What does Houttuynia cordata taste like? Do you need to blanch Houttuynia cordata for cold salad?

Houttuynia cordata contains more trace elements, mineral elements, and vitamins. Houttuynia cordata is also known as dog heart grass, dog ear, and ear root. It is a common table ingredient and medicinal material in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Hubei. Because of its many benefits, it is deeply sought after by local people. Fresh Houttuynia cordata is not common in the market because it is only available in certain seasons. If you are interested, you can learn more about it. I hope it will be helpful to your life.

Contents of this article

1. What does Houttuynia cordata smell like?

2. Do you need to blanch Houttuynia cordata for cold salad?

3. How to choose young Houttuynia cordata

What does Houttuynia cordata smell like?

When crushed, Houttuynia cordata has a fishy smell, which is bitter and unpleasant. Many people do not like the smell of Houttuynia cordata, which leads to a low overall evaluation of the plant. The smell of Houttuynia cordata is a chemical called decanoyl acetaldehyde.

Houttuynia cordata, also known as Houttuynia cordata, is a common table ingredient and medicinal material in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Hubei. Because of its many benefits, it is deeply sought after by local people.

Houttuynia cordata is produced in provinces and regions south of the Yangtze River Basin in my country. It was introduced in Sichuan for large-scale cultivation, which has already driven the development of Houttuynia cordata bases in surrounding towns and villages.

Houttuynia cordata contains more trace elements, mineral elements, and vitamins. Houttuynia cordata is also known as dog heart grass, dog ear, and ear root. Its stems and leaves grow luxuriantly in summer.

Do you need to blanch Houttuynia cordata for cold salad?

You can blanch it or not. Blanching it in moderate boiling water can remove some of the fishy smell of Houttuynia cordata itself, but the taste may not be so crisp after blanching. If you like to eat crispy food, you don't need to blanch it, just wash it with cold water and mix it directly.

The seasonings that can be used for cold-mixed Houttuynia cordata include: minced garlic, salt, vinegar, MSG, chili oil, light soy sauce, pepper oil, etc. You can add different seasonings according to your personal taste.

The white roots and leaves should be used for cold-mixed Houttuynia cordata. The old roots and some yellowed leaves should be picked off.

Washing Houttuynia cordata with starch water can remove the fine sand, dust and other impurities on the surface of Houttuynia cordata.

How to choose young houttuynia

Look at the leaf color

Fresh Houttuynia cordata is not common in the market because it is only available in certain seasons. The leaves of fresh Houttuynia cordata are green on the top and purple-red on the bottom.

Observe the shape of the leaves

The leaves of high-quality fresh Houttuynia cordata are heart-shaped, slightly pointed at the top and slightly rounded at the bottom. The petioles are slender and have fibrous roots on the lower petioles.

Observe the thickness of the blade

You should choose Houttuynia cordata with thick leaves, because such Houttuynia cordata has higher nutritional value and medicinal value. When selecting, you can measure the thickness of the Houttuynia cordata leaves with your fingers.

Smell

Good quality Houttuynia cordata has a strong fishy smell, which is why it is called Houttuynia cordata, while inferior quality Houttuynia cordata will not have such a strong fishy smell.

Dried Houttuynia

Check for impurities

The picking and production process of some dried Houttuynia cordata is very rough, so there will be a lot of impurities mixed in the Houttuynia cordata. It is not recommended to buy such Houttuynia cordata.

Check humidity

Grab a handful of Houttuynia cordata with your hands. If it feels sticky or damp to the touch, then do not buy it.

Taste

Take a piece of dried Houttuynia cordata leaf, crush it in the palm of your hand, put it close to your nose and smell it. You can smell the fishy odor. You can also put it in your mouth to taste it. High-quality dried Houttuynia cordata should have a light astringent taste.