liuzhou

Apium graveolens var. secalinum Alef. Chinese celery or leaf celery. Thinner and leafier than what you may call 'regular' celery, Chinese celery is curved into round, hollow stalks. Frequently used and sold along with 蒜苗 (Mand: suàn miáo; Cant: syun3 miu4) above, this is known in Chinese as 芹菜 (Mand: qín cài; Cant: kan4 coi3). It is used extensively in hot pots, but also simply stir fried with the leaves as a side dish. Here in Guangxi, a popular dish is Chinese celery with day lily, chilli and cashew nuts. We also get regular celery which is 西芹 (Mand: xī qín; Cant: sai1 kan4), meaning 'western celery'. It is less popular.

Tonight I made a popular local dish. 啤酒鸭 (pí jiǔ yā). A mix of duck leg and breast meat and the liver. Braised with garlic, ginger, chilli, Sichuan peppercorns, local beer and 豆瓣酱 (dòu bàn jiàng) - spicy fermented broad bean paste, known only in America as "Toban Djan". Finished with scallions. Served with stir fried Shanghai bok choy and rice. This is a powerfully flavoured dish. If your Asian store has 豆瓣酱 (dòu bàn jiàng) from Pixian 郫县 (pí xiàn) in Sichuan, buy it! It is by far the best. Cheaper varieties, including Lee Kum Kee, cut corners and sub soy beans for the broad beans - not the same at all.

Home made flat bread with home made cream cheese, tomato, home made pesto (featuring balcony grown basil). Sea salted.

Another little known and very local vegetable. Telosma cordata Tonkin jasmine goes under many English names such as pakalana vine, Tonkinese creeper, Chinese violet, cowslip creeper, telosoma etc. In Chinese it is 夜香花 (Mand: yè xiāng huā; Cant: je6 hoeng1 faa1) or 夜来香 (Mand: yè lái xiāng; Cant: je6 loi4 hoeng1) It is a flowering plant native to Guangdong and Guangxi of China and also cultivated in Vietnam (on the Bay of Tonkin, hence the name.) It has a delicate lemony scent and is used in both southern Chinese and northern Vietnamese cuisine (where it is known as bông thiên lý.) Tonkin jasmine is usually stir fried, often with eggs, with which it has a particular affinity, or is boiled in soups, often with fish. It is also added to many noodle dishes in Vietnam. Tonkin Jasmine Scrambled Eggs Me likes it.

Here's an odd one. At least it was to me when I first encountered it 22 years ago in Hunan province. Houttuynia cordata This is known in English as lizard's tail, fish mint, fish leaf, rainbow plant, chameleon plant, heart leaf, fish wort, or bishop's weed. In Chinese, it is usually 鱼腥草/魚腥草 (Mand: yú xīng cǎo; Cant: jyu4*2 sing1 cou2) which means “fish smell grass”, which sounds delightful. Other names include 截儿根 (Mand: jié ér gēn; Cant: zit6 ji4 gan1), literally "stem young root", 猪鼻拱/豬鼻拱 (Mand: zhū bí gǒng; Cant: zyu1 bei6 gung2) literally "pig's nose snuffle" and 臭草 (Mand: chòu cǎo; Cant: cau3 cou2), literally "stinking grass". The latter name is confusingly also used for the unrelated herb, rue. The leaves, flowers, stems and roots are all edible. I have eaten the leaves in Vietnam, served with bánh xèo. The leaves do have a faint fishy smell, but 'stinking' is an exaggeration. The leaves are also dried and used to make a 'tea' in Japan and Korea. The flowers are also used in teas. Houttunyia Sprigs Variegated Houttunyia Houtuynia Flower This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Despite the weird names, these have little if any noticeable odour. They are served, often in a mild chilli sauce, at the beginning of banquets alongside peanuts and sunflower seeds. You know; something to keep you amused while waiting for the important people to turn up. It is sold in the sauce on the prepared salads counter in most supermarkets, as well as being sold au naturel.

I was in the supermarket this morning and noticed that they had two varieties of the regular garlic. The first was labelled 白蒜 (Mand: bái suàn; Cant: baak6 syun3 ), 'white garlic'. The second was 香蒜 (Mand: xiāng suàn; Cant: hoeng1 syun3), where 香 means 'fragrant; sweet-smelling; aromatic; scented; savoury; appetizing; perfume or spice' among others. I had just bought a batch of the single headed variety in the farmer's market, so passed on these. I may do a taste test in the future to see what the difference is, if any.

