Exotic eating

Time Out tucks in to find out why Chinese diners pay thousands of renminbi to chow down penis, bird's nest and other delicacies

It's not the presentation, the taste or the shock factor that entices the Chinese to sit down to meals of what Westerners might call strange. Eating abalone, sea cucumber, shark's fin soup, bird's nest, turtle and penis – yes penis – is something the Chinese have been doing for thousands of years and few can explain the allure.

'Foreigners are focused on the wine. Chinese are focused on the eating,' says Simon Wu, a chef at The Ritz Carlton's qi restaurant.

Ask many Beijingers why they eat what they eat and most will say it's not the taste but the show of wealth that comes when one orders a 3,000RMB dish.

Others believe they offer health benefits. 'It's like diamonds – you want them because they're expensive,' says Mamie Chan, co-owner of Lei Garden restaurant. 'These foods are expensive, good for your health and hard to get.'

Beyond the 'wow' factor, is the fact that thousands of years ago, these rare and precious foods would only appear on the emperor's table – there's even a saying 'bao shen chi du' that encompasses the four imperial ingredients: abalone (bao yu), sea cucumber (hai shen), shark's fin (yu chi), and fish maw, or belly (yu du).

Nowadays it's easier to harvest these ingredients, but they're still reserved for special occasions like weddings and important dinners. 'Because of the high price of these dishes, they are not popular with ordinary people and usually used for commercial consumption, as they are a symbol of high social standing,' says Bian Jiang, assistant secretary general of the China Cuisine Association. 'As people get richer, these dishes are becoming more popular,' he adds.

Hong Sai Choi, a chef at The Peninsula Hotel's Huang Ting restaurant says there is only one reason people chose these dishes: 'If you eat this kind of food, it means you are rich.'

Abalone

What? Abalone, Bao yu or 'sea ear' is a large marine snail with a beautiful iridescent shell on the outside that's often used for jewellery. The meaty flesh is one of the most prized ingredients in the Chinese kitchen because it takes five to 10 years to grow. The higher the quality of the abalone, the more expensive the serving. 'The most expensive is from Japan because there are only two families in the country that farm this exquisite abalone,' says Choi. 

How? When dry, abalone feels like a smooth stone and takes three days to one week to soak in clear water, followed by hours of steaming and boiling. The size of abalone is measured in 'heads', – the fewer the number of heads, the larger the piece. A 20-head piece of abalone is roughly the size of a Chinese soup spoon, minus the handle. Once soaked, abalone expands to nearly double its dry size. It's served braised or in a soup.The savory, slightly salty flavor is akin to mussels or sea snails, but many people have problems with the slippery texture, which can be difficult to slice, and the strong fishy taste of the tender meat. 'It's like rubber!'  Hong Kong businessman Ben Yiu joked while dining at Lei Garden. No one in his party ordered the abalone. 'If it's done the right way, dried in the sun and treated well, when you bite into the middle of the abalone, there's a little bit of a honey flavor. It's like a good steak.' However, he adds 'Most of the time people order it to show off, not because they like it.' 

Why? Abalone is good for women's skin and to maintain youthfulness, says Choi of Huang Ting. It's rich in phosphorus and radium. It's also high in protein, said the CCA's Jiang. It's qi's chef Wu's favourite of the dishes we tried. Each day he samples the abalone sauce to ensure his abalone dishes are perfect. 

Where? All good Cantonese restaurants serve abalone including Lei Garden, which has abalone from Tasmania, Australia, South Africa, the Middle East and Japan. Prices range from 288 to 1,988RMB per order. Huang Ting serves braised whole superior Walma abalone in oyster sauce for 1,900RMB per 12-head piece and braised whole superior Yokohama abalone in oyster sauce for 1,600RMB per 12-head piece. The price is even higher at qi. Braised Japanese Owma abalone is 2,680RMB for 50 grams and a whopping 3,880RMB for 40 grams.   

Sea cucumber 

What? Sea cucumber (hai shen) is a deep-sea creature. It's long, dry and hollow in the middle and looks like a spiky gerkin pickle. 

How? Once it's been soaked in water for two to three days, it expands to the size of a dill pickle and assumes a jelly-like texture. It has no flavour on its own, so it takes on the aroma and taste of oyster sauce or whatever other ingredients it's cooked with. Whether it is served in soup, braised or stuffed, sea cucumber is a staple on any Cantonese restaurant menu.

