Visitors to Yunnan Province in southern China are inevitably intrigued by its food. Because of Yunnan’s unique climate and geographic location, many ingredients used in its cuisine, especially those wild vegetables, flowers, and spices, are hard to find elsewhere, making its cooking truly distinctive and local.
Luckily, some of Yunnan’s signature dishes […]
Cooler temperature in September means you can start to apply more cooking methods to vegetables, in addition to grilling or making simple salads.
Take radishes for example, although most people consider them raw-only vegetables, they are actually fantastic when cooked. Heat tames their peppery taste, and turns their texture from crunchy into […]
Daylilies are appealing not only to the eye, but also to the taste buds. Native to Asia, daylilies have been used in Chinese cooking for centuries.
To be precise, I’m talking about dried daylily buds here. When used in cooking, they are often called Huang Hua Cai (黄花菜) in […]
Mugwort is not for everyone, and probably will never be.
The bitter taste in mugwort can turn away many people. But for those of us who find bitterness a desirable element in balanced flavors, mugwort is a nice addition to the list of bitter and lovely vegetables, including arugula, cardoons, endives, dandelion […]
Eating spring pancakes (春饼) is a time-honored tradition in northern China, to celebrate the arrival of spring and pray for a good harvest. A bite of the pancake symbolizes a bite of spring (咬春).
The truth is, when you use the warm and soft hand-made pancake to wrap around seasoning vegetables together […]
Asparagus is synonymous with spring, and it tastes the best during their prime season, which starts in April.
There is nothing better than seeing those bright green spears at the local farmers’ market. Their tenderness and sweetness remind us why eating food that is local and in season is one of greatest […]
To say that loofah (aka luffa) is an interesting gourd is an understatement.
When loofah is allowed to fully ripen and dry out on the vine, it becomes fibrous and is used as natural bath sponge which most people are familiar with. However, when picked young, it’s a vegetable used throughout Asia […]
Fried rice is the kind of dish that can be made year-round and always satisfies, especially when you adapt it with seasonal vegetables that match the weather.
For my springtime fried rice, I like to use spinach and peas, both emblematic of the season. The spinach leaves give the rice an intriguing […]
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