Fuling Zha Cai (Pickled Mustard Tuber Snack)
The original scenery of China's railway journey! Open the bag and eat "Zasai" as it is
Description
Famous in Japan as a cooking ingredient, but in China, the ultimate consumption scene is 'long-distance train travel'. The national style is opening a small red packet of Zha Cai and crunching on it completely raw, straight from the bag, alongside instant noodles or congee.
Restaurants serving Fuling Zha Cai (Pickled Mustard Tuber Snack)
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Qing Cai Tou(Mustard tuber)
- Salt
- Chili
- Sichuan pepper
- Various spices
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe (Traditional Prep & Eating)]
- Harvest 'Qing Cai Tou' (the massive swollen stem base of a specific mustard green) native to Fuling, Chongqing. Air-dry to remove moisture.
- Rub with salt, chili powder, Sichuan pepper, and star anise. Pack into giant crocks, weigh down, and lacto-ferment for months (the name Zha Cai means 'pressed to extract water').
- (Modern Eating) Buy small red foil packets of pre-sliced, seasoned Zha Cai (like the famous 'Wu Jiang' brand) at a supermarket or train station.
- Board a long-distance train, brew a bowl of instant noodles (like Braised Beef Noodle).
- Open the Zha Cai packet, using your chopsticks to grab pieces straight from the bag, crunching them loudly between slurps of noodles.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Spicy chili hit and lactic fermented umami
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Japanese jarred Zha Cai (but Chinese foil packets are crunchier)
Pairing
Kang Shi Fu Instant Noodles / White Congee
Trivia
[Trivia] The red packaging of the 'Wu Jiang' brand dominates all of China. Even when traveling abroad, a Chinese person's suitcase is guaranteed to have a massive stash of these Zha Cai packets hidden inside.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] They don't cook it like in Japan ('stir-fried with pork'). It is grabbed directly from the packet, using bland congee or junk-food instant noodle soup to neutralize its intense saltiness and crunch.
Allergen
None