liuzhou

Eagle eyes!

Squid, sugar snap peas, garlic, ginger, chilli, Shaoxing wine, scallions with cuttlefish ink pasta. No corn!

What is it with you guys? I've always been nice to you! Why are you doing this to me? Popcorn? I'd rather eat deep fried bees! Oh! I have done! Available at a cinema not very near you!

Corn pretending not to be corn! Shouldn't be allowed.

Here people just chuck the husks on the floor. Yes, we also get the plastic wrapped stuff. When I say we, I mean them!

This is going to be traumatic, but I guess I have to do it. Zea mays You can call it corn or maize or anything else you like. I don't care. I call it 'revolting'. It never darkens my door or abuses my palate. Wretched stuff. But for the sake of completeness... In Chinese, 玉米 (Mand: yù mǐ; Cant: juk6/6*1 mai5) or, less often, 粟米 (Mand: sù mǐ; Cant: suk1 mai5). Two main varieties are sold. The regular yellow stuff as pictured above but also a white variety called 糯玉米 (Mand: nuò yù mǐ; Cant: no6 juk6/6*1 mai5), which means 'glutinous corn'. This foul abomination does come in various colours, but the most prized, I'm told, is black. See! I told you! The work of the devil. If you are too lazy to strip the ears from the cobs, worry not. You can also buy pre-stripped ears. One problem the troubled people who actually buy this stuff have is that in supermarkets and markets it is usually shelved un-husked, so they have to stand there and strip it to see exactly which type of hell they are facing. For the terminally lazy who can't be bothered to cook, evil street vendors littering every corner serve up cobs of vileness steamed over mobile stoves. This pestilence turns up everywhere. Corn in stir-fries, soups, hot pots. Corn randomly appearing on your plate on internal and international flights.. Corn ice cream! I kid you not. But most aggravatingly disgusting is that they throw corn kernels into all their pizzas. Even the friggin' wretched durian pizzas come with corn! Perhaps the only sensible use they make of it is corn oil, a very suitable emollient with which to lubricate the chain of your bicycle etc, but apparently they cook with it! I need a lie down and some major therapy now. Back soon with something edible.

Colocasia esculenta Despite the indifference to the potato in China, there is one root vegetable they have taken to in a big way. Taro. In Chinese, 芋头/芋頭 (Mand: yù tóu; Cant: wu6 tau4*2). This is boiled, steamed (sometimes with sugar), braised or fried. It also appears in hot pots and soups. There are also a number of desserts which feature taro in the form of cakes and pies, often served as dim sum. McDonald's China also sell taro pies. A favourite local use is in a dish called 扣肉 (Mand: kòu ròu; Cant: kau3 juk6), literally 'upside down bowl meat), in which slices of taro are interleaved with slices of fatty pork belly, placed in a bowl and steamed. The bowl is then inverted onto a serving plate. The full process is explained in great detail over here. Baby taro is also available. These are a bit bigger than we usually get. Wrong time of year.

Tonight. 青椒肉片 (qīng jiāo ròu piàn) - Pork with green chillies. I threw in a small red one too as the green ones are a bit tame for my asbestos mouth. Pork slices marinated in the usual: Shaoxing wine, garlic, ginger, red chilli and potato starch. Stir fried with the green chillies. Finished with a splash of soy sauce and sesame oil. Served with rice and wilted spinach. I don't know what these large green chillies might equate to in American (or any other) terms, if anything. I only know the Chinese name which helpfully means 'green chillies'. They are fairly mild until one day one of them sneaks up and sends your head and mouth cutting around the cosmic.

I did ask around when I was in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) back in May, but got nowhere.. Sorry, I forgot to tell you at the time. But, don't give up!

