre-cooked dishes.
Although Jiangxi Xiaochao has not widely promoted its “made-to-order” philosophy, the simplicity of a freezer plus a wok, the pursuit of fresh ingredients, and the refusal to use pre-processed foods have won people’s hearts. In today’s reality where the working class’s wallets are increasingly tight, a restaurant filled with the aroma of home cooking and local characteristics is undoubtedly very appealing. No wonder, on social media, more and more people are calling for Jiangxi Xiaochao to open in their cities.
