That root is a kid of burdock often called Chinese yam, it’s 山药 (mountain medicine) in Chinese. A similar veg you might see is 牛蒡, which is more the variety of burdock you’ll see in Japanese cooking. Usually they’re sliced into thin rounds and thrown in a soup, you’ll probably find more Japanese recipes for burdock if you’re searching in English.
Ku gua that you ate fried with egg is also known as bitter gourd ( because of its bitterness in taste) or cool gourd (because of it can give you coolness in summer, after eating it your body will feel cool internally, particular in summer). Another way to cook it is with black soy bean and garlic. A very authentic cuisine in Guangdong.
I admire how brave you are as a foreigner to just waltz in to a Chinese restaurant in the middle of nowhere with no one speaking English and order a meal ❤
For the long hairy Chinese yam, make sure u wear gloves when peeling the skin, the hairy stuff makes our skin very itchy . For northern Chinese cooking, it is sliced and slightly stir fried with vinegar for a couple of minutes only. it tastes crunchy and tender . One of my favourite veg dishes. Chinese yam is very good for digestion system and spleen according to TCM.
When I worked near the Montgomery Street downtown San Francisco 15 years ago I used to go to this Chinese place at the second street all the time and their bitter melon beef dish was my favorite. They had an interesting ordering system: You got a colored chip from the cashier and then dropped it at a window. Five minutes later the dish would come out, fresh out of wok. The place was closed a few years ago. When I pass by the old location, memory of the bitte melon always comes back.
I would suggest you find some local small restaurants and order some food, try to chat with the local people. Your Chinese might be improved fast and it might made your video more interesting. No big cities, we just want to see how small town and village people 's life in China.
Thanks for the tip! I am a huge fan of that northern garlic cucumber salad dish. It's not cooked but I feel cooked after eating all that garlic. No one wants to talk to be near me after eating it. I wonder why? 😂
@@heyheyyouxp Yes, you are right. Chinese dishes has evolved thousand years. Those toxic vegetable while eating in raw have been discarded from our daily diets, like 白豆角。So, I have to remind changing of cooking method can cause serious health problem.
Ku gua 苦瓜is my favorite vege! Fry with salty duck egg or tiny dried fish tastes gorgeous! You can also make soup using it with pork ribs, help to detoxify your body 降火排毒～
You have exquisite taste to like bitter gourd, not many could put up with the bitterness. Try it with pork & black beans, you'll have more than one bowl of rice!
There's si gua 絲瓜 Silky gourd. Long and green, with spiky edges like star fruit. Peel off the hard edges, skin is rough but edible, flesh is sweet and like a silky smooth mesh.
