liuzhou

Has it been opened? If so, it will be somewhat oxidised. It won't kill you, but the flavour won't be at its best. If it's unopened it should be OK.

All red peppers were green once.

Another widely available chilli is this one known as 美人椒 (Mand: měi rén jiāo; Cant: mei5 jan4 ziu), which means 'beautiful person/people chilli). Chinese seldom does plurals. As with the English, 美 when applied to people almost always means females, so 'beautiful woman/women chilli'. No one has ever been able enlighten me to the origin of the name. But, in Hunan young girls are often referred to as 湖南辣妹 (hú nán là mèi), meaning Hunan hot sister. Whether this is due to their love of chillies or their attractiveness is not for me to say! It is a different 'mei', but the connection is not lost on the Chinese. About 8 inches/20cmlong. Mid-hot. Sometimes, I get the red ones fresh, but not always. The dried red ones are available all year round. Along with the facing heaven variety above, these are always in my kitchen, both fresh green and dried red. They are used in stir fries, hot pots, stews and braises etc. The red are also sold ground and flaked. Flaked Beautiful Women!

Yes, "No". Anyway, he was from Venice, not Vienna!

A quick lunch. Spicy stir-fried pork with asparagus. Rice.

I bought these "Vienna Flavor" sausages more out of curiosity than hope. I have no idea what they have to with Vienna. Or Marco Polo. They also had a "Milan Flavour" version. The ingredients lists for both were identical. Anyway, for an industrial sausage, they aren't bad, at all. This morning fried with fried egg and buttered home made bread toast.

Here's a beauty for you. These are 海南黄灯笼椒 (Mand: hǎi nán huáng dēng lóng jiāo; Cant: hoi2 naam4 wong4 dang1 lung4 ziu1), meaning Hainan Yellow Lantern Chillies or 黄帝椒 (Mand: huáng dì jiāo; Cant: wong4 dai3 zui1)meaning Yellow Emperor Chillies. These mainly grow on China's island province of Hainan in the south, hence the name. However, they also grow around here, but in small quantities. Sadly, I rarely see them. They are about 2-4 inches 5.7cm lengthwise. Most of the production goes into making bottled yellow chilli sauce, used as a condiment or dip. It is HOT!

Another popular chilli pepper is this green one. I'm told it looks like hatch or Anaheim peppers, but never having eaten those, I can't be sure how they compare in taste or heat. They aren't particularly hot (although occasionally one can surprise you) and taste vegetal. The peppers are around 7-8 inches/18-20cm long. In Chinese, they are usually just labelled 青椒 (Mand: qīng jiāo; Cant: ceng1 ziu1), which just means green peppers. This name is also used for other varieties, especially the dreaded green bell pepper. So, when necessary to be more precise, they are 青尖椒 (Mand: qīng jiān jiāo; Cant: ceng1 zim1 ziu1) , meaning green pointed peppers. These often feature in two particular ways. First they are sliced and stir fried to make 青椒肉片 (Mand: qīng jiāo ròu piàn; Cant: ceng1 ziu1 juk6 pin3*2) . The second is to stuff them with seasoned ground pork. Many supermarkets sell them pre-stuffed to save you time. They are usually fried, but can also be steamed. I sometimes place them on top of the uncooked rice in the rice cooker and proceed as normal. By the time the rice is ready, the peppers are done. They are often served with this red chilli sauce, but I've also had them with a black vinegar dressing.

