Baiju Sanla Vegetable

Baiju Sanla Vegetable

　　Baiju Sanla Vegetable is a specialty of Baiju Town, Dafeng City, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province. This delicacy from Dafeng’s Baiju is deliciously savory with a fragrant cured flavor, vibrant green in color, and has a sharp mustard bite that clears your nasal passages instantly. It aids digestion, relieves coughs and expels phlegm, soothes the body, improves complexion, and even supports weight loss. It's a trusted green food product.

　　Baiju Sanla Vegetable has a long history, dating back as far as the time when literary master Shi Nai'an wrote his timeless masterpiece “Water Margin” in seclusion at the Shigong Temple in Baiju. It is said that Shi Nai'an used Sanla Vegetable as a daily side dish while writing, which inspired his epic work. Today, people from even a hundred miles away flock to Baiju before Chinese New Year just to try it. Along with the footsteps of those from Baiju, Sanla Vegetable has become a cherished gift—whether for family, friends, or even international guests.

　　Why is it called Sanla? According to Baiju’s town chronicles, it gets its name from the spicy wild hemp vegetable, the pungency of mustard seeds, and the fact that it’s best made in the lunar month of La (腊月), which sounds like “la” (辣), meaning spicy. That’s how the name was born.

　　What does Sanla taste like? Don’t worry—if you’re staring at a table full of chicken, duck, and fish not knowing where to start, just take a small amount from the side dish of Sanla, place it in your mouth, and instantly, that spicy kick will shoot up your nose. After a few more bites, your appetite will soar, and you’ll find yourself craving more. At the same time, the tiny beads of sweat on your nose will tell you that even in the bitter cold of deepest winter, you won’t feel chilly. And if you catch a cold with a stuffy nose, there’s no need for medicine—just a few bites of Sanla will clear your airways and make you feel better.

　　How is Sanla made? The most important aspect is the wildness of its main ingredient. Wild hemp vegetable grows along ditches, ponds, and field ridges, facing the wind, deep green in color with sawtooth leaves, somewhat resembling potherb mustard. Some are as big as a pot lid, others as small as a plate. It requires no fertilizer or pesticides. Perhaps it’s the spiciness between its leaves that keeps bugs away—truly a pure green food. The harvested wild hemp is strung up one by one and hung in the shade to dry slowly. By the time La Month arrives and the color turns light green or slightly yellow, it’s time to prepare the seasonings: salt, sesame oil, sugar, wine, and especially mustard seeds. The dried hemp is soaked in water, rinsed clean, chopped finely, and stir-fried in an iron wok until half-cooked—mind you, only half-cooked. Then it’s transferred to a large container. Separately, ground mustard seeds are stir-fried in a small pan, then mixed together with the other seasonings and poured into the container with the hemp. Stir everything thoroughly, pack it tightly into small jars, and seal them. After seven days, when you open the jar, the rich spicy aroma tells you it’s ready. Invite some friends over for a little gathering and enjoy your homemade Sanla—it doesn’t get any more satisfying than that.

　　Authentic Baiju Sanla Vegetable travels from the serene Chuanchang River banks, along the tracks of the Xinchang Railway, and inside speeding vehicles on the coastal expressways, carrying its ancient fragrance to all corners of China.