liuzhou

Another ludicrous mislabelling. This was identified as wahoo, which it clearly isn’t. Instead it is 竹荚鱼 (zhú jiá yú), horse mackerel, specifically Japanese horse mackerel, Trachurus japonicus. Also known in English as Japanese jack mackerel or Japanese scad. Despite the mackerel name and its similarity to mackerel it is a different, only distantly unrelated species. Also despite the Japanese epithet, they aren’t exclusive to Japan but are found in both the East China Sea and Sea of Japan and so are also landed in China and Korea. In Japanese they are マアジ (māji) and in Korean 전갱이 (jeon gaen gi). They’re nearly all wild caught, with a diminishing small number raised by aquaculture. Their resemblance to true mackerel is not only visual but extends to their flavour. Most are canned for export but are widely available in the three countries mentioned. This is one I’m rather partial to. Around $3.75 / 500g

Last night, I decided on Roujiamo but in a moment of pure laziness chose not to make them myself, as I do 99.99% of the time. Instead I ordered them from a newish restaurant about a kilometre from my home. They arrived promptly and were still hot. Unlike the cumin beef ones I make, these were pork. Number 1 Interior Terrible. Although, there was a generous amount of meat it was totally unseasoned and had zero cumin flavour despite it being listed on the menu description. It sat heavily in my stomach. An hour later, I decided to eat the second one which was slightly different. Number 2 Interior This one had some green chilli pepper - the mildest possible. Bell pepper close. Otherwise, indistinguishable from the first. I didn't even finish it. Who are they trying to appeal too? Certainly not me or anyone else who has eaten them in Xi'an. Laziness sucks.

Quite a few years ago, I regularly saw Velveeta here in China. I guess imported from Hong Kong. It was only ever in one store then disappeared. The store and the "cheese"! I never bought it. I prefer cheese! As to Mt. Rushmore, I would need a different mountain almost every day. Today, I'd go with: Brillat-Savarin Affiné Manchego Crottin de Pays Morbier

Damn! I'm so predictable. It looks more like Malabar spinach in the H-Mart image but the greens are often so similar visually. When searching for real spinach in the markets, I look for the purplish tinge to the roots. I buy that more often. Thanks!

Another question. What's the difference between 'regular spinach' and 'Chinese spinach'? I often buy spinach in China. Call me Popeye. But it's no different from spinach in Europe. Wikipedia offers some clues but I wonder what it is you are actually eating. Malabar spinach?

I'm so excited! After a thirty year search I have found it! 羊肝 (yáng gān)! Yes! Lamb's liver! Lamb leg meat has hitherto been the only ovine meat available. Generally, southern Chinese tends to avoid lamb / mutton, whereas northern and western China can't get enough. In fact, China has the largest number of domestic sheep in the world. This southern aversion has been changing as street-side spicy grilled lamb skewers have spread across China. Yet, until now, no offal. One supplier is carrying limited stock and urging customers to be quick as it is only available for a short time in the morning. So I got up early! I have to buy the whole liver. No hardship! 800g for $8.50 USD.

Talking of crabs reminds me of this. 蟹黄 (xiè huáng), literally ‘crab yellow’ is that yellow stuff you find in crabs that most people clean away. It is edible and even prized here. It is the roe, ovary, oviducts and digestive glands of Mrs. Crab. Similar to lobster tomalley in nature. It is relatively rich in nutrients such as nutrients and phospholids. Probably, the best known use of ‘crab yellow’ is in Shanghai’s famous 蟹黄汤包 (xiè huáng tāng bāo), ‘crab yellow’ soup dumplings. It also appears in a number of Cantonese dim sum dishes. I’ve seen crab yellow congee as well as ‘crab yellow’ fried rice or fried noodles. I’ve eaten ‘crab yellow’ baozi buns, where it is mixed with minced pork in the filling. 🍜 It is sold in jars of varying sizes as well as in larger cans for the restaurant trade. Once opened, it needs refrigeration for storage so I buy it in these small 100g jars which cost me around $1.50 USD. The type of crab is unspecified.

The legs are shelled, yes.

