Creating culinary delights from precious waste
Print Edition
THE Chinese have a saying: “turn waste into wealth.” That spirit of waste not, want not also prevails in Chinese cooking.
Westerners may find the idea of dishes such as chicken feet, rabbit head, pig brain and intestines rather distasteful. But utilizing all parts of a slaughtered animal was a matter of necessity during eras when food was scarce and every scrap of food precious.
As a result, many dishes now considered delicacies flowed from lean times of waste not, want not.
In contemporary China, Westerners are often surprised how much food is left on the table at the end of a meal. Traditionally, that was considered the mark of a generous host. However, anti-waste campaigns are getting louder nowadays, and some restaurants are even encouraging customers to order in moderation, with discounts offered to those who eat everything they order.
In traditional Chinese cuisine, many dishes incorporate what might be considered waste, such as radish skins, broccoli stalks and even fish scales. Some are actually rich in nutrients. Here’s a look at how throwaway parts of vegetables and meat can be recycled into good eating.
The watermelon rind is the best example of turning what is considered a waste product into something highly edible. In fact, the watermelon itself is a versatile fruit, since it all can be eaten, from rind to flesh to seeds.
Watermelon rind is actually crisp and light, similar to zucchini and cucumber.
Sautéed watermelon rind is an easy, healthy dish to make in the summer. Scrape off the thin outer layer of dark skin, and then cut the rind into strips or slices. Sauté with dried red pepper, soy sauce, garlic and salt. Egg, shrimp and meat can also be added.
You can also make a light watermelon peel pickle by infusing the sliced peel in soy sauce, vinegar, salt and sesame oil, and then refrigerating for at least two hours. Sugar can be added for sweeter pickle.
The outer layer of skin on the watermelon is also useful. Once scraped off, wash the skin with salt water and then dry naturally. Add hot water and sugar to make a nutritious tea. The dried skin can be preserved in clean jars for several months. For a quicker result, you can add the rinsed skin to a pot and fill with water. Bring it to boil and add sugar to taste. In traditional Chinese medicine, watermelon skin tea is said to relieve internal heat. You can also add mint leaves for a richer taste.
The radish skin is also a popular ingredient to make pickles, either sweet and sour or sour and spicy. It’s an appetizing side dish served in many Chinese restaurants. The best radish to use is xinlimei, also known as the roseheart radish. It was first cultivated in China.
Broccoli stalks are often thrown away when preparing dishes featuring the florets because they are considered unattractive. The stalks can also be made into a pickle the same way as radish skin. Many people think stalks are flavorless, but that isn’t true. If they are lightly peeled to remove the tough outer skin, the stalks can be cooked just like the florets and be equally flavorful.
Chinese asparagus lettuce, or celtuce, is popular vegetable as a cold dish and in stir-fries and hot pot. The leaves, however, are commonly thrown away as waste. Such a pity. The leaves are actually similar to youmaicai, a lettuce with a slightly bitter taste. They can be sautéed as a quick vegetable dish, or added to caifan, a mixed fried rice dish in Shanghainese cuisine that utilizes leafy vegetables. If you buy fresh celtuce at a farmers’ market, the vendor normally asks if you want to keep the leaves.
Bamboo shoots are a common vegetable in winter, but they have layers of skin too hard to eat and often thrown away. But the shell-like skin from spring bamboo shoots can be made into a dried food for stews and braised dishes by boiling or steaming in high heat, soaking in water, pressing with weight and drying. When cooking with skin bought from a market, soak it in water for one day and then add to bold-flavored dishes of ribs or streaky pork.
When making soymilk at home using soybean milk machines, there’s always that leftover bean residue. This “waste” is actually fiber-rich and can be made into pancakes, cookies and cakes. The residue can also use to make a vegan version of rousong, or pork floss, by pan frying on low heat with soy sauce, sugar and toasted sesame seeds.
Zhuyouzha, or the fat dregs, is the leftover product of boiling lard from pork fat. The fat slices shrink after all the oil is extracted, then sprinkled with some sugar to get the popular snack. The fat dregs can also be added to other dishes, such as pancakes and steamed buns, for a richer flavor. It’s also a necessary ingredient in caifan.
Fish scales may sound like the most unlikely of “waste” products to turn into a meal. But it can be done. The scales have generally been removed when ready-to-cook fish is purchased in markets, but if you are preparing a whole fish at home, you can turn the scales into two snacks.
Fish scales are rich in collagen, making them an ideal ingredient for preparing jellies. After thoroughly rinsing the fish scales, add ginger and leek to eliminate the fishy taste, then season with salt and add water, steam for 20 minutes and filter to extract the clear liquid. The jelly is ready after two hours in the fridge. It can be sliced and seasoned with vinegar, salt and red pepper oil.
Another simple recipe is to marinate the fish scales in salt, pepper and cooking wine, then coat the scales evenly with corn starch and fry in hot oil, adding salt and pepper to taste.
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