Recipes from Yunnan - Series with Pics

This is the first in a series of recipes that I have attempted to re-create based on dishes encountered on a March, 2012 trip to Yunnan Province, China. I'm including some pictures for context.

Tibetan Grandma Potatoes

It’s easy to imagine that one needs a hearty breakfast for work in these mountain climes, near Sumptseling Monastery in northwest Yunnan.


Mountain Scene, Yunnan by Josephine2004, on Flickr

As in the rest of modern China, there is a lot of construction going on in today's Yunnan. We saw these men building a home in the Tibetan style, most likely for a relative who lives as a monk.


Constructing a Home, Yunnan by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Chef Jerry of the Banyan Tree Ringha, served us a full Yunnan-style ethnic Tibetan breakfast. It began with roasted barley tsampa and salty yak butter tea. Our guides to Yunnan, Robert and Morrison, showed us how to fashion walnut-sized nubbins of tsampa by pinching and rolling a bit ground barley in a bowl with about a tablespoon of yak tea. Here is a picture of ground tsampa from the main Yunnan thread in Beyond Chicagoland.


Tsampa and Yak Cheese, Yunnan by Josephine2004, on Flickr

I could see how tsampa became a staple in these cold, dry mountains. It had the sturdy goodness of the hot wheaty cereal that my father once urged on us kids during Minnesota winters. It probably did not hurt that Hot Ralston was the favorite of Tom Mix and the Ralston Straight Shooters. On that morning in Yunnan, the local yak herders might have made such an endorsement for tsampa.


Yak Herding Near Shangri-La by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Near the monastery we encountered this stone grinder, which we were told was the traditional tool for grinding barley for tsampa. For those interested, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid offer suggestions for re-creating tsampa in Beyond the Great Wall.


Grinding Stone, Yunnan by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Chef Jerry also served us tangy yak cheese with sugar and fried bread flavored with green onion or leek.


Yak Cheese with Sugar and Breakfast Breads by Josephine2004, on Flickr

It’s doubtful that the monks would partake of yak sausage, or that other Yunnan breakfast staple, bacon, stir fried to half-crisp. Here is some bacon, and perhaps yak, air-drying in an ethnic Tibetan home.


Stores of Bacon, Yunnan by Josephine2004, on Flickr

This photo of yak sausage doesn't hold up to enlargment. The taste was beefy; it was a bit like jerky in its dense texture.


Yak Sausage, Yunnan by Josephine2004, on Flickr

While yak cheese and sausage may elude those who seek to recreate it stateside, Tibetan grandma potatoes can successfully be produced with a few directions – hardly a recipe - that I share here:

Boil until very soft in salted water:
6 Medium yellow potatoes

Heat 2 T. Canola oil (unfiltered if available) in skillet large enough to hold the potatoes during their final cooking, then sauté until soft:
½ leek, including some green, finely chopped
1 inch knob (square) of ginger, finely chopped

Add to leek-ginger mixture and briefly sauté:
3-5 T. Daikon and Carrot Pickle, chopped (I used Fuschia Dunlop’s recipe from Land of Plenty.)
2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne or hot pepper flakes (optional).

Drain potatoes and mash very coarsely, leaving chunks of potato intact. Add potatoes to skillet, after assessing remaining amount of oil, and adding up to 4 additional tablespoons if desired. (Potatoes will stick unless non-stick pan is used. Canola oil is for texture/mouthfeel.)

Heat over medium high heat until potatoes and vegetables are incorporated and mixture is very hot.

Serves 1 .

I added some Yunnan hot peppers during the last sauté step, but you can omit them. Here is the dish as I re-created it for supper last week:


Tibetan Grandma Potatoes by Josephine2004, on Flickr

I hope these Tibetan grandmas would approve.


Tibetan Grandmothers Supervise - Yunnan by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Thanks, Josephine. Sounds yummy. Not something I encountered in Tibet -- but I did see Tibetan grandmothers sitting in doorways, so that image was familiar.

Cynthia wrote:Thanks, Josephine. Sounds yummy. Not something I encountered in Tibet -- but I did see Tibetan grandmothers sitting in doorways, so that image was familiar.