Chilled coconuts like this are often sold on the streets by itinerant vendors in summer for people to drink the coconut water they contain. This type isn't particularly meaty. The vendor will drill a hole in the shell and supply a paper or plastic straw. Very refreshing in the tropical heat. Today, I picked up this from the supermarket. They (or some supplier) have not only drilled a hole but fitted a tap so you can carry it home without fear of spillage. They have also supplied a straw which the tap is cunningly designed to hold. Then they have wrapped it nicely in a life-affirming wrapper. The large writing reads 加油 (jiā yóu), which literally means 'add oil', but is used as encouragement at sports events and the like to urge on your favourites. They claim it's Thai, but I'm not sure I believe them. Maybe. However, there is no Thai on the packaging other than Young Ham Nom Coconut, Nam Hom being the transliteration of the incorrect Thai name* of the type of coconut, but they also grow in Hainan, China. Apart from that there is only Chinese and English. * The Thai name is หนุ่มมะพร้าวหอม which transliterates as 'Nom maphrao hom'.

I re-appraised the sourdough I bought a couple of days ago. At the time I posted it I had tasted a slice and reported that it didn't have much sourdough flavour. What I did with that slice was toast it and buttered it. Later, I buttered an untoasted slice and the sourdough taste came through no problem. Same loaf; same butter. I don't remember that difference between toasted and untoasted in any sourdough I've had before. Is that normal?

This grabbed my attention a couple of days ago, as I was idly flicking through my local delivery app. It wasn’t the 王螃蟹 (wáng páng xiè) king crab that surprised me – I’ve long known they are available in China. It was the price listed. ¥9,999! I know king crabs don'’t come cheap but the most expensive I’ve previously seen were around ¥2,000 / $275 USD. ¥9,999 is $1,372.86. Then it twigged and I read the description. Nothing to do with king crabs, at all. The delivery app insists on the listings only containing items for sale (a no spam policy) but occasionally some companies get round that by advertising something they don’t stock at a ludicrous price to stop any idiot actually ordering it while getting their real point across in the description. The “description” in this case consists of information on the Chinese weighing conventions, which I think everyone knows anyway. We sensibly use metric, but mixed in with some old Chinese names. So, for example 500 grams can be described as such or as a 斤 (jīn). This used to be a variable weight depending on location but has now been standardised at 500 g throughout Mainland China. 1 kg is a 公斤 (gōng jīn), which confusingly literally means ‘common jin’ which it isn’t; jīn without its gong is the one I see most often! Anyway, back to king crab of whatever weight. These creatures, which aren’t true crabs*, like to hang out in very cold waters. Those in America tend, I’m lead to believe, to be caught mostly in Alaskan waters but some from Argentina. (?) Those here are always from Russian waters except for once when I saw one from Chile. It was the most expensive I've seen. I suppose because of distance. Although I can’t buy them whole locally, I can for delivery from further afield in northern China, suitably nearer to Russia! Those are usually around the $80 - $140 mark, depending on size, However, frozen king crab legs are available in supermarkets. These come from Russia, too. A 500g box can be between $30 and $50, again depending on size. * The only thing carcinologists agree on is that they aren’t true crabs (the Brachyura family). Some believe they are related to hermit crabs; others determinedly disagree. I don’t care.

Me neither. I'd be very surprised if it's ever frozen in SE Asia. Absolutely. Same here even though we're only a stone's throw from Vietnam. I did grow it but haven't done since I moved house. Must restart. The best I've had in China was in an Indonesian style restaurant in Nanning where they used it as skewers for grilled chicken. Really flavoured the bird meat. They grew it and other herbal exotica in the restaurant garden which you were encouraged to visit.

Many of us like a cup of tea with breakfast. Also eggs. Why not combine them. This is not SO unusual round these parts. Scrambled eggs with tea leaves. The young leaf shoots are preferred. Initial cooking Finished

桑叶 (sāng yè) or mulberry leaf is used in TCM for the usual nonsense, but is also used to make a herbal tisane. Despite a total lack of evidence for any medical benefit (indeed overuse can lead to gastric disturbances), it is curiously fashionable. The leaves of morus alba, white mulberry are preferred. In the west, it is usually sold dried or in capsule form for 'medical' use. Here it is fresh. ¥5.50 / 150 g.

From pictures I've seen of his other dishes, the carrot will literally be a small piece of one carrot sitting on an otherwise empty plate 40 times too large for its contents. He does have pictures on his website, but of course doesn't do anything so uncouth as to caption anything. The ₤20 oyster is one oyster covered in flim-flammery. The ₤42 venison portion is smaller than my big toe but not so attractive! ₤1 = $1.29 USD (for the moment).