Plant Lovers! Rejoice!

Speaking of Sichuan, the first word coming into our mind is always “yummy”. But mainstream yummy food is not recommended today, what is going to be showcased, are EDIBLE WILD PLANTS!!

Top One: the most controversial delicacy

As what have been mentioned frequently in previous articles, Sichuanese are always talented in combining different materials and create delicacies that always beyond your imagination. The same applies to plants.

And the most controversial one, is fish mint. It is also called Yuxingcao, a fishy-smelling herb which is very popular among people in southeastern China.

Fish mint salad with pork

You can ONLY find fish mint in Southwest China including such as Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou. And the extent of how Sichuanese love it equals how people from other places dislike it. It’s really difficult to find a Sichuanese saying that he or she do NOT like fish mint, but it’s often listed among the top 10 most disgusting vegetables in China and considered as a nightmare. Anyway, it is really worth a try!

Top Two: the signal of spring

March and April is the season for Shepherd’s Purse, also known as Capsella bursa-pastoris. It can be found everywhere in the field, with the fields of crops and vegetables beginning to flourish.

Shepherd’s Purse

People like to use shepherd’s purse to make steamed stuffed buns and dumplings. It is easy to mix the plant with meat, but the fat of the meat and the unique clear aroma of plants will be blended and penetrated into the bun, offering you a rich and savoury eating experience.

Steamed stuffed bun with Shepherd’s Purse and meat

Top Three: the child of mountains

The word “wild” is a compliment in Sichuan to describe the fragrance of spring as well as the unique taste of some cuisine. The bracken fern grows on slopes in the mountains where sunshine is favoured and the soil is ‘born’ to be moist and fertile.

Bracken Fern

The edible part is the fresh leaf buds, which will give foodies a light and smooth taste. Mixed with spices, it is cool and refreshing and a rare and excellent wine dish.

Bracken fern salad

These wild greens set off the curtain of spring, rousing the appetite of the Chinese people and comfort our rumbling stomach. Not only meat and mainstream vegetables can enrich our dinner table, but edible wild plants also have their own charm in giving people the possibility to create and to improve our cuisine.

Tasting them, or cooking them in a different way, is a unique experience in your journey of exploring delicacies in China, for these greens symbolizes the irreplaceable culinary joy for people in the spring breeze.

See you next time, and today, You Look Yummy!