Care to share any pictures of those grandmas?

ln my 20's I read Dr from Lahasa, by T Lobsang Rampa, also The Third Eye, The Rampa Story etc... that take place in Tibet. I loved them, wanting to astral travel and have my third eye opened and got on a kick trying to reproduce tsampa w/Uncle Bens and green tea. Decades later I was crushed to find out Rampa was a Brit writing under a pseudonym and that the stories weren't true. Would still love to astral travel, have my third eye opened and have some tsampa and buttered yak tea.

Josephine wrote:

Cynthia wrote:Thanks, Josephine. Sounds yummy. Not something I encountered in Tibet -- but I did see Tibetan grandmothers sitting in doorways, so that image was familiar.

Care to share any pictures of those grandmas?

Yep -- but not set up to share on LTH. (I think you have to open an account on some photo sharing site.) Can I just send you the image and have you post it, since you're clearly a pro at this? (I'm on deadline for a project, so really don't have the time right now to figure out what has to be done.)

Cynthia wrote:Yep -- but not set up to share on LTH. (I think you have to open an account on some photo sharing site.) Can I just send you the image and have you post it, since you're clearly a pro at this? (I'm on deadline for a project, so really don't have the time right now to figure out what has to be done.)

Sure, I will PM my email. When you get done with your current project, though, it would be great if you set up a Flickr or other account. Then we can all see some of your travel images - I must admit that I prefer posts with pictures.

I'll echo Cynthia's remark about not seeing a potato dish like that when we were in Tibet, but hey, it's a big country. I do remember fondly the yak meat and yak cheese but much of the food we ate that was prepared by Tibetans (as opposed to "our" chef--the Nepali cook who accompanied our small group) was eminently forgettable. We enjoyed trying most things, never got sick (with one minor exception), and can honestly say we tried a fairly wide range of Tibetan items in Tibetan "restaurants" or roadside inns. As to Tibetan grandmas sitting in doorways, my recollection is that it wasn't just the grandmas. Depending on place or time of day, it was parents too. If I can dig up the pics, I'll try to post some.

Cynthia wrote:Thanks, Josephine. Sounds yummy. Not something I encountered in Tibet -- but I did see Tibetan grandmothers sitting in doorways, so that image was familiar.

Cynthia has shared with me her wonderful image of Tibetan grandmas in a doorway in Tibet. I post it here under the Flickr user guidelines, which stipulate that it be identified as part of my account, though the image is not mine, but Cynthia's.


Fwd: Grandmas in Tibet by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Gypsy Boy wrote:I'll echo Cynthia's remark about not seeing a potato dish like that when we were in Tibet, but hey, it's a big country. I do remember fondly the yak meat and yak cheese but much of the food we ate that was prepared by Tibetans (as opposed to "our" chef--the Nepali cook who accompanied our small group) was eminently forgettable. We enjoyed trying most things, never got sick (with one minor exception), and can honestly say we tried a fairly wide range of Tibetan items in Tibetan "restaurants" or roadside inns. As to Tibetan grandmas sitting in doorways, my recollection is that it wasn't just the grandmas. Depending on place or time of day, it was parents too. If I can dig up the pics, I'll try to post some.

Maybe the potatoes are a Yunnan thing, as the dish is from the ethnically Tibetan region of Yunnan, rather than Tibet proper. I'm sure that folks would be interested in your pics, Gypsy Boy. As well as any reflections on momos that you might have. And while you are at it, can you share some yak pics? I'm particularly eager to see if you snapped some when the beast invaded your tent, IIRC- in the middle of the night!

Actually, it was a baby beast and it was at the crack of dawn. No pics of that particular one. But I know I've got them of others. Indeed, the place where baby beast intruded on the tent was--we later concluded--a grazing ground/yak hotel based upon the number of creatures constantly in attendance.

Heavenly Spring Potatoes


Untitled by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Near Er Lake in Yunnan, we ate a delicious lunch prepared in the Bai style. The potatoes were one of the highlights of our meals in Yunnan; in fact, we ordered a second dish of them as "dessert." Sad to say, I have not yet attempted to re-create them at home, but I am fairly certain about the recipe, since the cooks walked us through it with the second dish. Here you see them in action:


Kitchen Scene, Yunnan by Josephine2004, on Flickr

This recipe includes some of the pickled vegetables that we saw in the markets I describe in the main Yunnan thread. I have found a recipe for pickled vegetables that may approximate this component of the dish in Fuschia Dunlop's Land of Plenty. (While you are at it, don't miss this thread, "Exploring 'Land of Plenty'", started by GWiv as "Ma Po Tofu." It contains the combined experience of a number of LTH-ers who are cooking from Land of Plenty.) Dunlop suggests daikon and carrot for the pickles, but in this case, mustard greens such as those pictured below were also part of the pickle. Another option is to purchase the mustard green pickle at your local Asian market.


