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konnyaku(solidified jelly made from the rhizome of devil’s tongue )
“On the Roads of Shu and Yunnan” mentions konjac and chilli.
On the Road, Volume 20: The Road to Shu, China.
Konnyaku is a food produced from the taro plant or its bulbous stem. It is sometimes distinguished as ‘konnyaku’ when konnyaku as a plant is described, and as ‘konnyaku’ when konnyaku as a food or other processed product is described.
The konnyaku potato is edible, but like many plants in the taro family, it is not edible raw due to the high toxicity of calcium oxalate, and must be de-poisoned by boiling and alkali treatment in order to be edible.
The basic process for removing the poison and making konnyaku is to grind the potato into a powder, knead it with water, and then mix it with lime milk (a calcium hydroxide solution of slaked lime suspended in a small amount of water), a sodium carbonate (sodium carbonate) solution or grass ash dissolved in water, boil and harden it, which is then used as edible konnyaku.
This method of preparation is almost the same not only in Japan but also in China and Myanmar, and it is thought that konnyaku was originally a dish from those countries and was introduced to Japan. There are various theories as to when konjak arrived in Japan, with some saying that it was introduced along with Buddhism as a medicine in the Asuka period and others saying that it was introduced in the Jomon period, as described in “Kaido yuku Han no Kuni Kiko“. It is believed to have been established as a food by the Kamakura period (1185-1333) and used in vegetarian cooking.
Konyaku cuisine in China
Konnyaku cuisine in China is used diversely in traditional Chinese cooking, with konnyaku, known as mó yù (魔芋) or jǔ ruò (蒟蒻), being incorporated into a variety of dishes due to its jelly-like texture and low-calorie properties. Typical Chinese konnyaku dishes include.
1. maolai konnyaku (麻辣蒟蒻): part of Sichuan cuisine, characterised by its pungent and numbing hemp flavour, konnyaku is cut into small pieces and stir-fried or boiled with chilli and huajiao (花椒).
2. cold konnyaku appetiser (凉拌蒟蒻): konnyaku sliced thinly and dressed with vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and chilli for a refreshing taste, especially popular during the hot season.
3. hotpot with konnyaku (火锅蒟蒻): konnyaku is often used as an ingredient in hotpot, especially in Sichuan hotpot, where its unique texture can be enjoyed when cooked in a spicy broth.
4. stewed konnyaku and chicken (蒟蒻炖鸡): a home-style dish in which chicken and konnyaku are stewed together, the chicken flavour soaking into the konnyaku and making it a satisfying dish.
5. stir-fried konnyaku (炒蒟蒻): a simple dish of stir-fried konnyaku with vegetables and meat, e.g. stir-fried with green peppers and pork, making a nutritious and balanced dish.
6. konnyaku boiled in sugar (sugokonnyaku): sometimes used as a beet (dessert), konnyaku is sometimes boiled in sugar water and served cold. It will be characterised by its sweetness and jelly-like texture.
These dishes offer a variety of flavours while utilising the healthy properties and unique texture of konnyaku, and their diversity is attractive, with different cooking methods existing in different regions and households in China.
Konyaku cuisine in Japan
Konjak cuisine in Japan has long been popular as a healthy foodstuff and has been incorporated into the diet in various forms. The following is a list of typical Japanese konnyaku dishes.
1. Oden: Oden is a traditional Japanese stewed dish cooked in broth, and konjak is one of its main ingredients. The konnyaku is cut into triangular or bale-shaped pieces and stewed with daikon radish, eggs and fish paste, absorbing the flavour of the broth and enriching its flavour.
2. Sashimi konnyaku: Sashimi konnyaku is an appetiser served with vinegared miso or ponzu, and is usually thinly sliced konnyaku served with wasabi or yuzu kosho. It is characterised by its cold texture and refreshing taste.
3. simmered dishes: konjak is used in simmered dishes together with root vegetables and tofu. For example, chikuzen-ni and niku-jaga always contain konjak, which enhances the flavour of the ingredients.
4. stir-fries: konnyaku is also used in stir-fries. Examples include kinpira gobo (burdock root with konnyaku thread) and sukiyaki, in which konnyaku is mixed with other ingredients and the flavour is well absorbed to create a tasty dish.
5. dengaku: konjak dengaku is a dish in which konjak is grilled on skewers and served with miso sauce. The sweet and spicy taste of the miso goes perfectly with the sticky texture of the konjak.
