Raw Vegetable Delicacies

By Chen Nianxuan

Raw Vegetable Delicacies

By Chen Nianxuan

I am quite certain that most Chinese people, with the notable exception of inhabitants of the freezing northernmost provinces, aren't used to eating vegetables raw (this is especially true in the south of China, where the climate is predominantly hot and humid). Vegetables in China are generally cooked or, alternatively, pickled. It was only after I travelled to Western countries that I gradually realized how satisfying eating raw vegetables could be. In cold, arid areas, sugar is plentiful in vegetables, making them sweet and delicious when eaten raw. On the other hand, according to traditional Chinese medicine, consuming raw vegetables and fruits in a hot, humid climate will increase their already significant negative impact on damp and cold body dispositions.

On my first visit to India, I remembered local people's astonishment when they saw me munching on a raw tomato. It turns out that in the cuisines of areas with a great abundance of food, such as the Mediterranean region or the Indian sub-continent, tomatoes are used mainly for seasoning and are in general not consumed directly (this is because tomatoes' nutritional value increases after being heated). I, on the other hand, was even more taken aback by the sight of Indians' snacking on huge cucumbers as if they were a piece of fruit. To me, a native Taiwanese, the only proper way to eat a cucumber is to cook it in soup.

As a child, I was horrified at the sight of someone eating raw garlic. It was the same feeling I had in the winter when I would observe my dad chopping radishes and sticking pieces of it into his mouth. He would even complain how tasteless Taiwanese radishes are, how their fibers are too thick, and how they are not sweet enough. In Taiwan, radish is cooked in soup and never eaten raw. In the simple world of a child, vegetables are just vegetables. Who would have known that there were such huge differences between a vegetable that is grown in different regions? In addition, seasonal variations in a particular region also affect the quality of the yield. Each time grown-ups took me shopping for groceries, I would get bored while they were choosing vegetables. Attempting to be helpful, I would grab a bunch of veggies and throw them into our shopping bag. Mom would then call me a good-for-nothing helper, as I wasn’t mindful of the condition or ripeness. One time my grandma saw me take a vegetable, lick it, and then throw it onto the ground—she shook her head and scolded me for being wasteful.

Later in life, I was stuck in the mountains overlooking Vancouver. A snowstorm was raging outside. Luckily, it was warm and dry indoors by the fireplace. Meals there consisted solely of raw vegetable, salads and bread. To my astonishment, I could not get enough of this kind of food. It was then that I realized that climate determined people's food preferences. That day I did away with my cultural prejudices against certain kinds of foods, especially raw vegetables. I now believe that with a slight adjustment, one can eat both raw and cooked food anytime, and in any place.

Leafy vegetables should not be eaten cooked. On the other hand, vegetables with thick fibers should not be consumed raw. I have learned to take some table salt, rub it in, and squeeze out the extra moisture, then chop the vegetables into small chunks for later use. That way, the vegetables remain soft and green for a long time and can be served with rice, noodles, or tofu. They can even be mixed with ground nuts or with chopped spring onions, then combined with dough and baked or shallow-fried to make pancakes. This method makes them more aromatic and tastier, sweeter, and more enticing than regular spring onions.

If a dish is to be tasty, with the leafy vegetables still retaining their nutrients, while at the same time not creating an unnecessary burden on people with damp and cold dispositions, some roasted vegetables can be added to the mix to make the meal more balanced. Roasted sweet peppers are extremely tasty with their skins removed. Likewise, roasting tomatoes, apples, pears and even grapes, will seriously increase their sweetness. Roasted product tastes great with leafy vegetables. If one adds roasted mushrooms and nuts, the dish will become even richer, more nutritious and delicious.

Sometimes, I store roasted vegetables or fruits in a cool place, soaking in rice or fruit vinegar. Product can be stored like this for long periods without becoming sour. They also acquire a great color and taste, and are great for decorating dishes and winning your guests' hearts.