I eat them cold. As they are meant to be eaten. 😄 Yes, I usually make them with quail eggs, but this time used chicken's eggs because that was what I had on a torrentially rainy day and I wasn't going out to restock.

Beautiful.

Home made scotch egg (chicken's) with 酸梅酱 suān méi jiàng - sour plum sauce.

While on the subject of garlic, I will mention that we do, of course, get regular garlic. In Chinese, 大蒜 (Mand: dà suàn; Cant: daai6 syun3). In fact, a lot of what may be available to you may be Chinese garlic. I find it milder in taste to that we get in Europe. In addition, we get this single headed garlic known as 独蒜 (Mand: dú suàn; Cant: duk6 syun3) from Yunnan province. This is my go to garlic. Easier to peel, chop and crush. One head is the equivalent of two or three cloves. Both varieties are also available as black fermented garlic. 黑蒜 (Mand: hēi suàn; Cant: hak1 syun3). for the regular variety. and 黑独蒜 (Mand: hēi dú suàn; Cant: hak1 duk6 syun3) for the single headed type.

Now, I get confused. These are described locally as 蒜苗 (Mand: suàn miáo; Cant: syun3 miu4), which translates as garlic shoots. To give you an idea of scale, those tiles are 51cm / 20 inches square. Hmm. Most suspicious. Look more like scallion/green onion/spring onion to me. To compound my suspicions, we also get these. 蒜芯 (Mand: suàn xīn; Cant: syun3 sam1) or garlic scapes. Surely if garlic has 'scapes' it can't have 'shoots'. But what do I know? I am a linguist not a botanist. It all 'scapes me.

Allium tuberosum 韭菜 (Mand: jiǔ cài; Cant: gau2 coi3) is known by several names in English including garlic chives, Oriental garlic, Asian chives, Chinese chives, Chinese leek etc. These also come in two other forms. Those above are the leafy stems. Left to grow a little. they develop flower buds. At this stage, they are sold as 韭花 (Mand: jiǔ huā; Cant: gau2 faa1) where 花 means 'flower'. Then we have 韭黄 (Mand: jiǔ huáng; Cant: gau2 wong4), which are the stems of the same plant, but grown under reduced light conditions so that they do not develop the green colour, but are yellow, the meaning of 黄. To my palate and nose, this technique also increases the garlic flavour and scent considerably. This is a good thing in my book. All of these forms are used to finish off stir fries and also frequently added to various forms of dumplings, especially jiaozi. I've seen the green stems pickled like kimchi and been served the yellow ones just as a vegetable side dish. Also, the green stems (first picture) are often grilled over charcoal at road side stalls and sold for next to nothing. You can see them in the image below, taken at a roadside grill place in Nanning, Guangxi. Finally, they are used in pancakes in the same manner as scallion pancakes.

Actually, I usually make them with quail eggs, too. These were simply seasoned salt with black pepper (lots). More usually, I add white pepper and chilli flakes to the pork casing. I've also used ground cumin and coriander seed on occasion. I also, make them with a mix of pork and blood sausage. Back in England, I would add various spices and herbs I can't get here. Or make them with sausage meat which was already flavoured.

Although, it is good to be healthy, it is not good to be obsessive about it. One "unhealthy meal" in a while won't hurt. And having been looking at vegetables all week for the Chinese vegetable topic, I avoided them tonight (except potatoes which are for the duration awarded an honorary exemption from vegetable-ness). Home made Scotch eggs (chicken eggs) and chips. There are two more in the fridge for later. 6,666

Look what I've done to my local store in order to bring you this topic! 9 am. 5 pm. Actually, it's not down to me or you. It's like this every day. This is one of five vegetable shelving areas. They all look much the same.

Allium ampeloprasum These are, of course, what I, and probably you, call leeks. One of my favourite vegetables. In my local supermarkets, they are 大葱/大蔥 (Mand: dà cōng; Cant: daai6 cung1), which means 'big onion'. There are also what are sometimes known as Chinese leeks. I'll get to them tomorrow.

They are, I believe, chickens used in egg production. When their ovaries pack in and they stop laying, they are sold as you describe. I don't know your store, but that's certainly what they are here. They certainly make better soups and stocks.

