One of the most breathtaking sites I saw was actually on our plane ride from Kunming to LiJiang. Peaking out from the clouds was the majestic Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The far side of the mountain forms one side of the Tiger Leaping Gorge.
The Yunnan province is well-known for its numerous varieties of mushrooms, potatoes and corn. At the onset of our trip, we were mainly fed "tourist" meals. This typically consisted of a type of stir-fry assorted mushroom dish, chineses-style omelletes, mixed veggies, and minced meat. Once we were even served french fries! Quite often we would see local street merchants roasting potatoes and filling the air with numerous deep fried meat skewers and breads.
After several rounds of "tourist meals", my dad decided to put his foot down and take matters into his own hands. A foodie at heart, he wanted to savour the true flavors of LiJiang and "eat what the locals eat". With a push and a nudge to our tour guide, we were immediately taken to a local restaurant that specialized in MUSHROOMS! Oh yeah...this meal was definitely memorable. We had the opportunity to dine on one of the most delectable mushroom hotpot ever! The broth was rich and earthy, filled with various chinese herbs. As we waited for it to boil, in came a plethora of mushrooms - several varieties of chicken-tast mushrooms, enoki, chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, morels, and cow liver mushrooms - to name a few. Since these were wild mushrooms, we received specific instructions to wait at least 10 minutes prior to diving in. As we sat around and starred at the pot located at the center of the table, the aroma of the broth, along with the mushrooms (and not to mention the whole blacken chicken they threw in to further flavor the soup) filled the room. We finally attacked the soup and all I can say is...dude, this was da bomb. Honestly, words cannot describe the richness and natural flavors of this hotpot. Without the hinderence of MSG and other manufactured chemicals, I would describe the taste of this soup as mother nature's gift.
Our culinary adventure continued that night as we rang in the new year with a Sichuan meal atop the Jade Dragon Revolving Restaurant located on the on the 23rd floor of our hotel (GuanFang Hotel). Overlooking LiJiang in the highest restaurant in Yunnan, we were amped for our meal while trying not to get too nauseous from the rotation of the resto. We were delighted to try a few new items and to also see some old favorites....here is a sampling...
Szechuan-style roasted jalapeno peppers
Crispy-rice served with a seafood medley
Chili Pepper Chicken (more chili than chicken!)
Salt & Pepper Shrimp (and oldie but a goodie)
Our last meal in LiJiang was capped off at a fantastic restaurant that served some Shanghainese goodies. We sampled on some of these specialties....
Lion-head meatballs
Dry-roasted spicy spare-ribs
Lotus roots stuffed with sweet sticky rice
Roasted pork
Traditional shanghainese buns
A couple of foot massages later and a few attempts at karaoke bars, our crew was ready to take on the next part of our excursion....Shangri-La. We certainly enjoyed the flavors of LiJiang and the hospitality that the city offered. Being so far removed from HK, SH and BJ, LiJiang was truly a city that showed a lot of tradition and culture. One word of advice - pass on the tourist meal and be a little adventurous and take the path less travelled.....
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