liuzhou

I've written before about the Miao people* who live just to the north of here. Here is a brief extract from a guide book to the area. Note that when they say 'sour', they mean 'pickled'. In Chinese, the word is the same -. 酸 (suān). Here is another excerpt from the Food Funnies topic in which a small typo changes the whole concept. * Munching with the Miao Moving with the Miao Harvest Lunch in a Miao Village

Clean and grate it. Use as ground turmeric.

I was just sitting here thinking about planting it, too. I've seen photos of the plant and it does look attractive. But, my main reason for wanting to plant it is that it is difficult to find here (and expensive by local standards). Even the ground turmeric isn't widely available. In fact, all Indian ingredients are difficult to source. The two countries don't get along. I'm guessing it can be grown from the rhizomes I have, just like ginger. I almost certainly won't find the seeds here. This site seems helpful.

I think this can be classified as a salad, albeit a cooked one. It is served cold as a side dish. To quote myself from this topic

I'm new to working with fresh turmeric, but in the past have often used the ground variety. While curries are the obvious choice, they are something I rarely do. I find it has a natural affinity with chicken. My go to chicken dish is something like this turmeric chicken recipe. Another is Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons. It also goes well with coconut so I have made a variation on this Smashed Cucumbers with Turmeric, Coconut, and Peanuts Please note that I have never followed those recipes above to the letter; they are just what I can find similar to what I have done. Some other recipes that have caught my eye but I haven't made yet are: Honey-Turmeric Pork with Beet and Carrot Salad Grilled Clams with Aleppo Pepper, Tumeric, and Lime Butter Chicken Khao Soi Yellow Chicken Adobo P.S. I often add it to my fried rice.

Goat with Fuzhu

It's just too hot to cook. I waited to dark, but it didn't cool any. 38℃/100℉. So very simple, minimal stove attendance dinner. Pork chops, boiled spud, tomato and HP sauce. Sustenance.

You beat me to it. I'd also add that in many cultures, including China, India, Jamaica, Cuba (to list somewhere I've eaten goat) most people would send any boneless goat meat straight back. They would find itf most suspect. Most countries have their own butchery techniques and cuts. The USA, Britain and France are all different. China and India ain't gonna change. Here in China, nearly all meat and fish comes on-the-bone.

24. 酒糟芥菜 (jiǔ zāo jiè cài ) - Wine Lees Mustard Leaf. This may look similar to the 酸菜 (suān cài) in the first post on this topic. It is the same vegetable, but is processed in a different way, resulting in a different taste. Whereas the suan cai is pickled in a brine, then pressed, this version is pickled in the dregs from rice wine production and is unpressed. It has a slightly yeasty taste, which I find pleasant and is much milder than the suan cai. Both are used in similar ways.

Fresh turmeric root. Ideas for usage?

Pickilng kemp is a longstanding tradition worldwide. I've already posted examples of the Chinese treatment upthread.

I doubt it was the same species. It is native to the Indo-Pacific seas. I also doubt it has been introduced anywhere near New Jersey. Invasive species and all that. But I could be wrong.

23. 海葡萄 (hǎi pú tao), Sea Grapes, Caulerpa lentillifera Also known as Green Caviar in English, this is a type of seaweed or algae. It was first cultivated in the 1950s in Cebu in the Philppines after it was accidentally introduced to fish ponds. By 1986, it had reached Japan, before being cultivated in Vietnam and China. This lot came from Vietnam. The seaweed is washed and then brined in a sea-strength solution. This is how I bought it. It is then drained and soaked in cold, fresh water for three minutes and it's ready to eat. At room temperature. It does not react well to either heat or cold. It tastes of the sea, as you would expect, and has a delicate grassy flavour. But the most important quailty it has is the texture. It is crisp and the bubbles pop audibly in the mouth, like popping candy.

Like regular peanuts. Only the taste is different. They have a kind of smoky taste.

