Firstly, Happy Deepavali and Selamat Hari Raya to all my Indian and Muslim friends. May you and your families be blessed with joy and merriment this festive season. ^_^ Weather's been really cold (for Malaysian standards) lately. It's been raining heavily nearly every evening. Sometimes it feels like I'm up in Genting or Fraser’s Hill again. Absolutely lovely. :)
This thing here is supposed to be a root, used in Chinese herbal soups. I fished it out of my soup one night. My mom has been using it occasionally alongside the more common kei chi (boxthorn fruit) and dong guai (another Chinese herb) for as long as I can remember. Although my mom keeps reassuring it's just a root, I can't help but think it may be something else… Look at it closely, doesn't it resemble a certain larvae stage of a certain insect? The little curled head, multiple segments, complete with wrinkles, sucker-like feet, and a tiny breathing pore in the middle of each segment. -_-"
I used to be a little freaked out by it, but nowadays, I've developed enough courage to pick it up, pop it into my mouth and chew it whole. It tastes well, tasteless. And a little crunchy. Has a slight nutty/herbal taste to it.
After much thought, I've come up with 3 theories regarding what this strange ingredient is:
1. It is a root that looks like a caterpillar.
2. It is a caterpillar that looks like a root.
3. It was a caterpillar that became assimilated with a certain plant, becoming a caterpillar-root hybrid (hence the crunchy, nutty taste commonly associated with grubs, plus the rooty, herbal taste).
Anyone out there who knows what this thing is?
This thing here is supposed to be a root, used in Chinese herbal soups. I fished it out of my soup one night. My mom has been using it occasionally alongside the more common kei chi (boxthorn fruit) and dong guai (another Chinese herb) for as long as I can remember. Although my mom keeps reassuring it's just a root, I can't help but think it may be something else… Look at it closely, doesn't it resemble a certain larvae stage of a certain insect? The little curled head, multiple segments, complete with wrinkles, sucker-like feet, and a tiny breathing pore in the middle of each segment. -_-"
I used to be a little freaked out by it, but nowadays, I've developed enough courage to pick it up, pop it into my mouth and chew it whole. It tastes well, tasteless. And a little crunchy. Has a slight nutty/herbal taste to it.
After much thought, I've come up with 3 theories regarding what this strange ingredient is:
1. It is a root that looks like a caterpillar.
2. It is a caterpillar that looks like a root.
3. It was a caterpillar that became assimilated with a certain plant, becoming a caterpillar-root hybrid (hence the crunchy, nutty taste commonly associated with grubs, plus the rooty, herbal taste).
Anyone out there who knows what this thing is?
2 comments:
It is called 'Cordyceps'...search for it on google.
I see... thanks!:)
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