Two weeks ago, this column took a look at garlic chives, mentioning that there are three iterations generally available on the market. The most delicate are the white garlic chives, which we focused on in a twist on a classic dish with stir-fried chicken. The other types of the garlic chive are also linked with classic dishes, particularly the garlic chive blossom, which in Taiwan is generally associated with a dish of minced pork with fermented black soy beans. This is far from its only use, and in Western food it has been incorporated into salads and any sort of dish that is looking for a light garlicky zing without too much bite.
So although garlic chives have already been given the once-over, it seems a shame not to spend a little time with the garlic chive blossom, if for no other reason that its combination with minced pork and fermented black soy beans tastes so delicious and is so easy to put together. With garlic chives now in season, the blossoms are gloriously firm and flavorful, and easily available in traditional markets.
Minced pork with fermented black soy beans and garlic chive blossoms is better known by its colloquial name of Fried Flies Heads (蒼蠅頭). The dish has long been associated with Sichuan cuisine and is available in restaurants specializing in northern Chinese and Sichuan food. With greater focus directed onto the history of cuisine in Taiwan in recent years, this myth seems now to have been categorically debunked to reveal that minced pork with fermented black soy beans and garlic chive blossoms is an authentically Taiwanese invention, though probably inspired by the ingredients and techniques of Sichuan cooking.
Photo: Ian Bartholomew
A 2016 article on ChinaTimes.com credits its invention to a local Taipei restaurateur and since its inception it has become a staple of Sichuan restaurant menus as it combines so seamlessly with other authentic Sichuan dishes. It also has benefited from excellent brand recognition, with its slightly shocking name providing a perfect conversational opener or subject of boozy banter. It also has the additional benefit for both the frugal diner-out or hearty gourmand that it provides a perfect foil to white rice. Of course, this is a strongly flavored dish, but the last minute addition of garlic chive blossoms, still crisp and sweet, with a delicious garlicky freshness, helps one wolf rice down in vast quantities. It is a favorite stomach filler, and in this role has performed yeoman’s service to the dining public.
While white garlic chives are soft, with a melt in the mouth texture, garlic chive blossoms tick another textural box altogether. Their secret is a crisp texture, and so while they often feature in stir-fried dishes, the chopped blossoms are almost invariably tossed in at the last moment, given a quick kiss of heat and then turned onto the plate.
It should be noted that the colloquial name has a descriptive function as well as shock value, and it is generally accepted to refer to the fermented black soy beans that provide the base note for the flavor of this dish. These little black spots nestled amid the bright green of the garlic chives do have a passing resemblance to disembodied flies, but when the dish is well prepared, it generally tastes much better. These black soy beans are those that feature so regularly on Chinese restaurant menus in dishes served with “black bean sauce,” and is an easy ingredient to both source and store. As a fermented bean product, it keeps well in the fridge until called for.
Photo: Ian Bartholomew
For details relating to garlic chives in general, take a look at the Sept. 29 edition of this column.
Spicy minced pork wit garlic chive buds
Recipe
(serves 4)
This dish can be served either fiery hot or with a more restrained mix of sweetness and spice depending on what kind and how much chili you decide to put in. The version provided below using Thai chilies makes for a dish that only has a subtle heat running through the sweetness, and is almost reminiscent of Chinese-Thai flavorings. Put in a larger quantity of bird’s eye chilies, scotch bonnets or similarly fiery peppers, or even a mixture of mild and super hot to give a nice inclusion of vermilion in the dish, then you have an entirely different proposition on hand. If going for a more spicy version, I do recommend adding the firm tofu (豆干), as it offsets the powerful spices, providing greater depth of flavor to the whole dish.
Ingredients
400g minced pork, not too lean
400g garlic chive buds, chopped into 0.5cm sections
1 tablespoon fermented black beans
4 pieces firm tofu, diced (optional)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large nub ginger, minced
4 Thai chilies
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoon thick soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
salt and white pepper to season
Directions
1. Warm the oil in a wok and then add the fermented black beans and fry until fragrant.
2. Add the ginger and garlic. Stir and continue to cook over medium heat.
3. Add the minced pork and mix well with the fragrant oil, then press down in the pan. Fry until the pork begins to color, about 1 minute.
4. Add the sugar. Flip the minced and continue to fry for another minute, then add the chili and tofu (if using).
5. Add the dark soy and mix well.
6. Bring the heat up and stir in the chopped garlic chives, stirring vigorously over the heat for about 1 minute.
7. Serve immediately with white rice.
Ian Bartholomew runs Ian’s Table, a small guesthouse in Hualien. He has lived in Taiwan for many years writing about the food scene and has decided that until you look at farming, you know nothing about the food you eat.
He can be contacted at Hualien202@gmail.com.
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