Untitled by Josephine2004, on Flickr

The first step is to peel the potatoes. Here you see peeled potatoes cooling in the Heavenly Spring - the centerpiece of the namesake restaurant.I would use a potato such as a Maine potato, rather than an Idaho. These were not the fluffy Idahos in texture, but rather the yellow-skinned variety. Dry the potatoes well and slice thinly.


Untitled by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Heat 1/4 cup canola oil in wok over medium-high heat.


Untitled by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Add potatoes and cook about halfway. If needed, add more oil. Add 1/4 cup pickled vegetables and 2 scallions in one and a half-inch pieces, as well as 1 tablespoon of Szechuan preserved chili condiment. Stir fry a couple more minutes.


Untitled by Josephine2004, on Flickr


Untitled by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Moisten 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch with water and stir these into the wok. Cover and finish cooking as desired- a few minutes. Adjust salt if needed. Potatoes should remain somewhat toothsome.


Untitled by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Enjoy, preferably outdoors on a cool day, in the company of friends, by a spring.


Untitled by Josephine2004, on Flickr


Untitled by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Thanks for posting my image, Josephine.

And the comment about momos caught my eye. Himalayan, a restaurant in Niles (though I see online that they have a location in Gurnee as well) has wonderful momos. I've only had the chicken momos, and only at the Niles location, but they're addicting, and I get them every time I'm at Himalayan.

Himalayan
8265 Golf Rd
Niles, IL 60714
847.324.4150

or
3747 Grand Ave
Gurnee, IL 60031
224.637.3000

Lizard Tail, Yunnan Style

Not actual lizard tail, of course, but this:


Mountain Herb, Dali by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Houttuynia_cordata is an herb that grows along the banks of rivers in Yunnan and elsewhere in Asia, from Korea to Vietnam. The picture above was taken by a mountain stream on the day we picked tea near Dail, Yunnan. According to Wikipedia, Houttuynia cordata is known by a number of English names, including lizard tail, chameleon plant, heartleaf, fishwort or fish mint and bishop's weed. You can spot houttuynia cordata in this photograph from the market in Dali. It is the green, heart-shaped group of leaves in the basket at the center of the photo, (under the man wearing the navy parka.)


First Mountain Herb of Spring, Yunnan by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Here is the recipe our Yunnanese hosts gave for the uncooked salad made from this green:

Use both root and leaf
Sauce: 2 teaspoons vinegar (I use Chinkiang), 1t. chili oil, 1t. sesame oil, 1 t. soy sauce
Marinate 10 minutes, not more.
Top with chopped coriander, spring onion, and finely chopped smashed garlic.
Serve.

You don't have to wait for a trip to Asia to try lizard tail. This photo comes from a recent lunch at Yan Bang Cai (228 West Cermak, Chicago). Note that the Sichuan version is topped with hot preserved or pickled peppers:


Fish Root by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Josephine wrote:Lizard Tail, Yunnan Style

Not actual lizard tail, of course, but this:

Why do you say "of course"? Have you never eaten iguana?

Great pics and stories, BTW.

stevez wrote:

Josephine wrote:Lizard Tail, Yunnan Style

Not actual lizard tail, of course, but this:

Why do you say "of course"? Have you never eaten iguana?

Great pics and stories, BTW.

I actually missed two of the LTH picnics over the years. Did nr706 bring iguana a few years back?

No, I don't think I've done iguana, but that's an idea for this year ...

nr706 wrote:No, I don't think I've done iguana, but that's an idea for this year ...

Maybe I won't be able to make this year's picnic after all. . .

Tibetan Ham and Mushrooms - A Breakfast Dish


Yunnan Ham for Sale, Shangri-La by Josephine2004, on Flickr

I smiled when I read this exchange on gokunming.org, a forum for expats living in Kunming, Yunnan's largest city:

AlPage48 wrote:I was surprised by how much Yunnan ham resembles Italian prosciutto. My wife says some guy called Marco Polo stole the recipe when he was here.

tigertiger wrote:No he didn't steal the recipe. He swapped it for the recipe for noodles ;-P
He told me himself.