Allium Chinense 荞头/蕎頭 (Mand: qiáo tóu; Cant: kiu4 tau4) are also known in English as Chinese bulbous onions, Chinese onion,[Chinese scallion, glittering chive, Japanese scallion, Jiangxi scallion, and Oriental onion. They are mildly flavoured. The bulbs are also often pickled and served at the start of banquets and wedding feasts to keep you going until all the guests arrive. I use the pickled onions a lot in a non-Chinese way - with cheese and in sandwiches. Good with chicken liver pâté, too. I have no respect.

Time now for onions and related items. What we call onions is not always what the Chinese call onions. The base word for 'onion' in Chinese is 葱/蔥 (Mand: cōng; Cant: cung1), but used on its own, it refers not to what you may call an onion, but to a 'leek'. What I call an onion is referred to as 洋葱/洋蔥 (Mand: yáng cōng; Cant: joeng4 cung1). They are common enough here, but 20 years ago they were very difficult to find. We nearly always only get red onions, but occasionally white onions turn up (as they did last week for a few days). The next few entries will help us 'know our onions', Chinese style. There will be tears before bedtime.

Dicliptera Chinensis Chinese foldwing is a Chinese herb/vegetable. Known locally as 羊肝菜 (Mand: yáng gān cài; Cant: joeng4 gon1 coi3), literally ‘sheep liver vegetable’, it is also known as 猪肝菜 (Mand: zhū gān cài; Cant: zyu1 gon1 coi3)or ‘pig’s liver vegetable’ among several other names. Despite this liverish nomenclature, it is used as a herb in traditional Chinese medicine to ‘strengthen’ the kidneys, as well as for colds and fevers and “men’s problems”, whatever they may be. It is also used stir fried as a green vegetable or in soups.

Came across a slightly different variety of round cabbage, this morning. 铁头白菜/鐵頭白菜 (Mand: tiě tóu bāo cài; Cant: tit3 tou2 baau1 coi3), literally iron (or hard) head cabbage. Mr Google knows nothing about it and so, neither do I. I don't suppose it is much different from the regular ones.

A belated obituary from the New York Times. Interesting. Overlooked No More: Yamei Kin, the Chinese Doctor Who Introduced Tofu to the West Her Wikipedia entry is worth a read, too.

'In the market today, 青李 qīng lǐ or 'green plums'. Didn't buy any. They were rock hard and I'm not sure if they are very late or very early in terms of seasonality. Pretty though.

Nasturtium officinale This is another one which I never associated with Chinese cuisine until I came here. It seems the Chinese agree with me. The most common name is 西洋菜 (Mand: xī yáng cài; Cant: sai1 joeng4 coi3), which simply means "Western vegetable'. What we are talking about is watercress. Despite the Latin name, this has no relationship to the flowers commonly referred to as nasturtiums. Alternative Chinese names are 豆瓣菜 (Mand: dòu bàn cài; Cant: dau6 baan6*2) and 水田芥 (Mand: shuǐ tián jiè; Cant: seoi2 tin4 gaai3), the latter meaning 'paddy field mustard'. In Cantonese, 西洋菜 (Mand: xī yáng cài; Cant: sai1 joeng4 coi3) is also slang for 'foreign girl or young woman '. The things you learn on eGullet! It is mainly fried with garlic, like so many greens, or used in soups, particularly those made from pork bones. I have never seen it in salads or seen a bowl of green watercress soup like I know (and make). However it also comes dried to add to soups, and even with all the ingredients you need except water is a 'soup mix' pack. I've never gone there. Dried Watercress Watercress soup mix

Ipomoea aquatica Next is what I'm sure is the most popular. In every restaurant you hear people asking the wait staff "有什么青菜 (yǒu shén me qīng cài)？ What greens do you have?" The answer always includes, or may even be limited to "空心菜 (Mand: kōng xīn cài; Cant: hung1 sam1 coi3)." This one also probably has the most alternative names. In English , water spinach, river spinach, morning glory, water morning glory, water convolvulus, Chinese spinach, Chinese Watercress, Chinese convolvulus, swamp cabbage, ong choy or kangkong. In Mandarin Chinese, 空心菜 (kōng xīn cài), 通菜 (tōng cài), 通心菜 (tōng xīn cài), 壅菜 (yōng cài), 瓮菜 (wèng cài), 应菜 (yìng cài), 藤菜 (téng cài), 瓮菜及葛菜 (wèng cài jí gé cài), among others. 空心菜 (Mand: kōng xīn cài; Cant: hung1 sam1 coi3) literally translates as 'hollow heart vegetable' to reflect its hollow stems. Mildly flavoured. this one is, like so many, simply stir fried with garlic and maybe chilli, preferably in lard.