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Hasma
Hasma (harsmar, hashima) is a Chinese and widely Central Asian dessert ingredient made from the dried fatty tissue found near the fallopian tubes of true frogs, typically the Asiatic grass frog (''Rana chensinensis''). Because of its whitish appearance, hasma is often called "snow frog fat". Hasma is relatively expensive, so it is reserved for special occasions and in high-end restaurants. Production Hasma is produced primarily in the Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces in China. Previously part of Chinese imperial cuisine, soups made with hasma are now widely available in North American cities with large Chinese populations and in Mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, albeit at a high price. Physical characteristics Hasma is sold dried as irregular flat pieces and flakes ranging from 1–2 cm in length and 1–5 mm in thickness. Individual pieces are yellowish-white in color with a matte luster, and may be covered with off-white pellicles. When re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asiatic Grass Frog
The Asiatic grass frog or Chinese brown frog (''Rana chensinensis'') is a species of frog in the family Ranidae, found in China and Mongolia. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, pastureland, and irrigated land. It is threatened by habitat loss. This frog is noted in Chinese agriculture for its strong preying performance on pests. A study conducted in Qingyuan County during the years 1982 and 1983 found that breeding the frogs decreased both the use of pesticides and the pollution in the environment. Within China, fatty tissue close to the frog's fallopian tubes are used to make Hasma Hasma (harsmar, hashima) is a Chinese and widely Central Asian dessert ingredient made from the dried fatty tissue found near the fallopian tubes of true frogs, typically the Asiatic grass frog (''Rana chensinensis''). Because of its whitish ap ..., a dessert ingredient and traditional medicin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tong Sui
''Tong sui'' (; ), also known as ''tim tong'', is a collective term for any sweet, warm soup or custard served as a dessert at the end of a meal in Cantonese cuisine. ''Tong sui'' are a Cantonese specialty and many varieties are rarely found in other regional cuisines of China. Outside of Cantonese-speaking communities, soupy desserts generally are not recognized as a distinct category, and the term ''tong sui'' is not used. In Hong Kong, Macao and Malaysia, a large variety of tong sui is served in tong sui specialty stores. Tong sui stores have also gained prominence in overseas Chinese communities, and are found in various parts of Canada, Australia and the United States. History Tong sui shops in Hong Kong mainly originated from the postwar period. Chinese migrants brought their hometown sweet soups to Hong Kong, such as red bean soup from Guangzhou and tang yuan from Shanghai. Newcomers sold tong sui in newly opened street side food stalls and Chinese tea house. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land, the most of any country in the world, tied with Russia. Covering an area of approximately , it is the world's third largest country by total land area. The country consists of 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and Macau). The national capital is Beijing, and the most populous city and financial center is Shanghai. Modern Chinese trace their origins to a cradle of civilization in the fertile basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. The semi-legendary Xia dynasty in the 21st century BCE and the well-attested Shang and Zhou dynasties developed a bureaucratic political system to serve hereditary monarchies, or dyna ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double Steaming
Double steaming, sometimes called ''double boiling'', is a Chinese cooking technique to prepare delicate food such as bird's nest soup and shark fin soup. The food is covered with water and put in a covered ceramic jar and the jar is then steamed for several hours. This technique ensures there is no loss of liquid or moisture (its essences) from the food being cooked, hence it is often used with expensive ingredients like Chinese herbal medicines. In Cantonese, double steaming is called ''dun'' (). The meaning of the Chinese character for ''dun'' in Cantonese is different from that in Mandarin, because ''dun'' means to simmer or stew in Mandarin. This technique is also common in Fujian, a neighbouring province of Guangdong (Canton). Famous examples Tong sui, or dessert soups, which contain medicinal herbs can be cooked using double steaming. Cantonese cuisine is famous for its slow-cooked soup. One famous dish of this kind is called the ''winter melon urn'' ( 冬瓜盅). ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action. Medicine in traditional China encompassed a range of sometimes competing health and healing practices, folk beliefs, literati theory and Confucian philosophy, herbal remedies, food, diet, exercise, medical specializations, and schools of thought. In the early twentieth century, Chinese cultural and political modernizers worked to eliminate traditional practices as backward and unscientific. Traditional practitioners then selected elements of philosophy and practice and organized them into what they called "Chinese medicine" (''Zhongyi''). In the 1950s, the Chinese government sponsored the integration of Chinese and Western medicine, and in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, promoted Chinese medicine as inexpensive a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shark Fin Soup
Shark fin soup is a traditional soup or stewed dish served in parts of China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. The shark fins provide texture, while the taste comes from the other soup ingredients. It is commonly served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets, or as a luxury item.Keith BradsherDisneyland in China Offers a Soup and Lands in a Stew 17 June 2005 ''The New York Times'' However, it has been condemned by the Humane Society International, which states that approximately 72 million sharks are killed each year for their fins. Currently, international concerns over the sustainability and welfare of sharks have impacted consumption and availability of the soup worldwide. Recently, health concerns about the high concentration of BMAA in shark fins have arisen. Shark fin soup substitutes have lately appeared on the market which do not require any shark fins, thus avoiding the environmental damage caused by the shark finning practice. Preparation Traditional shark ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Snow Fungus