Ham is one of the glories of Yunnan, and as a tourist, one can sample many dishes that incorporate it. Here is one of those dishes. The recipe is from Chef Jerry of the Banyan Tree, Ringha, near Shangri-La.


Three ages of ham; from young (left) to old (right) by Josephine2004, on Flickr

2 T. canola oil
5 large shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced
100 grams Tibetan/Yunnan ham, sliced as thickly as thick-cut bacon, cut in 1 inch squares
1/2 large clove garlic, sliced
1-2 hot green chiles, sliced
1/4 sweet red pepper, sliced

In a medium skillet, saute ham in 2 T canola oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes, but adjust heat to avoid burning garlic. Add sliced mushrooms, 1 t. salt, white pepper to taste, sliced green chiles and sweet red pepper. Raise heat as needed to brown mushrooms a bit. Serve hot.


Untitled by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Note: GO Kunming has a lot of food-related content, such as this post for Dai style lime chicken, and this report on wild mushroom poisoning in Yuxi. Check out the linked pages for a list of other recipes, some of which appeared in my posts in the main Yunnan thread. I highly recommend gokunming.com for anyone planning a trip to Yunnan. It is a goldmine of travel info from insiders who have been living in the area a long time.

P.S. The Dai lime chicken dish calls for mint root, another name for houttuynia cordata, the lizard root or chameleon plant (Vietnamese Diếp Cá, Dấp Cá, Lá Giáp) mentioned upthread. It has as many names as a chameleon has colors!

Josephine--

I don't know if you'd be interested, but you can buy plants--seeds don't breed true--of mountain herb at several places. But it looks invasive--probably should be grown in a tub.

Geo

Geo wrote:Josephine--

I don't know if you'd be interested, but you can buy plants--seeds don't breed true--of mountain herb at several places. But it looks invasive--probably should be grown in a tub.

Geo

Thanks, Geo. I should be posting this in the "You Know You're and LTH-er When. . . " thread. Funny, but right before I read your suggestion I was about to post a link to vietherbs.com for the gardening set. I just love it that we all share the same passion for the new, the resourcefulness to find it, and the generosity to pass it on. I'm not sure that the gardening option is for me, as I still hope to find mountain herb at one of St. Louis' Asian or International groceries. If I find it I'll post here.

Two Yunnan Style Salads: Barley and Cucumber


View of Shangri-La Valley from Banyan Tree, Ringha by Josephine2004, on Flickr

While staying at the Banyan Tree, Ringha, near the town of Shangri-La, Yunnan Province, we were treated to a demonstration by the hotel's chef.


Untitled by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Here are two salads that might be nice for those (like me) who need to get out of their macaroni-and-mayo salad ruts:


Barley Salad Yunnan Style by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Ingredients:

2 cups brown barley (I found some at Whole Foods in the bulk section)
2 T each, green and red sweet peppers, finely chopped
1 T serrano chile, finely chopped
1-2 T. light soy sauce (to taste - see directions)
2 t. black vinegar
2 t. white pepper, ground
1 t. roasted sesame oil
1 t. chili oil
Salt to taste

Boil barley until soft in water and a little salt. (The barely found in Yunnan needs 2 hours to soften. This is unlikely to be the correct cooking time for barley you find here.) Drain. Set aside to cool. Mix dressing from remaining ingredients, adding only the first Tablespoon of light soy sauce. Combine with drained, warm (not hot) barley. Taste and adjust soy and salt ( I prefer a less salty salad than the original recipe makes.) Cool. Serve garnished as above, or in tandem with the following cucumber salad.

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 English (seedless) cucumber
2 t. dried chili in oil
4 branches cilantro, leaves only
1 spring onion, green only - chopped finely
1-2 t. garlic (to taste), finely chopped, or put through garlic press
4 t. lite soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
3t. black vinegar

Peel, seed, and cut into angled 1-inch batons, 1 English (seedless) cucumber. Combine remaining ingredients, adding only the first teaspoon of chopped garlic to the dressing until you taste it. ( I thought the 2 t. garlic was too much, but that is what the original recipe calls for.)

Serve with a mixed grill of hot sausage and pork rib chop, preferably in a yurt, by candlelight.


Yurt far from Home by Josephine2004, on Flickr

Got the candles, need the yurt.