I think, by now, my aversion to all things c@rn is well-known. I am delighted to report that it apparently terrifies Satan, too! Nothing to do with the sausage. The batter!

22. 酸贡菜 (suān gòng cài) or 'Pickled Tribute Vegetable' Another kimchi-like pickle is 酸贡菜 (suān gòng cài) or 'Pickled Tribute Vegetable', so-called as the then rare vegetable was presented to the Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) as a tribute. It is closely related to the lettuce family.

Yes, Having looked at a few meatloaf recipes. I'd say denser.

Wouldn't know. Never had 'meatloaf'. Does the recipe given resemble meatloaf?

Interesting article on the history of the square sausage! (Scots seldom call it Lorne Sausage).

刺角瓜 (cī jué guā) Cucumis metuliferus - Horned Melon

红泥花生 (hóng ní huā shēng - Red Mud Peanuts). These have been “cured” by being buried in a muddy red paste of unidentifiable ingredients then baked until the shells turn red and the ‘nuts’ take on a pleasant earthy taste. These are good (in my humble).

22. 桔梗 (jié gěng), Pickled Chinese Bellflower (aka Balloon Flower) Root, Platycodon grandiflorus Some may know this better as 도라지 (doraji), the Korean name, but it is actually native to all of East Asia and also used as a pickle in China, although any self-respecting Korean will think of it as a type of kimchi ingredient. Here in China, it is made and used in a similar way - as a side or condiment with other foods, especially rice. However, it is probably more used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), particularly to treat coughs and related illnesses.

21. 腊肉 (là ròu) preserved / cured meat or fish. 腊 (là) means ‘cured’ or ‘preserved’ and 肉 (ròu) means ‘flesh’ or ‘meat’. Used without further clarification, 肉 (ròu) is always taken to mean ‘pork’’; other meats are given fuller names – 鸡肉 (jī ròu), for example, is ‘chicken meat’. 腊 (là) is only used with meats; never vegetables. I mentioned the top three examples of Chinese cured hams before, in this topic. Most of the ham/bacon I can buy around here are home cured and from Hunan (Liuzhou borders Hunan province), which is famous for its la rou. Of course, meats can be cured in many ways: dried, dry-cured, wet-cured, smoked etc or in combinations of the above and Hunan uses them all. Here are just a few examples. The above are dry cured and lightly smoked. The next two images are of brined and heavily smoked bacon. They have a strong smell and very smokey taste which is typical of Hunan cuisine. Next we have 晒兰 (shài lán), a very localised specialty, only found in the small town of 沅陵 (yuán líng) in north-west Hunan. The town has large Miao and Tujia ethnic minority populations. Shai Lan (avocado for scale) This is a lightly cured (dry-cure) ham incorporating pork, salt, wine and Sichuan peppercorns, usually cooked with beans and copious amounts of chillies. Here is my take on it. Shai Lan with Brocolli Romanesco More locally, on my side of the border, is the Dong people's town of 三江 (sān jiāng). They also have hams and bacons, but also do a number of others. Sanjiang cured and smoked duck Finally, here is some Sichuan la rou. Winter is, of course, the main time for eating these hams and around October to December, the smell of hams being cured and/or smoked hangs in the air. So, I'll probably return to this come autumn.

I haven't been cooking much recently. My first vaccine killed my appetite. Tonight, I tried to rekindle the fire with spicy chicken and 猪肚菇 (zhū dù gū) 'pig stomach mushrooms', Infundibulicybe gibba.) The chicken was marinated overnight with Shaoxing wine, garlic, ginger and chillies, then stir fried with 豆瓣酱 (dòu bàn jiàng) and Welsh onions. Served with orzo instead of rice because...

20. 泡菊芋 (pào jú yù) – Pickled Jerusalem Artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus I rarely see Jerusalem artichokes in the markets or supermarkets. Much more often, they turn up like this. Pickled in vinegar and dressed in a chili sauce. Another snack food or to be added to your breakfast porridge (congee).