6. konjac jelly: popular as a dessert, konjac jelly is widely popular as a low-calorie, healthy sweet. It comes in a variety of fruit-flavoured flavours and can be enjoyed by both children and adults.
7. konjac sticks: a simple dish made by sticking konjac on skewers and grilling or stewing it, often found especially at food stalls and festivals, where it is an easy and enjoyable dish.
8. salads: konjac is a popular diet food and is also used as an ingredient in salads. It can be added to seaweed and vegetable salads to add a textural accent and a healthier feel.
Due to its low-calorie and healthy properties, konjak cuisine in Japan is used in a wide range of dishes, from traditional Japanese cuisine to modern health-conscious dishes. Each household and region has its own unique recipe and offers a wide variety of dishes.
capsicum (Capsicum annuum, esp. the cultivated chili peppers)
Chilli pepper (pepper, pepper mustard, pepper) is a pungent spice made from the fruit of the Capsicum genus (Capsicum) of the Solanaceae family, native to Central and South America, where wild as well as cultivated species are sometimes used as a spice.
There are various varieties of peppers, which are representative species of the genus Capsicum, including sweet species (sweet chillies/amato-peppers) with no or little pungency, such as sweet peppers, shishito peppers (shishito) and paprika.
The pungent components of chilli peppers are capsaicins, which cause pain. This pain is what ‘pungency’ is all about, but in the case of chilli peppers, it is highly pungent, and different people have different tastes.
The genus Capsicum originates from Central and South America and has a very old history in Mexico, dating back to 6000 BC. However, it did not spread to the rest of the world until the 15th century, when Christopher Columbus brought it back to Europe, and it has since spread throughout Europe.
Cooking with chilli in China
The introduction of peppers into China is not well known, and three routes have been postulated.
- By land from Central Asia via Xinjiang in western China via the Silk Road, as described in “History of the Silk Road and Plains“, to Xi’an.
- By sea, the Portuguese crossed the Pacific Ocean from their native Mexico, reached the continent via the Philippines, and then transmitted via Yunnan, as described in “On the Road to Yunnan, China“.
- By sea, the Portuguese, using their colony of Goa as a base, reached Southeast Asia and their new colony of Macau, before landing in Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China, as described in “On the Road to Jiangnan, China“.
The name “pepper” does not appear in the 1578 cookbook “Honzo Tsuname”, and the earliest known reference to it is in the “Grass and Flower Album” and “Zunsheng Baxi” (published in 1591) by Gao Lian (died 1620) of the late Ming dynasty and “Bansho” in Chen Huangzi’s “Flower Mirror” (published in 1688), both of which are dated from the early Qing dynasty. In the early years, it seems to have been mainly for ornamental purposes. Pepper was not used in Sichuan cuisine until the 18th century in Li Huanan and Li Chongyuan’s Souyuanlu, the oldest book on Sichuan cuisine, but pepper was not used until around 1800, when it is recorded that pepper was first cultivated in Sichuan. It is therefore thought that the cuisine of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River became spicy at the beginning of the 19th century.
Chinese chilli cuisine has a wide variety of variations depending on regional characteristics and cooking methods, with regions such as Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou provinces being particularly famous for their spicy dishes with abundant use of chilli. Typical chilli dishes are described below.
1. Mápó Dòufu: Mápó Dòufu is a typical Sichuan dish of minced meat and tofu stewed in a hot sauce of chilli and huajiao-pepper, which gives the dish its characteristic spicy, numbing hemp flavour.
2. làzǐ Jīdīng (辣子鶏丁): làzǐ Jīdīng is a dish made by stir-frying bite-sized pieces of chicken with large amounts of dried chilli, which is characterised by its spiciness and savouriness, with the juicy chicken and spicy chilli flavour perfectly matched.
3. shuǐzhǔ yú (水煮魚): shuǐzhǔ yú is a dish made by boiling fish fillets in a spicy broth made with chilli, pepper and other spices, which gives the fish a tender texture and spicy broth, making it a perfect accompaniment to rice.
4. xiāng là Niúròu (香辣牛肉): xiāng là Niúròu is a dish in which beef is stir-fried with chilli, garlic and ginger, which gives the dish a pungent, aromatic and appetising taste.