Asparagus officinalis For the first 15 years I lived in China, I never saw asparagus once. Then about 5 or 6 years ago it began to appear sporadically. Now it is everywhere and China has become, by far, the world's largest producer. Other names in English include sparrowgrass and sprue, although the latter is usually only used for inferior straggly stalks. My son, as a child, called it 'sparrow juice', which remains a family tradition. In Chinese, it's 芦笋 (Mand: lú sǔn; Cant: lou4 seon2), literally 'reed' bamboo'. This causes all sorts of confusion. Most Chinese friends are convinced it's a type of bamboo, despite it being totally unrelated. I've only ever seen it being stir fried in Chinese cuisine. Being from the UK, I know that the best asparagus (and my 100% favourite vegetable) is English asparagus, only available from April 23rd until mid-summer's day. End of argument.

Busy day. Needed a quick lunch. Microwave baked potato with canned baked beans. 10 minutes. Sorted.

Wild shrimp in a fish stock with garlic, ginger, white pepper, fresh ramen noodles and spinach. I plated the solids separately first to let you see them, then added the broth.

Solanum tuberosum, the humble potato, spud, tattie, tater. China also has. In fact China is the leading producer of potatoes, with 26% of the supply (2016). There are many different names in Chinese for the tuber of the potato plant, but the most common are 马铃薯 (Mand: mǎ líng shǔ; Cant: maa5 ling4 syu4*2), literally 'horse bell potato'), 土豆 (Mand: tǔ dòu; Cant: tou2 dau6*2), literally 'earth bean', and 洋芋 (Mand: yáng yù; Cant: joeng4 wu6), literally 'foreign tuber'. I am frustrated by Chinese potatoes. They only have one unidentified variety. In fact, many of my otherwise knowledgeable Chinese friends find my telling them that there are hundreds somewhat ridiculous. We get them both as regular sized spuds and as baby potatoes. Those we get are a waxy variety - the least useful in my opinion. However, there is no incentive for them to experiment with other varieties. Potatoes have long been considered 'peasant food' and beneath the dignity of the aspiring classes. That has changed ever so slightly since the introduction of fries through KFC and McDonald's etc, although those companies grow their own potatoes which are not sold directly to the public. One of my abiding memories of my first few months in China is serving chips/fries to some new Chinese friends and before I could stop them they sprinkled sugar all over them! There is however, one Chinese potato dish which I do like. 酸辣土豆丝/酸辣土豆絲 (Mand:suān là tǔ dòu sī; Cant: syun1 laat6 tou2 dau6*2 si1), 'hot and sour potato slivers'. Originally from Sichuan, but available all over China. Potatoes and carrots are finely slivered and stir fried with chilli, then dressed in white wine vinegar. Markets and some supermarkets sell the vegetables pre-cut, just for this dish. It is the only one most people know. Pre-wrapped potato and carrot slivers Then there is the wonderful Muslim dish from China's troubled Xinjiang Province, 大盘鸡/大盤雞 (Mand: dà pán jī; Cant: daai6 pun4 gai1). This is a stew of chicken and potatoes served over noodles. Wonderful. In addition the potato is an important product for the manufacture of potato starch - 马铃薯淀粉/馬鈴薯澱粉(Mand: mǎ líng shǔ diàn fěn; Cant: maa5 ling4 syu4*2 din6 fan2), used as a thickening agent in many parts of China, particularly Sichuan.

Talking of sprouts, we also, of course, get beansprouts. In Chinese, 豆苗 (Mand: dòu miáo; Cant: dau6 miu4) or 豆芽 (Mand: dòu yá; Cant: dau6*2 ngaa4). These generally come in two varieties: 'yellow' and 'green'. The 'yellow' one' are sprouted soy beans (Glycine max ). They are 黄豆芽 (Mand: huáng dòu yá; Cant: wong4 dau6 ngaa4), literally 'yellow bean sprout' or 大豆芽 (Mand: dà dòu yá; Cant: daai6 dau6*2 ngaa4), literally 'big bean sprout. The 'green' are mung bean sprouts. Vigna radiata. 绿豆芽/綠豆芽 (Mand: lǜ dòu yá; Cant: luk6 dau6 ngaa4), literally 'green bean sprout'. Both types of bean sprouts are used in stir fries, with fried noodles, in soups, hot pots, spring rolls etc. They are always cooked.