''Tremella fuciformis'' is a species of fungus; it produces white, frond-like, gelatinous basidiocarps (fruiting bodies). It is widespread, especially in the tropics, where it can be found on the dead branches of broadleaf trees. This fungus is commercially cultivated and is one of the most popular fungi in the cuisine and medicine of China. ''Tremella fuciformis'' is commonly known as snow fungus, snow ear, silver ear fungus, white jelly mushroom, and white cloud ears. ''Tremella fuciformis'' is a parasitic yeast, and grows as a slimy, mucus-like film until it encounters its preferred hosts, various species of '' Annulohypoxylon'' (or possibly ''Hypoxylon'') fungi, whereupon it then invades, triggering the aggressive mycelial growth required to form the fruiting bodies. Taxonomy and naming ''Tremella fuciformis'' was first described in 1856 by English mycologist Miles Joseph Berkeley, based on collections made in Brazil by the botanist and explorer Richard Spruce. In 1939, J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nashi Pear
''Pyrus pyrifolia'' is a species of pear tree native to East Asia. The tree's edible fruit is known by many names, including: Asian pear, Japanese pear, Chinese pear, Korean pear, Taiwanese pear, apple pear, zodiac pear, three-halves pear, papple, naspati and sand pear. Along with cultivars of ''P''. × ''bretschneideri'' and ''P. ussuriensis'', the fruit is also called the nashi pear. Cultivars derived from ''Pyrus pyrifolia'' are grown throughout East Asia, and in other countries such as India, Nepal, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States (e.g., California). Traditionally in East Asia the tree's flowers are a popular symbol of early spring, and it is a common sight in gardens and the countryside. The fruits are not generally baked in pies or made into jams because they have a high water content and a crisp, grainy texture, very different from the European varieties. They are commonly served raw and peeled. The fruit tends to be quite large and fragrant, and when car ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lotus Seed
A lotus seed or lotus nut is the seed of plants in the genus ''Nelumbo'', particularly the species ''Nelumbo nucifera''. The seeds are used in Asian cuisine and traditional medicine. Mostly sold in dried, shelled form, the seeds contain rich contents of protein, B vitamins, and dietary minerals. Types Two types of dried lotus seeds can be found commercially; ''brown peel'' and ''white''. The former is harvested when the seed head of the lotus is ripe or nearly ripe and the latter is harvested when the seed head is still fully green but with almost fully developed seeds. White lotus seeds are de-shelled and de-membraned. At harvest, the bitter-tasting germ of most seeds is removed using a hollow needle. Brown peel lotus seeds are brown because the ripened seed has adhered to its membrane. The germ of these hard seeds is removed by cracking the seeds in half. Dried lotus seeds past their prime oxidize to a yellow brown color. However, some sellers of dried lotus seeds bleach th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Longan
''Dimocarpus longan'', commonly known as the longan () and dragon's eye, is a tropical tree species that produces edible fruit. It is one of the better-known tropical members of the soapberry family Sapindaceae, to which the lychee and rambutan also belong. The fruit of the longan is similar to that of the lychee, but less aromatic in taste. It is native to tropical Asia and China. The longan (from Cantonese ''lùhng-ngáahn'' , literally 'dragon eye'), is so named because it resembles an eyeball when its fruit is shelled (the black seed shows through the translucent flesh like a pupil and iris). The seed is small, round and hard, and of an enamel-like, lacquered black. The fully ripened, freshly harvested fruit has a bark-like shell, thin, and firm, making the fruit easy to peel by squeezing the pulp out as if one were "cracking" a sunflower seed. When the shell has more moisture content and is more tender, the fruit becomes less convenient to shell. The tenderness of the sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jujube
Jujube (), sometimes jujuba, known by the scientific name ''Ziziphus jujuba'' and also called red date, Chinese date, and Chinese jujube, is a species in the genus ''Ziziphus'' in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. Description It is a small deciduous tree or shrub reaching a height of , usually with thorny branches. The leaves are shiny-green, ovate-acute, long and wide, with three conspicuous veins at the base, and a finely toothed margin. The flowers are small, wide, with five inconspicuous yellowish-green petals. The fruit is an edible oval drupe deep; when immature it is smooth-green, with the consistency and taste of an apple with lower acidity, maturing brown to purplish-black, and eventually wrinkled, looking like a small date. There is a single hard kernel, similar to an olive pit, containing two seeds. Chemistry Leaves contain saponin and ziziphin, which suppresses the ability to perceive sweet taste. Flavinoids found in the fruits include Kaempfero ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rock Candy
Rock candy or sugar candy, also called rock sugar, or crystal sugar, is a type of confection composed of relatively large sugar crystals. This candy is formed by allowing a supersaturated solution of sugar and water to crystallize onto a surface suitable for crystal nucleation, such as a string, stick, or plain granulated sugar. Heating the water before adding the sugar allows more sugar to dissolve thus producing larger crystals. Crystals form after 6 to 7 days. Food coloring may be added to the mixture to produce colored candy. Nomenclature Etymologically, "sugar candy" derives from late 13th century English (in reference to "crystallized sugar"), from Old French ''çucre candi'' (meaning "sugar candy"), and ultimately from Arabic ''qandi'', from Persian ''qand'' ("cane sugar"), probably from Sanskrit ''khanda'' ("piece of sugar)", The sense gradually broadened (especially in the U.S.A.) to mean by the late 19th century "any confection having sugar as its basis". In Brita ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_silver_ear_mushroom.jpg "Click for more on -> Snow Fungus")
