In Tengchong, spring is not only a visual feast, but also a revelry of taste buds. The morning mist still lingers over the Gaoligong Mountain and the bamboo baskets of Tengchong locals have been filled with gifts from nature. From the fern shoots peeking out of volcanic rock crevices to the houttuynia sprouts emerging by the riverside, every wild vegetable carries the essence of spring, becoming an indispensable delicacy on the local dining table. In this place, which is praised by Xu Xiake as "the first city in the frontier", a wild spring feast is quietly unfolding on the tip of the tongue.

Tangli flowers

When the wind blowing from Gaoligong Mountain is still chilly, the branches of the Tangli trees have quietly begun to sprout sporadic buds. The white petals are swaying gently on the branches, and the tender yellow stamens exude a faint fragrance. 

Tangli Flowers are the most popular in buds and have many cooking purposes-they can be steamed with eggs, used as a cold salad, or baked into pancakes. However, the most delectable preparation is stir-fried with cured meat. When preparing, wash the picked Tangli flowers and blanch them briefly in boiling water to remove astringency. After draining, rinse thoroughly with clean water. Slice the bacon, stir-fry with dried Chili and garlic slices in a pot. Then, add the prepared Tangli flowers and stir-fry them quickly until they are combined. Tangli flowers absorb the delicacy of bacon and the spicy taste of pepper, forming a tender and crisp texture with a hint of natural sweetness. This dish is not only visually attractive, but also has a complex taste with distinct layers, leaving a lasting impression on people. 

Toons

When the buds of toons began to swell in the lingering chill of early spring, the people of Tengchong know that spring had really arrived. The first tender shoots, edged with a fuzzy purple hue, dance in a wok with golden egg liquid to create the "gold-wrapped-silver" toon bud omelet. Some households prefer blanching the toona shoots in mountain spring water to remove any bitterness, adding a verdant poetic touch to a chilled tofu salad. When stir-fried with aged cured meat that has been marinated for half a year, its rich aroma can permeate the entire alley paved with stone slabs. 

Toona shoots

Toona shoots, nicknamed "prickly buds", may be thorny, but their tender freshness shines through. Harvesting them requires wearing gloves, just like dancing with barbed spring. Once blanched in boiling water, Toona shoots will remove its astringency and mix it with minced garlic and pepper into cold salad, so that the bitter coolness will give way to a sweet aftertaste. When stewed with free-range chicken, sharp thorns are transformed into a wild and refreshing essence in the broth, and every bite confirms the proverb "Good medicine tastes bitter". 

Fiddlehead ferns

When spring rain whispers to the awakening earth, the buds of ferns spread their bodies in the volcanic soil. The shoots of big ferns are like braids of girls, while the water ferns are like emerald tassels. After blanching, they are stir-fried with pickled vegetables, providing a tender and smooth texture with a hint of astringency. What is even more delightful is the dried fern, which will immediately evoke the memory of the entire spring when it is added to the pickled pork ribs stewed in winter. 

Shepherd's purses

When the rapeseed flowers began to show their golden stamens, the shepherd's purse had woven a green carpet along the ridges. The people of Tengchong favor pounding it with glutinous rice to create emerald-green shepherd's purse cakes. When used to make soup, small green shepherd's purses are scattered in the egg flowers, providing such a sweet and fresh feeling, which reminds people of the fields with dew at dawn. 

Houttuynia Cordata

In spring, houttuynia roots still carry a hint of earthy crimson, so tender and crisp that they seem to burst with moisture. Mixed with Chili sauce and fermented black beans, it provides a pungent and sour taste with a unique herbal aroma. A more creative approach to enjoy it is to steam it with cured meat, allowing the pungent and fatty aromas to undergo a marvelous chemical reaction in the rising steam. 

Magnolia flowers

When the magnolia flowers sway gracefully beneath the eaves, Tengchong people have prepared their egg batter. The petals are coated with egg liquid and immersed in hot oil, which instantly blooming into golden lotus-like crisps. When steamed with honey, the floral fragrance turns into a soothing nectar that nourishes the lungs, turning even a cough into something poetic. 

Baihua flowers

"Baihua flower" is also known as "old white flower”, features white or slightly pinkish petals and slender stamens. They have a fragrant and crisp texture, and blanching can remove any bitterness and make the taste more refreshing and pleasant. Whether stir-fried alone or with cured meats, they retain a certain crunch, offering a unique culinary experience. Common ways to prepare them include plain stir-fried Baihua flowers, where the blanched flowers are stir-fried with garlic, tomatoes, and fermented soybeans. They can also be stir-fried with cured meats or bean dregs, where the rich aroma of the meat or the savory flavor of the bean residue pairs with the fresh fragrance and crispness of the Baihua flowers, creating a truly delightful taste. 

Banana blossoms

The banana flower bud, shaped like a pagoda, is layered with overlapping bracts. Peel away the outer layers, and the tender core stir-fried with green peppers offers a sweetness akin to bamboo shoots. When stewed with free-range chicken, the floral fragrance permeates the broth, even injecting the essence of spring into the bones. As for the paper mulberry flower, it can be steamed with noodles, stir-fried with fermented black beans and tomatoes, or cooked in a broth of rice water and preserved vegetables. Its texture is slightly slippery and crisp, with a subtle sweetness, and it is known for its digestive, nourishing, and anti-diarrheal properties. If you visit Tengchong in the spring, be sure to try these delicacies. 

Daylilies

When the buds of daylilies droop in the morning dew, the people of Tengchong begin their busy preparations. They pick the tenderest buds and knead them with glutinous rice flour into a vibrant green dough, which is then pan-fried over a wood-fired stove into golden discs of nostalgia. With each bite, the floral fragrance and the aroma of rice dance a waltz on the tongue, transporting one back to childhood days of sneaking buds on the way home from school.

Ranfanhua flowers

The dye Mimiconioides, scientifically known as Buddleja officinalis, exudes a unique fragrance. Its flowers bloom in dense clusters, making it highly ornamental, and it is often grown as a garden plant in southern China. This flower serves as a natural food dye, containing various flavonoids such as buddleoside and acacetin. When used to soak glutinous rice, it imparts a golden hue and a delicate aroma to the steamed rice. Additionally, its flower buds and inflorescences are used in traditional medicine. With a sweet taste and slightly cold nature, they are known to dispel wind, clear heat, nourish the liver, improve vision, and reduce eye opacity.

In Tengchong, every wild vegetable is a gift from nature, and every way of preparing them is a testament to the passage of time. No complex seasonings are needed—just a pinch of salt and the touch of fire can make these mountain spirits sing on your tongue. This spring, why not follow the trail of cooking smoke into the villages of Tengchong? Let your taste buds measure the spring of Gaoligong Mountains, and turn every bite of wild greens into an emerald bookmark in your memory.

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(Editors: May, Ines)