liuzhou

I have posted about wasabi in China here.

山箭菜 (shān jiàn cài) or 本山箭 (běn shān jiàn), wasabi (Japanese: わさび) is not used in Chinese cuisine although many people are partial to sushi and sashimi (both of which originated in China, but then fell out of favour until reintroduced when there was a trend for Japanese food some twenty years ago. All the ‘Japanese’ restaurants were Chinese-owned and most have now gone, although supermarkets and some small shacks still sell sushi with decidedly Chinese characteristics. However China, despite generally loathing the Japanese, have a yen for some Japanese Yen (and their electronic goods and cameras). Today, wasabi is grown in various parts of China. Most is exported to Japan, although I do manage to get hold of some escapees. I’ve never seen it in any store, but can get it by express delivery online. It comes with dire warnings as to storing it correctly. I am advised to store it between 0℃ and 6℃ for a maximum of 14 days. It should not be frozen or stored at room temperature. This bag, from Yunnan province, contains 36g of vacuum-packed fresh wasabi root and cost approximately $4 USD. However delivery cost another $3.20. Still, to me, it’s worth it. I could buy a 100g bag with no increase in the delivery charge, but I wouldn't get through it in 14 days. Of course, it tastes much better when grated properly using my sharkskin wasabi grater.

I don't see how that would work No.

❌

No. It is specifically for kitchen use.

Nope.

In your kitchen?

None correct. Sorry.

Neither.

No. It has a specific culinary kitchen use. More likely to be found in a domestic kitchen.

Here's a new one to me. Usual rules. Image searches just spoil the fun.

Yesterday evening, I ordered a delivery of a six pack of the local brew. Six cans of the required duly arrived and I stuck them in the fridge. They're still there. Plans changed. This morning, I was clearing up and was about to throw away the plastic bag* the cans came in when I noticed there was a foreign object lurking in the bottom. Investigation revealed a small package containg one 盐焗鸡蛋 (yán jú jī dàn) or salt baked chicken egg. Either a gift or it fell in accidentally. I did check but the store in question doesn't seem to carry these eggs. Perhaps it was the packer's breaktime snack. I'll never know. * I do normally try to re-use plastic bags but this one had been packed by one of those people found working in the food and beverage delivery business worldwide who went to that special university and took a master's degree in tying plastic bags so tightly that they can only be opened by destroying them.

They come in various sizes. I have the second one. I live alone and that one suits me fine.I never need to grate much.

indeed. Not necessarily a festival dish, but almost exclusively a restaurant dish. I don't know anyone who makes it at home. I have eaten it in Fujian, but although it was OK, I'm not planning to rush back.

Chinese cuisine is possibly best known for its rapid cook stir-frying techniques but they know how to take it slow, too. One dish is known both for its unusual name and for its lengthy cooking time. I’m talking about Fujian province’s well-known (at least in China) signature dish, 佛跳墙 (fó tiào qiáng). Fujian lies on China’s south-eastern coast opposite the island of Taiwan. This location means that seafood is a major part of the cuisine. Yes, despite China’s preference this dish uses a lot of dried ingredients alongside the fresh. It must have been dreamt up by a Qing dynasty Chinese Ottolenghi, containing as it does eighteen or more ingredients depending on the chef. 佛跳墙 (fó tiào qiáng) translates as Buddha “Leaps the Wall” or is commonly mistranslated as Buddha jumps over the wall. This is said to refer to a Buddhist monk who, having smelled the dish being made, broke his vows by leaving his monastery and sampling the decidedly non-vegetarian dish. It is reported that when he was chastised he said that even the Buddha himself would not have been able to resist. Not that all Chinese Buddhist’s are vegetarian. The Dalai Lama isn’t. The most common ingredients involved in this long cooked stew or soup-like dish include: 1. Lean pork (瘦肉 - shòu ròu) 2. Silkie chicken (乌骨鸡 - wū gǔ jī) 3. Chicken’s feet (凤爪 - fèng zhǎo) 4. Dried or fresh abalone (鲍鱼 - bào yú) 5. Pigeon (鸽蛋 - gē dàn) or quail eggs (鹌鹑蛋 - ān chún dàn) Pigeon Eggs Quail eggs 6. Deer leg tendons (鹿 筋) 7. Fish swim bladder (鱼肚 - yú dǔ) 8. Dried scallops (扇贝干 - shàn bèi gān) 9. Sea Cucumber (海参 - hǎi shēn) 10. Shark Fin (鱼翅 - yú chì) A few years back the communist party banned the use of sharks fins at official functions, although they are still available. However, awareness of the cruelty involved in harvesting them has resulted in a sharp decline in their consumption. Instead artificial fin made from konjak is being used to supply the desired texture. Less often, sharks skin is substituted. Shark Skin Then the herbal components all of which are considered to be medicinal. 11. Angelica sinensis (当归 - dāng guī) 12. Astragalus L. (黄芪 - huáng qí) 13. Codonopsis pilosula (党参dǎng shēn) 14. Cordceps militaris (虫草花 - chóng cǎo huā) 15. Dried Chinese Yam (淮山 - huái shān） 16. Goji Berries (枸杞 - gǒu qǐ） 17. Jujubes (枣子 - zǎo zi) 18. Ginger (姜 - jiāng) 19. Solomon’s Seal - (兰 qián lán). 20. Codonopsis pilosula (党参 - dǎng shēn) 21. Ginseng (人参 - rén shēn) After that lengthy list, thankfully the cooking instructions are short to relate but long to achieve. Bung the lot, except for the eggs, into a slow cooker with chicken stock and good quality Shaoxing wine and simmer for six hours. Refrigerate overnight. Next day boil the eggs then heat up the stew, add the eggs and stand back to avoid leaping Buddhists.

Seems there's more than one cannabis gin from the Netherlands. Found this, this morning. Haven't bought it, though. Casamigos Green Phantom Gold gin.

That is the case for 98% of "wasabi", even in Japan. Even when they do contain some real wasabi it's usually in trace amounts, listed last or near to last in the ingredients (see the S&B powder image posted by @Tropicalsenior above. The safest way is to buy the rhizome, if possible, and grate it yourself. Of course you'll also want a genuine sharkskin grater for that. Here's mine

A niche market sounds better.

Parfum d'anchois sounds better.

Japan

@Tropicalsenior Got you covered!

Dinner was an old standby I've posted a dozen times, so I'm sparing you that but to start: Auditory organs of Sus scrofa scrofa

Yes.

Yes, but not feathery flamboyant cobras. They are dangerous!

Yes. May 20th. Sorry, I only do ridiculous food related headgear!