part of the reason i’m starting this blog is because i’m learning about the things i’ve enjoyed and taken for granted for so long in my cultural background. it’s amazing how much you can experience but not really know.
take this idea of a “fifth taste” for example: umami or 鲜 (xian1). now that i think about it, it dominates cantonese cooking. my aunt makes soup every day* and most of the time, it’s stock produced from mushrooms and vegetables (as in the vegetable stock described in the linked post), enhanced with chinese herbs and roots. other times, it’s stock derived from boiling animal bones (those leftover chicken, duck and pork bones from last night’s entree come way in handy). it’s difficult to describe the taste other than “savory.” kinda like describing foie gras. it’s rich and delicate and subtle and delicious all at the same time.
*sidenote: wondering if my aunt would let me photo blog some of her cooking… probably not.