One day, some friends came to visit from far away. My female guests talked incessantly and nobody would let me cook anything—they would say it was a waste of time. Since there were so many street peddlers and eateries in the neighborhood, there was no need for me to even enter the kitchen. Among my guests was an American who asked me to order scalded green vegetables at every meal. This unique Taiwanese way of eating green vegetables is a favorite among foreigners. Not only is it a way of avoiding eating raw vegetables in a hot and humid climate; it also helps meet the body's need for green vegetables. Scalded green vegetables are fresh and delicious, and a favorite during hot summers.

The recipe is extremely simple. First, heating half a pot of water to boil. Then add some oil and salt. Briefly dip a handful of spinach, sweet potato leaves, Chinese broccoli, Chinese cabbage, or crown daisy in the boiling water, then remove the vegetables, arrange them on a plate and add a unique sauce.

Usually, in small eateries, scalded green vegetables come with a simple garlic sauce and sesame oil. The sauce my mother used to make was slightly more complex. She would use onions, ginger, and garlic powder, as well as her favorite type of basil, coriander, and celery. She sometimes adds ketchup, mayonnaise, and a bit of mustard, as well. I, on the other hand, prefer the taste of sesame sauce, yellow mustard, and almond sauce mixed together. Recently, I

have also become fond of mixing Italian red wine vinegar and olive oil. Fruit sauces made of mixed lemons, oranges, and other citrus are a tasty and refreshing way to flavor dishes in the summer.

During a whiskey tasting at a famous distillery in Ireland, filled with the scent of the finest alcohol, a wild idea suddenly dawned on me. I told the master chef—right there and then—to try adding a bit of the spirits to the salad dressing on the table. It turned out to be the tastiest vegetable salad I had ever had, and I remember it fondly to this day.

Similarly, it was only after I visited Japan for the first time that I encountered the simple way Japanese housewives rub salt into vegetables, intensifying their natural sweetness and fresh color. From that moment on, I would often apply this simple method to my own dishes, especially to gherkins, a food so popular in Japanese kitchens. After this, gherkins can be stored for quite a long time. They can be eaten any time or used for decoration. This kind of simplicity strongly reminds me of Sen no Rikyuu, a Japanese sage who exerted a profound influence on tea ceremonies, and was a champion of simple aesthetics. This simplicity, I think, is the true meaning of life. It is the realization that comes directly from experiencing such bliss.

(From Worldview, Issue 15, 2016. Translated: Trans）

除了天寒地冻的北方外，我相信大部分的中国人都不习惯生吃蔬菜，尤其是湿热的南方。即便是生吃，也要吃腌制过的泡菜，而非直接生吃。旅行到西方国家后，才逐渐明白，寒冷地区气候干燥，蔬菜的糖分较高，生吃鲜美甘甜，且因干冷，吃生菜反而舒服；湿热地区若生吃蔬果，反易加重湿寒体质的负担。

记得刚去印度时，当地人看我生吃西红柿很惊讶，而我看他们把大黄瓜当水果吃，更吃惊。在波斯帝国饮食泛滥过的地中海与印度地区，西红柿是烹饪调味料，不能直接拿来吃（过油加热后的西红柿才有营养价值），而对我这台湾地区来的人来说，大黄瓜是炖汤用的，别无其他用途。

小时候看人生吃大蒜都会吓一跳，然后就是冬天看到老爸边切萝卜边往嘴里塞，还挑剔：“台湾的萝卜真难吃，纤维粗又不甜，味如嚼蜡。”在台湾，萝卜是炖汤的附属品，没有人生吃。以幼童的概念来说，天下的蔬菜不都一回事吗？哪晓得同样的蔬菜，每个地区的质量天差地远，甚至，在同产区的不同季节，也会有相当大的差异。每次跟大人去买菜，都会很不耐烦大人的挑三拣四，偷偷地假装帮忙挑选，随手乱抓一大把便往袋子里扔。老妈经常说我：“败家子。”外婆看着我拿一个舔一下便往地上扔，摇头骂：“讨债鬼！”

