It is the "immortal rice" in the water and also the green bird's nest

We eat a lot of rice, but have you ever eaten the "fairy rice" that comes from water? Gexianmi, this aquatic algae plant, is said to have been picked for food by Ge Hong, a Taoist, medical scientist, and alchemist in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, when he passed through Zomaping in Hubei when he lived in seclusion in the south. Because eating it is helpful for weak and sick people, Ge Hong later presented it to the emperor. After the weak prince ate it, his illness was cured and his body became strong, so it was given the name "Gexianmi".

This magical algae plant is also known as Pearl Algae because of its round shape like pearls. Its ancient names include Tianxiancai and Tianxianmi. Gexianmi grows in underdeveloped mountainous areas. It is natural and pollution-free and is an authentic original ecological green food. At the same time, Gexianmi is known as green bird's nest because of its high nutritional value.

Food Files

Name: Gexianmi

Other names: Tianxian rice, Tianxian vegetable, water fungus, field fungus

Nature and flavor: cold, sweet and refreshing

Gexianmi, commonly known as Tianxianmi, Tianxiancai, Zhenzhucai, Water Fungus, and Field Fungus. The herb belongs to the Cyanobacteria class, Nostoc family. The algae are gelatinous, spherical or other irregular shapes, blue-green or yellow-brown. The cells are spherical, with many cells connected into a bead-like group and covered with colloid. Heterocysts are located between the cells of the filaments, and are often located at the top of the filaments of young algae. When reproducing, most produce thick-walled spores, often in the form of chains. It is green when wet and gray-black when dry. It grows among sand and rocks in water or on damp soil.

★ Distribution of Gexianmi production areas★

The distribution of Gexianmi is very rare in the world. It is distributed all over China. Its main distribution area in China is Zomaping Town, Hefeng County, Hubei Province. The most famous one is produced in Sichuan. It grows in rice fields in spherical groups. In addition, there are small distributions in Africa. The most famous in China is produced in Sichuan.

★ Is Gexianmi rice?★

Kudzu vine root is not a cereal. The reason why it is called "rice" is because its shape is like rice grains. After being collected and dried, the grains are round, and after being cooked, they are larger than rice grains. It grows epiphytically among the sand and gravel of rice fields, shallow ponds, lakes and streams, or on damp soil. It is spherical and gelatinous, and looks like wood ear, so it is called "water wood ear" or "field wood ear"; it has no roots, stems or leaves, and floats in the water, so it is also called "celestial rice" or "celestial vegetable"; it is composed of many cells connected into a rosary-like group, blue-green in color, with round, exquisite and translucent grains that can be compared with pearls. If cooked into a dish, it is a good choice. It is a delicacy at banquets and tastes very delicious, so it is beautifully called "Pearl Vegetable".

★ Nutritional Benefits of Gexianmi★

As a banquet delicacy, kudzu vine has a lovely green color and a fresh and sweet taste. It is not only extremely nutritious, but also has high therapeutic value. Kudzu vine is sweet, light and cold in nature, and has the effect of clearing away heat and improving eyesight. It can treat red and swollen eyes, night blindness and burns.

Puxianmi contains a variety of vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, selenium and other trace elements. Its nutritional value even exceeds that of the familiar bird's nest. It has high therapeutic value and has the effects of anti-cancer, improving immunity, and beauty and skin care. In addition, kudzu vine has the ability to fix nitrogen. Contains a variety of amino acids, polysaccharides and other active substances necessary for the human body.

★ How to make Gexianmi★

Gexianmi is a traditional famous dish with a variety of eating methods. It can be cooked dry or fresh, and the amount of sugar and salt can be adjusted. It can be steamed, boiled, fried, sautéed, made into soup, or served cold. It goes well with all kinds of rice. Because of its light nature, it should be seasoned with strong flavors. Whenever soaked in water, it becomes fresh green vegetable. All kinds of cooking combine color, fragrance, taste and shape, comparable to pearls, especially winning in taste, which is crisp and refreshing, with a long-lasting aroma and particularly delicious taste.

► Stewed sea cucumber with kudzu rice

Ingredients: kudzu rice, sea cucumber, winter bamboo shoots, chopped green onions, oil, salt

practice:

1. Put 50g of kudzu rice in a container and let it soak for later use;

2. Cut the sea cucumber into sections, and prepare some winter bamboo shoots and chopped green onions;

3. Cut the kudzu vine and sea cucumber into sections, put them into a stewing pot together, add 1000 ml (4 bowls) of cold boiled water, cover and stew for 2.5 hours. Add salt when drinking. It is enough for 3-4 people.

4. You can add oil, salt, chopped green onion, etc. to the pot according to your taste.

► Bird's Nest Eight Immortals Soup

Ingredients: 75g of washed and soaked bird's nest, 25g of abalone (slices), 25g of fish maw (slices), 25g of bamboo fungus (slices), 15g of asparagus (shreds), 50g of shark fin (shreds), 256g of enoki mushroom (pieces), and 50g of kudzu rice.

Seasoning: 750 g three-piece soup, 500 g broth, 0.25 g cooking wine, salt and alkali powder.

practice:

1. Grind the shark fin, abalone, fish maw, bamboo fungus, asparagus and kudzu vine once in boiling water, then blanch twice in broth, drain the juice and place in a porcelain bowl.

2. Soak the bird's nest shreds with alkaline powder in boiling water until they swell, then rinse with boiling water and place in a porcelain basin.

3. Add salt and cooking wine to the three soups, bring to a boil and pour into a porcelain bowl for drinking separately or together.