While I stand in a bus station staring at a schedule offered only in Chinese, my eyes lower to the clot of bodies pushing and elbowing in front of a barred window, waving money and shouting destinations to the far-from-amused attendant. It is at these moments when I wonder how I’d ever leave a Chinese city in an emergency. Fortunately for now, I have my own team of elbows.

After eight hours on a bus from Kūnmíng, we are met at the Lìjiāng bus stop by our smiling host Lǐ 李 Shīfu. He drives us into Old Lìjiāng where we walk through cobblestone passageways to his family-run guest house. Lǐ Shīfu and his family are of Nàxī ethnicity, one of 56 minorities recognized officially by the Chinese government. Recipes his wife, Yáng Āyí, cook have been passed down generation after generation and today shared warmly with me from within the confines of their courtyard.

Yáng Āyí speaks with pride as she explains that today’s chicken is not only fresh, but organic thus tastier than most chicken found in markets. Tǔjī Huǒguō (土鸡火锅, Free-range Chicken Hotpot), is set to brew for the duration of my cooking lesson.

Cǎo Guǒ – 草果, Chinese Cardamom or Amomum Tsao Kuo

The chicken is steeped in a mixture of guì pí (桂皮, Cassia Bark), cǎo guǒ (草果, Chinese Cardamom), star anise, ginger, and cloves. Sweet and savory aromas fill the courtyard.

Sōngróng Jūn (松茸菌, Matsutake mushroom) is a meaty, wood-flavored mushroom. It is shredded into large pieces, resembling cooked chicken pulled from bones for a soup.

Heating peanut oil and làròu yóu (腊肉油, smoked meat lard), the Sōngróng mushrooms are tossed with green chillies and xiǎo mǐ là (小米辣, Capsicum frutescens or the Tabasco pepper). Làròu yóu pairs perfectly with the Sōngróng as well as you can imagine bacon and mushrooms do. We’re two dishes into the lesson and my appetite stirs.

Qiézi Chǎo Dòufǔ (茄子炒豆腐, Stir-fried Eggplant with Tofu) promised to be healthy as Āyí dry-fried the tofu into crumbles. Setting the tofu aside, she poured about eight tablespoons of peanut oil into the wok and drowned the eggplant and ginger to a transparency. After uniting the tofu with the eggplant, the dish didn’t fair any better; the texture was dry and the flavor slightly burnt.

Lóngzhǎocài (炒龙爪菜, Pteridium revolutum (Blume) Nakai)

Lóngzhǎocài is one of many local vegetables. The young unfurled fronds have a slightly bitter flavor.

Chǎo Lóngzhǎocài (炒龙爪菜, Stir-fried Bracken Fiddleheads)

Chǎo Lóngzhǎocài (炒龙爪菜, Stir-fried Bracken Fiddleheads) has a flavor unique to my palette and despite the slight bitterness, I like this dish. Sautéed with làròu yóu, ginger, green onion and red chillies, the bracken fiddleheads surprise every mouthful; crisp, tender, yet natural flavors unrelenting.

Another local find, these lily-like stems, are Taro blossoms. The outer petals are discarded and the stems used for cooking.

Chǎo Yùhuā (炒芋花, Stir-fried Taro Blossom)

Once cooked, the taro blossoms have the texture and sweetness of sautéed asparagus. However, this plant is not suited for everyone. After a few bites, I found my throat irritated with a scratchy and almost stinging sensation yet no one else felt as much. Apparently, taro must be cooked thoroughly to neutralize the toxic calcium oxalate crystals that can cause the tongue and throat to sting and swell. I’ve stumbled upon The Taro Disclaimer, which goes into depth about how to select and test for edible Taro.

Meanwhile, Lǐ Shīfu arranges Crucian Carp to roast on a stone barbecue pit in the courtyard. I have a new idea for how to use those pretty fire pits sold at Restoration Hardware.

Dōngbā Kǎo Yú (东巴烤鱼, Dongba Roasted Fish)

After a bath in soy sauce, báijiǔ (白酒, white liquor), and salt, the fish are roasted then dusted with a medley of garlic powder, chili powder, and ground Sichuan pepper.

Hǎicàihuā (海菜花 Ottelia acuminata (Gagnep.) Dandy)

Once dredged from ponds to feed pigs, Hǎicàihuā (海菜花 Ottelia acuminata (Gagnep.) Dandy) is now fit for human appetites but endangered due to increasingly contaminated waters. It is known to be good for the eyes and liver; stoping coughs and reducing phlegm.

Shuǐ Xìng Yáng Huā (水性杨花, Stir-fried Hǎicàihuā)

Shuǐ Xìng Yáng Huā (水性杨花, Stir-fried Hǎicàihuā) graces our lunch amongst other local Yunnan vegetables. Given its nutritional value and ever increasing rarity , I hope someone finds this vegetable worth saving from endangerment.

What a spread! What a gift to sample a culture piquant and fresh in taste and color!

Each dish is surprisingly easy to prepare, yet its ingredients unique to its locale and at the mercy of environmental changes. I like how Nàxī and Yúnnán cuisines show a practice of eating dishes using ingredients grown locally. While eating habits evolve towards movements such as slow food, I hope our proximity to the foods we eat give us a better perspective on how our food is produced. A generous portion of culture is found in traditional food. We as a society would be remiss to sacrifice delectable adventures for the sake of cheap production and taking resources for granted.

Guesthouse Shū Xīn Kèzhàn (舒心客栈）
Address: Yúnnán Shěng Lìjiāng Shì 51 Jiē Xīng Rén Zhōng Duàn 52 Hào（云南省丽江市51街兴仁中段52号 ）
Zip code: 674100
Telephone: +86 159 6938 3825 |+86 139 0888 2020

Popularity: 48% [?]