Yes, applies to all of south-east and southern Asia. But then again, think of Italian food without tomatoes or Irish without potatoes. Same thing. World food was so different after the so-called "discovery" of the Americas.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? I'm going to be picking away at the peppers we get here in southern China. The general term of peppers is 椒 (Mand: jiāo; Cant: ziu1), but just like the English word pepper, it is used for many different species of plant. Your ordinary black pepper, Sichuan peppercorns and the capsicums among others. I'm going to be looking at the capsicums here, because they are the ones used as vegetables. The hot chillies are referred to as 辣椒 (Mand: là jiāo; Cant: laat6 ziu1), 辣 meaning 'hot' in the sense of 'spicy'. I'll only be giving the Chinese name for a few of them, as some are local cultivars and some I just plain don't know what they are. I'm starting by looking to heaven for aid and inspiration. When you think how much of China’s cuisine uses the various chilli peppers, it is impossible not to wonder what they did before these were introduced by the Portuguese relatively recently. Sichuan food is particularly well known for its liberal use of chillies, but Hunan probably uses more. Here in northern Guangxi and neighbouring Guizhou province they are freely used too. Of course, as elsewhere, chilli peppers come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colours and degrees of ‘heat’. One of my favourites are the (originally) Sichuanese 朝天椒 (Mand: cháo tiān jiāo; Cant: ziu1ceng1 ziu1), often translated as ‘Facing Heaven Peppers’. These are more commonly known in Liuzhou as 指天椒 (Mand: zhǐ tiān jiāo; Cant: zi2 tin1 ziu1), which I will translate as ‘Point to the Sky Peppers’. The names all come from the fact that, on the bush, the chillies literally point skyward, rather than hang down as do most other pepper varieties. I grow these on my balcony, but they are easily available everywhere - markets, supermarkets and convenience stores. Here the fresh ones are used in all sorts of dishes. Stir fries, braises, soups, hot pots. They are also used with garlic and ginger in and on whole fish for steaming. In Sichuan, the chillies are nearly always used in the dried form. They are available in small bags of around 50 grams. They are not particularly hot, but Sichuan cuisine uses them in huge quantities. One of my favourite dishes, 辣子鸡 (Mand: là zi jī; Cant: laat6 zi2 gai1) uses the full 50g or more in one dish consisting of only two chicken breasts. There is less than 20g of the things in the picture below. The chillies are not actually eaten but impart a wonderful flavour to the dish. I’ve also had ribs cooked in this style and once or twice subbed rabbit for the chicken. They are also used in the 'authentic' version of that restaurant favourite 宫保鸡丁 (Mand: gōng bǎo jī dīng; Cant: gung1 bou2 gai1 ding1) known in the west as Gongbao chicken or Kung Po Chicken. The younger green chillies, are also sometimes available, but don't seem to get dried. At least, I've only ever seen them fresh or pickled. These are known as 米指天椒 (Mand: mǐ zhǐ tiān jiāo; Cant: mai5 zi2 tin1 ziu1) or just 米椒 (Mand: mǐ jiāo; Cant: mai5 ziu1), although other unrelated peppers can also be called 米椒. 米 literally means ‘rice’ but is also used to to mean ‘small’ or ‘baby (as in immature)’. Finally for now, there is a white variety, which I always buy when I can. Unfortunately, it isn't always around. More to come

@Anna N Well, just typical. I went to four different places and not one had the red variety today. They all did two days ago. I'll grab some next time I see them. Probably soon. In the meantime, however, I did see a white variety. I have seen it before, but it's less common. I'm adding to the original relevant post now.

No problem. I want to know, too. Anyway, they are very cheap and I need to eat my greens. Or reds.

Good question to which I don't know the answer. I've never cooked the red ones. But I will buy some tomorrow and get back to you!

Glycine max I can't really mention China and beans without mentioning soy, or soya beans. In Chinese 黄豆 (Mand: huáng dòu; Cant: wong4 dau6), yellow beans or 大豆 (Mand: dà dòu; Cant: daai6 dau6*2), large beans. regular and black soy beans Most of China's own production, and the huge amount they import, goes into soy cooking oil - 大豆油 (Mand: dà dòu yóu; Cant: daai6 dau6*2 jau4), tofu - 豆腐 (Mand: dòu fǔ; Cant: dau6 fu6); soy sauce - Mand: 酱油 (jiàng yóu); Cant: 豉油 (si6 jau4/4*2), etc. A large amount also goes to livestock feed. Soy Bean Paste (L: Spicy R: Regular) However, there are some uses as vegetables. 毛豆 (Mand: máo dòu; Cant: mou4 dau6*2), literally 'hairy' or 'furry beans' are the immature bean pods, which many know as 枝豆 edamame, the Japanese name. raw cooked Also available are soy bean sprouts - 大豆牙 (Mand: dà dòu yá; Cant: daai6 dau6*2 ngaa4), raised and used just as any other bean sprout. There is also a black strain of soy bean, 黑豆 (Mand: hēi dòu; Cant: hak1 dau6*2). These are salted and fermented to make 豆豉 (Mand: dòu chǐ; Cant: dau6 si6), fermented black beans as used in many dishes. Note that bottled black bean sauce is not available in any stores here; people make their own using the beans directly in the wok as they cook the dish.

