五彩肚丝 (wucai tusi)

Shredded Tripe with Cilantro, Spring Onion, Wood Ear Mushroom and Carrot

by Huangdi @ www.abang.com

As the saying goes“In heaven they eat dragon, on earth we eat donkey” (in reference to its sublime flavour). Rich in nutrients, every 100g of donkey meat contains 18.6g of protein, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphates, iron and many kinds of amino acids essential to the body. Chinese medicine holds that eating donkey meat has two main benefits, namely, “invigorating vital energy and nourishing the blood” in addition to “nourishing the heart and settling the mind”. Possessing a fresh and smooth texture, one might call “five coloured shredded tripe” the pinnacle of (Chinese) cold dish cuisine.

Ingredients: 250g prepared donkey tripe, bunch cilantro, 2 spring onions, ½ cup dry wood ear mushroom, one carrot

Spices: 6 cloves garlic, 3 Tb mature vinegar, 1 Tb sugar, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp chicken essence (or chicken salt), 2 tsp sesame oil

Method:

1. First soak wood ears until soft and rinse.

2. Cut donkey tripe into shreds.

3. Cut cilantro into small segments, then cut spring onion lengthways into fine threads, also cutting wood ears and carrot finely.

4. Peel and crush garlic into pulp and mix together with other ingredients.

5. Add salt, sugar, chicken essence, sesame oil and mature vinegar according to taste, or follow proportions suggested above.

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Preparation Tips:

1. If there is no donkey tripe available, pig tripe will also do.

2. If you like, you can also mix some strips of ginger through the dish.

Nutritional Advice:

The taste of donkey tripe is quite strong; its texture is crisp yet delicate. Donkey meat fortifies the liver and kidneys, consolidates kidney essence and bone marrow, enriches the blood and vital energy and protects the skin and general countenance. The scientific value of Sun Simiao’s theory that “viscera fortifies and treats the viscera” is proven by the fact that today digestive enzymes, polyenzyme tablets and all kinds of hormonal preparations are derived from the viscera of animals.

Excerpts from original text:

谚语云:天上龙肉,地上驴肉。驴肉的营养极为丰富,每100克驴肉含蛋白质18.6克,还含有碳水化合物、钙、磷、铁及人体所需的多种氨基酸。中医则认为驴肉的功效有补气养血和养心安神两大好处。现在就教大家一道以驴肚为主的冷菜,“五彩肚丝”口感鲜滑,可谓冷菜中的上品。

驴肚口味馨香、脆而柔嫩,可健脾肾、固精填髓、补血益气、护肤养颜。唐孙思邈创立“以脏补脏”和“以脏治脏”理论富有科学内涵。胰导素,多酶片,各种激素类制剂就是从动物内脏中提取的。