Sneezing and drowsy, weak and longing for that warm, soft bed—what's going on with you? Could you be getting sick? It can't be that serious. It's just that your body is reminding you that spring has arrived, and it's time to change up your tastes and food! Spring has its signature foods, and eating them in season is the best way to shake off those lingering winter symptoms!
1st Star Player: Chives
Star Line: This is the "first vegetable of spring"! The ancient herbal classic, *Compendium of Materia Medica*, has long said: "Onions in the first lunar month, chives in the second." Of course, the *Compendium* follows the lunar calendar.
In spring, the liver's qi (vital energy) tends to become overly active, which can affect the digestive and absorption functions of the spleen and stomach. The focus of spring wellness is on nourishing the liver. Eating more chives at this time can strengthen the spleen and stomach's qi and enhance liver function. After a harsh winter of "conserving energy," the roots and stems of chives have stored a wealth of nutrients. At this time, the chive leaves are like jadeite, the roots like white jade, crisp, tender, delicious, and fragrant.
Goose Blood's Enhanced Benefits
Chives can be prepared in countless ways, but Liuhe Chami Xiang on Jinsui Road in Zhujiang New City uniquely chooses to braise it with goose blood. You ask why? Owner Chen explains the medicinal properties of this dish. Compared to the blood of other animals, goose blood's value lies in its ability to enhance the body's immunity and inhibit cancer. And this is no ordinary goose blood; it's from the Shitou goose, which has traveled over 6 hours from Chenghai, Shantou. The Shitou goose is China's "most powerful" goose, with a head as large as a lion's when fully grown. This goose blood must be quite " potent"! The goose blood used here is fresh, from geese slaughtered on the same day, and coagulated into clumps in warm salt water at 70°C. It must be braised over a low flame. If the heat is too high, the chives will become tough and lose their appeal.
The Perfect Match for Chive Cakes with Tea
In the Chaoshan region, the most common way to prepare chives is in chive cakes. In the past, it was common to see people pushing small carts to fry chive cakes fresh on the street, filling the air with a wonderful aroma. Some also call chive cakes "womi guo" (rice-less cakes), saying, "Chive cakes are a type of womi guo. Guo, according to dictionaries, is a rice-based food. Due to grain shortages in Chaoshan, women used sweet potato starch as a substitute." These chive cakes are indeed made from sweet potato starch, and you can savor the authentic flavor at Fuchao Xuan in Zhujiang New City. In Chef Peng's chive cakes, you can also taste the umami of shrimp. This is because the filling is first stir-fried with shiitake mushrooms and fresh shrimp before adding raw chives for flavor. The prepared filling is then wrapped in a sweet potato starch paste made with boiling water and steamed for about 8 minutes. The chives used are Chaoshan chives, which have a smoother texture without the fibrous residue of local Guangzhou varieties.
2nd Star Player: Gordon Euryale Seed (Fox Nut)
Star Line: The weather in the south is humid, and the body's internal dampness can be heavy, easily causing symptoms of spring fatigue like listlessness, insomnia, and vivid dreams. Eating more foods that expel dampness can help improve this condition. Gordon euryale seed is a food suitable for spring consumption, offering the therapeutic benefits of strengthening the spleen and expelling dampness. It is somewhat similar to a lotus seed, but its astringent and sedative effects are stronger.
When used in soups, gordon euryale seeds often "share the stage" with black rice. The time-honored Chaoshan cuisine restaurant Lao Haizi on Yuken Road, as well as Liuhe Chami Xiang and Fuchao Xuan, all make soups with gordon euryale seeds and black rice. Lao Haizi is very meticulous; the soup is served warm, with a stand perfectly sized for the bowl, heated by a red candle at the bottom. Although the ingredients in this soup are not all luxurious, it is heartwarming to drink. Ingredients like Job's tears, Jiangshu (a type of yam), and black rice are all excellent for spring, and a few small shrimp are added to bring out the sweetness. The Job's tears and Jiangshu are specially transported from the Chaoshan region. For instance, Jiangshu is only grown in the mountainous areas of some coastal regions in Chaoyang and Huilai, with thin, smooth skin and large, white flesh. In Shantou this season, you can see stalls selling Jiangshu on every street corner, but in Guangzhou, it's as rare as finding a needle in a haystack. It's a rare treat to be able to have it at Lao Haizi.
The beauty of food lies in two things: delicious taste and beautiful ingredients. The most striking impression left by Fuchao Xuan's Lotus Seed, Gordon Euryale Seed, and Mandarin Orange Cup is its pleasing appearance. The small gordon euryale seeds, along with lotus seeds, are placed in a tiny mandarin orange cup, making them look exquisite and adorable. When ladies hold them in their hands, it's as if they're holding their favorite ice cream. With one spoonful at a time, they enjoy health and sweetness in their hearts. The mandarin orange cup is a Taiwanese variety, grown in Hainan, and is about the size of a palm, very starchy and sweet. It's ready after being steamed in a steamer for 10 minutes. The fruit pulp is then partially scooped out to create a container. The gordon euryale seeds and lotus seeds come from Chaozhou. As the chef says, the Chaozhou variety is more starchy and less fibrous. They are steamed separately, then braised with superior stock before being placed in the mandarin orange cup and cooked for one more minute on the stove.
