liuzhou

Pork in Zhenjiang black vinegar (you may know it as Chinkiang vinegar - 93% of Chinese wouldn't), with garlic, lemon zest, basil and chilli. With stir-fried endive and rice.

I've never come across anything like that. Hot pot broths are usually chicken based here although they can use other meats elsewhere in China (Sichuan often uses beef, for example) but ham is also often used in preparing stocks, too, but only in addition to the base meat. I often make chicken stock with a bit of ham. Chillies are very commonly used in hot pots, either in the form of sauces or just the fresh things. Especially in Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou provinces. Although, as you say, China has many excellent vinegars. I think I've only had them at hot pot dinners as side dips and not in the hot pot itself All that said, endive is not a common vegetable. I think the season is quite short and. thankfully. the locals like their food to be seasonal.

The last of the New Year's Day chicken 鸡肉蘑菇粥 (jī ròu mó gū zhōu) Chicken and mushroom congee (rice porridge). Chicken,mushrooms, shallots, garlic, chilli flakes in a broth made from the chicken bones. Again, not very visually appealing but just the thing on a freezing January day.

Black garlic flavoured cookies. Good with a capital 'goo'.

The first sighting of a new arrival for the new year. Cichorium endivia var crispum 苦苣 (Mand: kǔ jù; Cant: fu2 geoi6), literally 'bitter lettuce' or 苦菊 (Mand: kǔ jú; Cant: fu2 guk1), literally 'bitter chrysanthemum. Curly endive. This pleasantly bitter greenery is typically stir-fried with garlic or used in hot pots.

Lunch today was leftovers from yesterday's New Year dinner. Cold chicken sandwiches mainly. No pictures.Not very visually interesting, but filled the hole.

Chicken Part 2 I removed the breasts from my orgasmic chicken, boiled some spuds and grilled some mushrooms. Simple dinner. Too cold to hang out in the kitchen any longer than strictly necessary. A fine bird. Legs, wings and random bits are stowed in the warmest part of the house. The fridge.

and just for New Year, possibly the most popular food comedy ever. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinner_for_One

Happy New Dinner! I spent a small fortune yesterday on a beautiful organic* chicken. Today decapitated and de-feeted it and slow poached it. It should feed me for a few meals, but I'm sitting now thinking it might end up being eaten later tonight - just by me. It's sitting resting now, and I'm going to be adding the neck and head to the poaching medium for stock. The extra fat was removed and will shortly be rendered for purposes yet unknown, The gizzard and kidney will be the chef's reward. * "Organic" has no legal definition here, but I've tried birds from this supplier before and they sure taste better. BTW, I have one Chinese good friend who, despite being fluent in English and French alongside her three Chinese languages, always gets a little confused about one linguistic point. A few years ago I cooked for her and she asked me, "Is that an orgasmic chicken?" I told her that I had tried my best, but it was up to her to decide!

Yes, the Year of the Pig starts on February 5th. 2019

First breakfast of the year, on a freezing morning. 三鲜馄饨 (sān xiān hún tún) Home made three taste wontons (pork, shrimp and shiitake) in a spicy broth. Photos taken through a filter of steam.

It's thin slices of tenderloin, simply pan fried with black pepper and salt.

Here's my local chestnut man - about five minutes walk from my home. Taken this morning.

Fresh ramen with pork.

Er, thanks, but I am a linguist and that wasn't my point anyway. I was in no way suggesting that the English was wrong. P.S. Murder was a noun first.

Almost everyone cooks on gas, but in the last ten years most also have electric portable induction cookers for hot pots. These are sometimes used with woks (not stainless steel) but more often with stainless steel hot pot pans. All I am saying is that I've never seen a stainless steel wok in China.

I have held back from commenting here, because I just don't understand what is happening. After 23 years years living in a country that perhaps knows a thing or two about woks and stir frying, I've never seen a stainless steel example. Perhaps, for good reason. They have stainless steel, but not for woks. And "I'm having a stir-fry for dinner" makes as much sense in Chinese as "I'm having a cooking for dinner".

Spicy carrot soup to warm me up.

Still can here. In fact, they are very popular. Not only in winter, but all year round.

Yes. It is now 0ºC. This is only the second time in 23 years I've seen it this low. I'm having to remember cold weather foods!

I'd never seen skinless here before, yet they were proudly labelled "skinless", but in Chinese of course! I prefer them with skin, but these were so cheap I couldn't resist.

My favourite but inconveniently located supermarket in town, most unusually, had skinless duck breasts on offer for less than the bus fare home, so I bought a couple. Made a sort of Thai style Duck Red Curry. Or is it Red Duck Curry? I don't know. On my many visits to Thailand, I have never come across any such dish, so I ask for forgiveness if I have trespassed . But it was pretty tasty.

Coldest day of the year. 2ºC right now, so what else than Mince 'n Tatties? But with a twist. The meat isn't the usual beef, but goat. I've long considered goat to be a cross between beef and sheep, at least in taste. What those animals do in their spare time for fun is none of my business. Oh! And there was some buttery, bacon-y cabbage on the side which escaped my camera.

People (actually men) round here play this dumb drinking game a lot. The basic idea is that you hold out a number of fingers, but yell a different number. If you screw up (which you are likely to do the more drunk you get) then you have lost and are "punished" by having to drink one cup of whatever you are having. Here lies my major objection. Why is drinking a punishment? Surely the winner should be rewarded with a glass of whatever. Anyway, this chap hasn't quite worked out all the principles. Reward yourself extra points if you know what language he is speaking.

I buy them pre-peeled and vacuum packed. "Let someone else struggle" is my motto.