Aaaaagh! Who mentioned that four letter word, "c#%n"? Yes, corn meal is easily available. It does not enter my home or stomach. Yes, green beans are stir fried.

(Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis) Although yardlong beans were included in the previous post, they are more usually known here as 豆角 (Mand: dòu jiǎo; Cant: dau6 gok3). Alternative English names include asparagus bean,long-podded cowpea, Chinese long bean, bodi/bora,] snake bean, and pea bean. We get three varieties here. 青豆角 (Mand: qīng dòu jiǎo; Cant: cing1 dau6 gok3), green beans: 红豆角/紅豆角 (Mand: hóng dòu jiǎo; Cant: hung4 dau6 gok3), red beans: and, 白豆角 (Mand: bái dòu jiǎo; Cant: baak6 dau6 gok3), white beans. They are usually cut into bite size pieces and stir fried. They can also be found pickled and dried. Dried Long Beans

Today, I'm full of beans. Phaseolus vulgaris Green beans. 四季豆 (Mand: sì jì dòu; Cant: sei3 gwai3 dau6*2), literally 'four season beans. This covers many beans sold and consumed in the pod. It includes runner beans, yardlong bean*, and hyacinth beans. They are known by several English names, including French beans, string beans,[ snap beans, snaps, and sometimes by the French name haricots vert. China grows 80% of the world's green beans. And eats most of them itself. They are stir fried, pickled, and used in soups. * More on yardlong beans in the next post.

Yup, that was me. Weeks ago,

Yes. I get chicken livers easily too, which I use in various ways. I see fish livers, too. Not sure which fish. Never been down that road.

I love lamb's liver (and even better, calves') but both impossible to find here in southern China. I only get the pig liver. I used to buy beef liver to feed to my cat when I lived in Hunan. Never ate it myself.

What liver was it this time?

Camellia sinensis. 茶 (Mand: chá; Cant: caa4) Longjing Tea- 龙井茶 Yes, tea. You are probably thinking I've lost the plot. Tea a vegetable? Well, technically it is vegetation. So, why not eat it? Some people on the interwebs claim that it is unpleasant to eat. Bitter and indigestible. The Chinese are having none of that. Green tea, 绿茶 (Mand: lǜ chá; Cant: luk6 caa4) is used as a vegetable. One favourite is this shrimp and green tea dish. I first ate it 22 years ago in Hunan and my local Hunan restaurant has it on their menu. I occasionally make it, too. In Hangzhou in east China, the same dish is made using Dragon's Well Tea, 龙井茶/龍井茶 (Mand: lóng jǐng chá; Cant: lung4 zeng2 caa4) which grows just outside the city. That is what I used in the dish below. Tea is also used in baking such as in these sesame coated green tea cakes, made using a matcha-like preparation. We can also get Japanese matcha, 抹茶 (Mand: mā chá; Cant: mut3 caa4) in bakery supply stores. Jasmine tea leaves 茉莉花茶 (Mand: mò lì huā chá; Cant: mut6 lei6 faa1 caa4) are used to smoke duck in Sichuan's famous Smoked Tea Duck, 漳茶鸭子/漳茶鴨子 (Mand:zhāng chá yā ziá; Cant: zoeng1caa4 aap3 zi2).

Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench Okra, okro, ladies' fingers, bhindi. 秋葵 (Mand: qiū kuí; Cant: cau1 kwai4). For the first twenty years in China, I never saw fresh okra here. One shop occasionally had dried okra to be consumed as a snack. It did not rehydrate well, at all. Then two years ago it suddenly appeared. At first, the pods were way too old and long, meaning that the things were so stringy as to be inedible. Now, they've worked it out and every supermarket carries it. Which pleases me greatly, as I like it. I have no idea, though, how Chinese cooks use it. I'll ask. (I did enjoy a dish of grilled venison with grilled okra in Vietnam earlier this year.) Update: See this topic. There is also a red variety which we get from time to time. Sadly, it turns green when cooked.

I thought maybe Knorr was going into the seaweed business. Lunch today. 三鲜馄饨 (sān xiān hún tún). Three delicacy wonton soup. The delicacies being pork, shrimp and shiitake. With spinach in a home made silkie chicken broth. Not Knorr!

Thai red curry duck. Served with onion raita - yes, not Thai, but I had some home made yoghurt and why not? Served with wok-wilted spinach and rice.