5. málà huǒguō (麻辣火鍋): málà huǒguō is a Sichuan-style hotpot, characterised by a spicy broth rich in chilli and pepper, in which thinly sliced meat, vegetables and tofu are stewed in a hot broth with a variety of flavourful ingredients.
6. suān là tāng: Suān là tāng is a sour and spicy soup made with vinegar and chilli, containing mushrooms, tofu and bamboo shoots, with a refreshingly hot and sour flavour.
7. gān biān sìjì dòu (干煸四季豆): gān biān sìjì dòu is a dish of green beans stir-fried over high heat with chilli and garlic. The crunchiness of the beans combined with the spiciness of the chilli makes for a very tasty dish.
8. Hunan Pào Cài Chǎo (湖南泡菜炒): a dish from Hunan Province, stir-fried with fermented chilli (泡菜). It is characterised by its spicy and sour taste and is delicious with rice.
9. Guizhou Suān Tāng Yú (贵州酸汤魚): a dish from Guizhou province, in which fish is stewed in a hot and sour broth. It is characterised by the spiciness of the chilli and the sourness of the fermented tomatoes, giving it a unique flavour.
10. hóng yóu chāoshǒu: hóng yóu chāoshǒu is a Sichuan-style wonton, flavoured with a hot red oil sauce. The smoothness of the wonton skin and the spicy sauce are a perfect combination.
These dishes are made with the clever use of chilli peppers to bring out their unique spiciness and flavour, making them a mouth-watering dish. By enjoying these chilli dishes that reflect the characteristics of different regions, visitors can appreciate the diversity and deep flavours of Chinese cuisine.
Chilli peppers in Japan
There are various theories on its introduction to Japan. In the early days of its arrival in Japan, it was not used for food, but as an ornamental, poison and as a frost-bite remedy in the toes of tabi socks.
The first examples of chili peppers in history are those brought back to Europe by Christopher Columbus in the 15th century and introduced to Kyushu through the Nanban trade as described in “Kaido yuku Karatsu, Hirado, Sasebo, Nagasaki e no Michi” (Road to Karatsu, Hirado, Sasebo and Nagasaki).
In Japan, chilli-based dishes have different regional characteristics and a wide range of variations. The following is a list of typical Japanese chilli dishes.
1. spicy cod roe: spicy cod roe is a pollock roe marinated in a hot chilli seasoning and is a typical Fukuoka speciality, popular as an accompaniment to rice and as a snack with alcohol.
2. bonito tataki: A local dish of Kochi Prefecture, bonito tataki is sometimes served with chopped chilli. The ‘red chilli’ used as a condiment especially enhances the flavour of the bonito.
3. spicy miso ramen: spicy miso ramen is miso ramen with chilli added to the soup to give it a spicy and rich flavour, and is a popular dish in Sapporo and other parts of Japan.
4. spicy kinpira: kinpira gobo (burdock root) and kinpira renkon (lotus root) are spiced with chilli to create a spicy dish. The crunchy texture of the burdock root and lotus root matches the spiciness of the chilli.
5. mapo doufu: The Sichuan dish mapo doufu is also popular in Japan and has been adapted so that the spiciness can be adjusted. This dish is often prepared at home and uses chilli and bean-paste.
6. fried chicken (spicy): fried chicken is sometimes made spicy by adding chilli. Chilli powder or shichimi chilli is used to add a tangy, spicy accent.
7. shichimi togarashi: shichimi togarashi is a seasoning made from a blend of chilli peppers, sansho (Japanese pepper), sesame seeds, hemp seeds, dried chili peels, green laver and poppy seeds, which is sprinkled on udon, soba or nabe dishes.
8. yuzu kosho: yuzu kosho is a seasoning made from a mixture of chilli, yuzu peel and salt, and is a speciality of the Kyushu region. It is used as an accompaniment to yakitori, nabe dishes and sashimi.
9. spicy stir-fry: a dish in which pork and vegetables are stir-fried with chilli, e.g. stir-fried green peppers and pork, to which chilli is added to add a tangy, spicy and tasty flavour.
10. spicy red pepper konbu: spicy red pepper konbu is made by marinating takana in chilli and is a speciality of Fukuoka and other parts of Kyushu, where it is popular as an accompaniment to rice and as a topping for ramen noodles.
Japanese chilli dishes are not only spicy, but also serve to enhance the flavour of the ingredients, and have been incorporated into regional specialities and home cooking to provide a rich variety of dishes.
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