Thanks. Yes, they have a mild peanut flavour.

Way back when, in this post, I mentioned the dried version of these. A couple of days ago, the fresh ones turned up in one of the local supermarkets. Hericium erinaceus 狮头菇 (shī tóu gū), 'lion head mushroom' or 猴头菇 (hóu tóu gū), 'monkey head mushroom' in Chinese. In English, lion's mane mushroom, monkey head mushroom, bearded tooth mushroom, satyr's beard, bearded hedgehog mushroom, pom pom mushroom, or bearded tooth fungus.

To be honest, the chances of you earning money from such a niche interest is negligible, either through a blog or a book. Do it out of love for the subject, which I think is very worthy.

Solanum melongena Here is another that I never associated with China until coming here. Again it turns out that China grows most of the world's supply - 62% in 2016. I am talking aubergine or eggplant. Being British/French , I default to 'aubergine' from the French, but here I will force myself to use 'eggplant'. not out of deference to sensitive members, but because it is shorter and I'm going to have to type it a lot. 😄 In Chinese, it's 茄子 (Mand: qié zi; Cant: ke4*2 zi2). Technically it's a fruit or berry, but always treated as a vegetable, so here it is. China being in Asia, we usually get the long slim Asian variety. That said, other varieties do turn up on occasion. My local supermarket had three, today - the ones above and these round ones... and these Sadly we do not get the white variety, 白茄子 (Mand: bái qié zi; Cant: baak6 ke4*2 zi2) here, although I've seen them in Hong Kong. Nor do we get the mini Thai eggplants which I love so much, 迷你茄子 (Mand: mí nǐ qié zi; Cant: mai4 nei5 ke4*2 zi). You will notice that the Chinese name includes a Chinese phonetic equivalent if the English 'mini". Eggplants are used in many dishes, but there are two dishes which are well known throughout China. The first, eggplant with minced/ground pork is either 茄子肉末 (Mand: qié zi ròu mò; Cant: ke4*2 zi2 juk6 mut6) or 肉末茄子 (Mand: ròu mò qié zi; Cant: juk6 mut6 ke4*2 zi2). The names indicate which ingredient is predominant. The first indicates that the dish has more egg plant than minced pork, the second the reverse. Some restaurants have both on their menus. The second is 鱼香茄子/魚香茄子 (Mand: yú xiāng qié zi; Cant: jyu4*2 hoeng1 ke4*2 zi2), which translates as 'fish-flavour eggplant'. It contains no fish. In fact, it's vegan in its traditional form. The moniker just means that it is cooked with the flavourings usually used with fish. Many online recipes for these two dishes conflate them into one, but they are from two distinct Chinese cuisines and have very different flavours. The first is from eastern China, especially Hangzhou near Shanghai; the second is from Sichuan. In Yunnan province , the Dai ethnic minority often roast eggplants. Delicious. Eggplant leaves and flowers are not edible and even handling them can cause nasty skin reactions. Eaten in large quantities the leaves are poisonous.

Oh yes. We get the Skippy brand, but also local types. They call that one peanut sauce, but it's peanut butter, really. But it's not a big thing here.

I had a rather large and carbohydrate heavy lunch, so I passed on them for dinner. Pan fried duck breast over a raw spinach salad with fresh lion's mane mushrooms* sautéed in the rendered duck fat. In Chinese the mushrooms are 狮头菇 shī tóu gū, which translates as 'lion's head mushrooms'. I usually only get them dried, but the market had them fresh this morning.

