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).
