liuzhou

This morning, I came across something in the supermarket that I don't recall seeing before. I had a vague inkling as to what it might be, but wasn't sure. When this supermarket opened a few years back, it seems they had a competition among the staff to see who had the best Chinese handwriting. The person who came in last was given the job of writing all the hand-written signs in the fresh food area. They are illegible. The only way to identify things you don't know is to ask the staff at the weigh station or take a chance and then read the label their scales magically produce indicating the price and identity. This cunning ruse failed immediately. As I approached the station, the guy behind it looked at me most strangely as if I had deliberately smuggled some alien vegetable lifeform into his store just to upset him. "What's that?" he asked. "I'm not sure," I wittily responded. Several seconds of silence ensued as he stood there panicking, then he said "wait a minute" and ran off in search off a manager. Miraculously, this was a successful strategy and he returned to consult his long list of vegetables to find the code he needed to enter. Then he handed me my choice of duly labelled produce. I immediately looked at the printed name and read 肉芥菜 (ròu jiè cài). My inkling was spot on. Mustard root! The leaves of the plant are ubiquitous in the local cuisine - I featured them pages back, but now we have the roots, which research informs me is the new big thing. They can be treated like any other root vegetable: boiled, roasted, steamed; and of course stir fried. (One source gives me the very useful information that, in parts of Africa, they are considered to be an aid to promoting lactation in those people who do such things.)

Pork slivers stir fried with fresh cepès, porcini, penny buns, boletus edulis, 牛肝菌 or whatever. Garlic, chilli, ginger, Chinese chives, Shaoxing wine and soy sauce. Served with rice and stir fried lettuce with oyster sauce.

1-10-10 chicken breast with morel cream sauce.

北京炸酱面 (běi jīng zhá jiàng miàn ) Beijing Zha Jiang Mian - Noodles with Soy Bean Paste - Beijing's favourite noodle dish, perhaps. But this example was eaten in Nanning in Guangxi.

The local, overpriced, state-owned department store's basement supermarket had these on offer today on special. Grabbed a couple of bags. Beer food.

Relatively easy to find chilli tuna here in China, too. Also, fermented black bean tuna.

Yes

Lemon pork with asparagus.

Exactly why I made it!

Yes. Olive oil, garlic, shallots and chilli. Prawns were cooked perfectly, thank you.

Fresh (as in live a few minutes ago), wild prawns with linguine. Quick, simple and delicious.

Story of my life! But, I might be getting slight off the culinary topic!

Well, I won't mourn just yet for shattering your dreams. When you find my tear drop plates or bowl are in every local trashy, factory clearance store or yard sale, then I'll apologise. maybe. Possibly not. {insert appropriate emoji}.

But not desirability, I hope!

I had no idea what Tillandsia was but came up with the logical explanation that it must be Canadian for "tea strainer". Google disillusioned me. I hate Google! I've never come across bergamot here either.

Wow! I just noticed this post. I pay $0.2 CAD for these. That price is 35 times higher! Someone is having a laugh. I'm in the wrong business.

I wouldn't eat them. Seafood is one of the most common sources of food poisoning. For me freshness, is paramount. Fortunately, unlike most, I get my shrimp live.

@ElsieD @Anna N As promised. The Intended Use #1 The Intended Use #2 My Use

They are sold in tea shops and are intended to be used as rests for tea strainer. I'll post a picture of the intended use tomorrow. I'm in bed now. Gone midnight here. I mainly use them as eggcups, which is how @Anna N saw them, I believe.

Thanks @@Anna N I am particularly fond of my teardrop plate. I have a couple of them. The bowl, as I think I've said before, is a plastic thing from the equivalent of a "dollar store". I can't remember what I paid for it; certainly less than I paid for its contents. Here just for you are my fingers. They are ten a penny round here, although the particular store I bought them from closed last weekend. I have dropped them before, but always managed to replace them. I know a few places which have them. White plates are not popular here. In fact, people don't eat from plates and most serving dishes are oval and usually hideous. Plain white was all I would entertain when I lived in Europe. I did manage to find a slightly smaller replacement today, but it's not perfect.

Saffron rice, China sea grass, wild mushrooms with garlic and pan-fried salmon. Served on new plate.

I bring dreadful news. Brace yourselves. Sit down. Have a reviving brandy and smelling salts to hand. Viewer discretion is advised. I will never again grace the pages of this illustrious forum and the Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner topics with my poor attempts at the kitchen skills, supported (literally) by favourite plate - the 10¾ inch beautiful plain white darling and love of my life. This morning, some idiot* trying to do two things at the same time let her slip through his pathetic fingers and she was seriously injured - chipped and flawed beauty. She is now in semi-retirement supporting my basil plant pot on the balcony in a lonely, sad reminder of her culinary past. I would be disgracefully unemotional, but plain white plates are hard to come by round here (plates are hard to come by) and the place I found her is no more. Well, the place is still there but it is now a hand bag shop. I have no need of such accoutrements. RIP. * My lips are sealed

Seconded

Pork meatballs in a fresh tomato sauce with rice. There was a side of garlicky spinach,too. The balls were pork, salt and chilli flakes. No egg or bread. Not required. The tomato sauce was made from fresh tomatoes (obviously), onion, star anise, bay leaf and a little white wine and simmered for an hour-and-a-half before the browned balls were added. Lots of sauce left over to take up scarce freezer room, but ...

“Butter fruit“ is as near as you could get to the literal translation of the most common Chinese name, too. 牛油果 (niú yóu guǒ)