In contrast, the Gordon Euryale Seed and Black Braised Fish Maw at Liuhe Chami Xiang has a rich, mellow flavor and is full of collagen. Since black rice is quite dry, it needs to be soaked for an hour until it absorbs moisture to have a good texture. The gordon euryale seeds are steamed separately. The fish maw is rehydrated, the black rice is cooked, and then the three ingredients are braised in superior stock until they are full of flavor. This stock is made by simmering old chicken feet, lean pork, ham, and pig skin, resulting in a naturally rich and thick broth.
3rd Star Player: Chinese Yam (Chinese山药)
Star Line: The Chinese yam, also known as Chinese山药, is simply the "prince of sterilization." Spring is the season for the breeding and revival of various germs and microorganisms, making diseases like influenza and meningitis highly contagious. The Chinese yam has the effect of strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi. Regular consumption can improve the body's immunity, enhance the phagocytic action of macrophages, and promptly "eliminate" invading bacteria and viruses, allowing infectious diseases like the flu to "go around." Therefore, doctors advise that patients with qi deficiency, who often experience excessive sweating or frequent colds, should pay special attention to moderately increasing their intake of Chinese yams in the spring.
Chinese yams are particularly popular right now, especially the Henan Tiegong yam. Liuhe Chami Xiang uses Tiegong yam to pair with precious sea cucumber and scallops. In an exquisitely arranged carved celadon porcelain dish, pieces of sea cucumber and scallops are combined into a flower shape. The scallops are as large as two coins stacked together, thick-fleshed, with a texture that is neither tough nor hard, but instead refreshingly sweet. Although the original pot stewing takes only about 25 minutes, the yam is already very starchy, and the soup is relatively clear. According to the chef, Bei Qi (Astragalus root) is added to the soup to nourish the blood.
4th Star Player: Spring Bamboo Shoots
Star Line: An ancient poem says: "In the markets of Lingnan, bamboo shoots are as smooth as butter, their flavor is pure and unparalleled. No need to curse the shoots for not becoming bamboo; just eat them at every meal instead of meat." Spring is the best time to savor fresh spring bamboo shoots. This vegetable is hailed as the "number one vegetarian food" and the "king of spring dishes." Spring bamboo shoots have a light, fresh, and tender flavor and are rich in nutrients, particularly dietary fiber and amino acids. They are not only a fine vegetable but also a good medicine. Clinical studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine have found that spring bamboo shoots are sweet in nature and cold in flavor, and have benefits such as opening the nine orifices, invigorating blood circulation, resolving phlegm, and relieving food stagnation.
Chaoshan has a spring-like climate year-round, abundant rainfall, and loose soil, making it extremely suitable for the germination and growth of spring bamboo shoots. Huaqing, Xichang, Daya in Longhu District, Xiatai, and Henglong in Chenghai are all famous areas for producing bamboo shoots. People from Huaqing in Jieyang have a marvelous secret for cooking spring bamboo shoots: you must not add salted ingredients before they are fully cooked. They must be completely cooked before "adding the salt," otherwise, the cooked bamboo shoots will have a "bitter" taste. Spring bamboo shoots can be prepared in various ways—clear stew, stir-frying, or red braising—each with its own unique and delicious flavor. They can be used as a main ingredient or as a side dish. In Chaoshan households, bamboo shoots are often cooked into delicious dishes in the spring, such as "Stir-fried Shredded Shoots," "White Stewed Sliced Shoots," "Spring Bamboo Shoots Braised with Whole Duck," "Spring Bamboo Shoots Braised with Duck Meat," and "Spring Bamboo Shoots Stir-fried with Shredded Pork," all of which are fresh and delicious.
At Lao Haizi, I got to taste the flavor of their dried bamboo shoot and old duck soup. The ingredients include an old duck, ham, and pig's trotters. The bamboo shoots are sun-dried locally before being transported to Guangzhou for use. By this time, the bamboo shoots have a very rich, concentrated aroma.
However, although spring bamboo shoots are delicious, they are not suitable for everyone. They contain insoluble calcium oxalate, so people with urinary, kidney, or gallstones should not eat them in large quantities. They also contain a significant amount of crude fiber, which can be a contributing factor for patients with gastrointestinal diseases or liver cirrhosis, potentially causing stomach bleeding or worsening the liver condition. Eating too many bamboo shoots can also cause allergic reactions. The elderly and children should not eat too many; it's best to limit consumption to no more than half a shoot per meal.