🍽️ Li Hongzhang Hotchpotch

Assorted ingredients stewed together, Hefei classic.

Li Hongzhang Hotchpotch is a signature banquet dish of Hefei, Anhui. Dried sea cucumber, fish maw, squid, chicken, ham and bamboo shoots are first simmered separately, then combined and braised together in a rich broth. The result is a generous, glossy stew, milky and deeply savory, with each ingredient holding its own texture while soaking up the shared stock. Proper technique means simmering each component to its own doneness rather than dumping everything in one pot. Served at festivals and feasts in Hefei as a symbol of abundance and reunion, it showcases the Huai River region's devotion to fine stocks and lavish ingredients.