I decided, when I started this, not to include nuts, so I feel no shame in bringing you this. Arachis hypogaea I suppose most people associate peanuts with the USA, especially the south. Well, they certainly originated in S. America (not south-USA) and are widely consumed in the US, but by far, China is the largest producer today. Whatever you call them - peanuts, ground nuts, earth nuts, monkey nuts, pygmy nuts, pig nuts or goobers, the one thing for sure is that they aren’t nuts. Rather, they are a legume or bean. But hey, as Juliet said, what’s in a name? Peanuts, in Chinese 花生 (Mand: huā shēng; Cant: faa1 sang1), are so important to the cuisine here that it is difficult to imagine what they did before they were introduced by Portuguese traders in the 17th century. Much of China's production goes to cooking oil. Peanut oil is the oil of choice around this part of China. Peanuts are available everywhere. But I have to be careful. Sometimes they are just peanuts in the shell. Other times they have been boiled. I can’t deal with the boiled ones. They feel all wrong. Peanuts in bags from supermarkets are usually just regular peanuts in the shell. Those from street vendors have nearly always been boiled. Don’t ask me why – just one of those Chinese things. You can usually tell by looking. The boiled ones have damp looking slimy surface to the shells. Apart from the regular in-shell nuts, we can also sometimes find what are one of my favourites. Red mud peanuts 红泥花生/红泥花生 (Mand: hóng ní huā shēng; Cant: hung4 nai4 faa1 sang1)! These have been “cured” by being buried in a muddy red paste of unidentifiable ingredients then baked until the shells turn red and the ‘nuts’ take on a pleasant earthy taste. These are good (in my humble). Another oddity is a peculiar strain of peanut in which the bean is absolutely black. Nothing has been done to these - that is just they way they are. Black peanuts – 黑花生 (Mand: hēi huā shēng; Cant: hak1 faa1 sang1). They taste exactly the same as the regular ones. But the nuts nearest my heart are these. Known in Chinese as 酒鬼花生 Mand: jiǔ guǐ huā shēng; Cant: zau2 gwai2 faa1 sang1) or sometimes 啤酒花生 (Mand: pí jiǔ huā shēng; Cant: be1 zau2 faa1 sang1 which translate as “drunkard’s peanuts” or “beer peanuts”, these are right up my street. Basically they are what I consider to be regular roasted and salted peanuts, but they come in two varieties – plain but salted and salted and spicy. I tend to buy a bag of each and mix them 50:50. They are available in every supermarket and corner shop. It isn't obligatory to drink beer with them, but heartily recommended. As well as being eaten with beer or as snacks, peanuts feature in a number of confectionery items and in cooked dishes, such as stir fries and most famously the Sichuan favourite, 宫保鸡丁/宮保雞丁 (Mand: gōng bǎo jī dīng; Cant: gung1 bou2 gai1 ding1), known in the west as ‘Kungpo Chicken’. They also turn up in many soupy noodle dishes. Less well known is that peanuts can be sprouted just like any other bean and served as a vegetable, which is my justification for posting this here. Raw Stir fried. Back to more regular vegetation, tomorrow.

If you are wondering what those are, then you know how I felt when I first encountered them. After doing some research, to my great surprise, I found they are native to a huge stretch of land starting in Ireland and heading all the way to Japan, then veering south through China, Vietnam and hopping to Australia, at some point passing my original home, the UK. I first saw them in Hunan, China. They are the tubers of Sagittaria sagittifolia, apparently known in English as 'arrowheads', on account of their shape. In Chinese, they are 慈菇 (Mand: cí gū; Cant: ci4 gu1). They are referred to in some older books as Chinese potatoes. This aquatic root vegetable has little taste but is valued in Chinese cuisine for its texture ( and some supposed , fanciful, magical health benefits). Unlike most root vegetables it remains crisp even after long boiling. Mainly used in hot pots and soups. Very traditional at Chinese New Year.

No! Those are horrible! I don't have arthritis, but NO!

1-10-10 brined chicken breast with white wine steamed clams, ginger and garlic; baked mushrooms with scallions. R.ice. Didn't get the sear I wanted on the chicken, but tasted just fine.

The owner and manager of an Indian take away restaurant in the UK have been found guilty of manslaughter after a young woman died from an allergic reaction to their food. In English law this comes under the definition of gross negligence manslaughter where The full story is here. Sentencing will be on November 7th..