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Make this spring a wild herbal adventure
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SPRING is a busy season in Hangzhou as some locals head to the fields, hills and forests to pick wild herbs. They are considered delicacies since they grow without any artificial fertilizers or pesticides.
In the midst of picking wild herbs, people should avoid rivers and areas near factories.
These areas may be polluted and herbs growing in these places may contain toxins.
It is best to eat wild herbs as soon as possible since they lose freshness and taste quickly. Also remember to clean them thoroughly before cooking.
Wild herbs have detoxification properties, according to traditional Chinese medicine guidelines, but eating too much can damage the spleen or stomach.
Shanghai Daily recommends four wild herbs popular among Hangzhou natives. You can buy them in local grocery markets or sample them in roadside eateries.
Shepherd’s purse is called jicai in Chinese. It is common around the city and, along with malantou, one of the two main wild herbs picked by locals.
Jicai is often shredded and mixed with pork and seasonings to make dumplings or wontons.
Sometimes housewives simmer broth by adding jicai. Another common cooking method is to stuff dough with shredded jicai and other ingredients and flatten it into a rice cake. Next fry it over low heat.
After a while the cake becomes crispy and gives off a mellow smell.
Jicai is also considered a medicinal herb used to treat gastritis and enteritis.
It is also sometimes given to women who have just given birth as it is known to restrict blood flow.
China has a long history of cooking lichen. A total of 15 edible lichens are used in various dishes made around the country.
Lichens spring up on rocks and dead wood after it rains.
They are less fleshy than black funguses, though the two look similar. People should be cautious not to confuse them with other poisonous funguses when picking them in the wild.
Lichen contains amino acid and minerals.
The calcium content is uncommonly high when compared to other herbs. It is believed that lichen lowers blood pressure and improves eyesight.
The most common way of cooking lichen in Hangzhou is to fry it with preserved cabbage.
Kalimeris indica, known as malantou in China, is the most popular wild herb across Hangzhou. It can be picked from spring through October although it is generally found in local markets in March and April.
Manlantou usually grows on abandoned farmland, along roads and trails in hardwood forests, on hillsides and ridges between rice fields. Early in the 1970s and 1980s, when life was difficult, manlantou was one of the main herbs eaten by locals. At the time, women often were seen in the fields and hills picking malantou to turn into simple dishes.
People still consider malantou a delicacy because it carries the taste and smell of spring.
It is most often served as a cold appetizer.
Boiled malantou is mixed with shredded tofu curds, bamboo shoots, sesame oil and salt.
The water used to boil malantou turns black. While some discard it, TCM practitioners recommend keeping it. Drinking the black water can help reduce pimples as malantou removes heat and toxic materials in the body.
Chinese toons are widely planted along roads and streets in Hangzhou.
Modern medicine uses extracts of the plant to prevent and alleviate lung cancer and improve memory. The leaf extracts of Chinese toons are toxic to several cancer cells including prostate cancer cells.
The spring buds are eaten by many Hangzhou locals. The buds with red young leaves are considered the best tasting.
The buds have an onion-like flavor.
Since the fresh buds contain nitrite, they need to be boiled in water to remove the harmful substance before cooking.
The most popular cooking method is frying them with an egg in a bit of oil.
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