Snout & Seek
Snout & Seek
Culinary Cultural Exploration & Discovery
⌘K
Subscribe Sign in
Snout & Seek

The Beginnings of Bao Shao

Photo: The Beginnings of Bao Shao
Local wild greens, green peas, garlic, and chili pepper powder tossed together in a mixing bowl.

One rainy evening, we sought shelter in a Lahu home in Yunnan and were generously invited to dinner. One dish, prepared by the women, was particularly memorable: several local wild greens grilled with chili and garlic inside a leaf parcel. This cooking method, common among many ethnic minorities in Yunnan, is known as “bao shao” (leaf-wrapped grilling). The Lahu, traditionally a hunting people known for tracking tigers, maintain aspects of this lifestyle to this day.

Subscribe to discover and explore!

No spam, no sharing to third party. Only you and me.

More like this

Marbled Meat for Hot Pot

Marbled Meat for Hot Pot

Photo: Marbled meat sliced thinly, especially for hot pot.
Red capped mushrooms picked in a basket.

Wild Mushrooms from Yunnan

Photo: Wild mushrooms from Yunnan
Soy sauce laborer removes the bamboo hats from the rows of soy bean fermentation jars.

Working Among the Soy Sauce Jars

In the soy sauce factory, workers move carefully among rows of fermentation jars. They watch the weather throughout the day.
Three trays of fermenting soybeans rest on shelves on top of one another.

Soybeans Fermenting in the Temperature-controlled Room

Steamed soybeans are first coated with flour, then sent into a temperature-controlled room to ferment naturally. As the process begins, a layer of Aspergillus oryzae grows across the beans, appearing as a soft green coating.
The top of a brown weather-worn ceramic vinegar jar stamped with its vat number in black ink.

Ceramic Jars for Vinegar

Ceramic jars are used for vinegar fermentation in Sichuan. They are valued for their ability to maintain steady temperature and humidity, which leads to a smoother and more stable fermentation process.
An elderly Sichuan, Chinese woman sits in the faded red wooden doorway to her shop in Yaoba Historic Village.

A 嬢嬢 (niáng niang, meaning auntie) in Yaoba

A 嬢嬢 (niáng niang, meaning auntie) sits in the doorway of her shop in Yaoba Historic Town in Luzhou.