有一年在温哥华山区闭关，室外大雪纷飞，屋里炭火燥热，餐餐都是生菜色拉与干面包，竟从未吃腻，反而对生鲜蔬果有种饥渴式的贪婪，才恍然大悟：气候，决定了人类的饮食倾向。从此扫除了对某些饮食惯性的偏见，只需略微调整，生熟食，在任何时间地点，都不会成为问题。

叶菜类的蔬菜不适宜熟食，但纤维较粗者，又不宜生食。我会先抓盐搓揉出水拧干，再切成细末备用，能长期维持柔软翠绿，可拌饭、拌干面、拌豆腐，甚至直接与各种磨碎的坚果搅拌在一起，或像葱花那样，卷进面团里擀成面皮，干烙或油煎成饼，即芳香可口，比葱花还甘甜迷人。

若想维持叶菜的养分，又要容易入口，且不造成湿寒体质的负累，可添加几种烤菜搅拌在一起，便能平衡。且烤过的甜椒去皮后，口感细腻如蜜桃，而西红柿、苹果、梨甚至葡萄，烤干软后，香甜度提高好几倍，跟叶菜类一起进食，气味丰富，若再加上烤菇与烤坚果，便更丰盛健康，养生又美味了。

有时，我也会将烤过的蔬果，放进米醋或水果醋里装罐冷藏，可以保存长久而不易变酸，随时取用，都能讨好食客，味美而色佳，也是装饰餐点的好帮手。

有一回家中寄宿好几位远方来客，女人聚集在一起叽叽喳喳，谁都不许我去做饭，说是浪费时间，尤其家附近有许多摊贩与小馆，吃喝异常便利，便更没有理由让我进厨房了。其中有位老美竟餐餐跟我要求：“点烫青菜。”这道台湾岛独有的吃青菜方式，深获老外青睐，既避免在湿热地区吃生冷蔬菜，又能兼顾人体对绿色蔬菜的需求，同时又清爽可口，是炎炎夏日最受欢迎的家常菜肴。

做法非常简单，煮滚半锅热水，添加油盐，将整把清洗过的菠菜、青江菜、地瓜叶、芥蓝、小白菜或茼蒿，下锅涮两下便取出，整齐摆盘后，淋上独门酱汁即成。

一般小店里的烫青菜酱汁，多半是简单的蒜蓉酱油与麻油。家母做的酱汁略微复杂，除葱姜蒜末外，还有她最爱的九层塔与芫荽或芹菜末，至于酱油膏，有时会加入番茄酱与油蛋清打成的美乃滋和少许的芥末酱。而我则喜欢芝麻酱、黄芥末与杏仁酱混合而成的口感。意大利红酒醋与橄榄油混合的简易生菜酱汁，也是我近来喜爱的口味之一。此外，将柠檬、香橙等果汁混合而成的酱汁，也是夏天的爽口调料选择。

受邀参加爱尔兰著名酒庄的品酒会，12年与18年的醇厚酒香，让我突发异想，便在餐宴上提议，让大厨当场用威士忌调出大受欢迎的意大利生菜酱汁，那大概是我至今吃过的最好吃的一次生菜沙拉，有如吃进了整座花园的芬芳，至今仍画面缤纷。

直到去日本古城居游，才见识了日本主妇简简单单用盐搓揉，便能让蔬菜呈现自然甘甜与鲜脆的色泽。自此，我便常用这简易舒心的方式处理菜肴，尤其是日本厨房经常出现的小黄瓜，整条过盐搓揉后，可冷藏相当久，随时取用，既下饭，又能装饰任何菜肴。想起茶圣千利休的简洁美学，真是生活中的真谛。这大概是历尽繁华后，最直接的体悟吧。

（摘自《看世界》2014年第15期）

生菜美食

文|陈念萱