Why? Chinese, Japanese and Koreans believe sea cucumber has anti-aging properties and is highly nutritious. Plus, it's cholesterol-free. Bonnie Jiang, a Cantonese chef trained in Shanghai, says her family cooks the dish at home for their older relatives with heart problems because they believe it helps clear blocked arteries. Wu of qi says it helps relieve cold symptoms, especially for babies. 'Full of nutrition, sea cucumber is low in fat, good for the bones and prevents diseases,'  says Huang Ting's Choi. 'Sea cucumber contains protein and it has a regeneration function for people with wounds,'  adds the CAA's Jiang. 'It's mystique lies in the price, not the taste,' says Lei Garden founder Shu-Kit Chan. 'Only the rich can afford it. Personally, I don't care for it.' For the unaccustomed, the texture takes some getting used to. 'I like the way of cooking and also the thrill of eating something you've never had before,' says German native, Roland Spieth. 'I eat sea cucumber, but I would never order it – It's not one of my favourite dishes,' he says, adding that his Chinese colleagues often order it. 'I once saw a live sea cucumber and it was disgusting, so I won't eat it,' says Dong Weisi, a Beijing advertising executive.  

Where? Stewed goose web with sea cucumber and mushrooms is 460RMB at Huang Ting and braised sea cucumber filled with shrimp mousse with sliced almonds at the Grand Hyatt's Noble Court restaurant is 188RMB.  

Shark's Fin 

What? Shark's fin is considered a royal food that stretches back to the Ming Dynasty. Because so little is obtained from such a large fish, the dorsal, pectoral and lower tail fins were considered noble and precious, fit for the emperor's table. Usually served at weddings and other special occasions, this dish is controversial because of the way it is harvested. Fisherman chop off the shark's fins and then throw the rest of the shark back in the water because shark meat has little taste and is high in uric acid and therefore of no value. The shark is left to die at sea. Superstars like Yao Ming have declared they will no longer eat this dish and many restaurants worldwide have removed it from their menus.

How? Dried shark fin, or yu chi, which are pale yellow, heavy, hard and look like a folded triangle pancake are cooked until the collagen fibers break down and the glistening 'needles' fall apart. By itself, shark fin is soft, smooth and bland so it's served in soup or braised with abalone and other ingredients. 

Why? The fins supposedly have many health benefits including rejuvenating cells, increasing the appetite, improving circulation and the functioning of the kidneys, lungs and connective tissues, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine followers. It's also full of protein and calcium, good for vision and especially good for older folks, says Choi. Another tip from the chef – if you mix a little shark's fin with soap, it's good for the complexion.

Where? Despite the controversy, shark's fin is still available at places like Lei Garden, which makes a version of shark's fin soup with crab roe and meat from the coveted Shanghaiese hairy crab for 728RMB a bowl. It's thick and savory, like extravagant lobster bisque. Double broiled superior tiger shark fin with crabmeat is 880RMB at Huang Ting and double broiled jin gou shark fin soup with Chinese cabbage is 880RMB at qi.  

Bird's Nest

What? While many believe it could be the fountain of youth, we should warn you it is in reality reconstituted dried bird spit. The dish is made from the nests of the swiftlet, a tiny bird found throughout Southeast Asia that lives in dark caves in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam or high mountains like the Himalayas. Instead of twigs and straw, this bird uses strands of its gummy saliva to make its home. It takes two birds one month to build a nest. The nest hardens once exposed to air. Since harvesters must physically pry the nests from cave walls and mountaintops, they risk their lives to gather this precious food.

How? When it's dry, pieces of the nest are a delicate white, paper-thin leaf shape. Using tweezers, chefs remove debris like hair and branches from the nest before soaking it for two to three days. As it soaks, the nest falls apart and looks like a mound of thin, clear gooey noodles. Choi explains the origins of this dish through a thousand-year-old Chinese folk tale: 'there was once a man who went into the hills to get medicine for his diseased mother. She had tried other medicines but nothing worked,'  he says. 'He found this nest, took it home and gave it to her who soon got better. The rest is history.' Bird's nest comes in savory soup, braised or as a dessert in clear rock sugar or sweet coconut, date, mango, honey or taro juices. 

Why? This dish is popular with the ladies because it's rumoured to be good for women's skin and can be served as dinner or dessert. High in protein, some Chinese families prepare the dish at home for sick family members. It's good for clearing the chest, says Choi, who notes vegetarians like this dish too. Bird's nest also happens to be the chef's favorite. Some say it's an aphrodisiac.

Where? Huang Ting serves superior bird's nest with bamboo pith in chicken essence for 580RMB and qi offers braised superior bird's nest with shredded fish fillet in chicken soup for 589RMB. They also have double boiled bloody bird's nest with lobster fillet for 380RMB. And, yes, it's just what you think – it's bird spit with blood. And for dessert, bird's nest with papaya fruit is 380RMB at Noble Court.   

Penis

What? The organ itself needs little introduction. Those whose members are most likely to turn up in your penis or 'bian' hot pot range from the super-sized Tibetan yak, cow, horse and donkey to the rather more economically proportioned dog, lamb and snake. 

How? Some members are cut lengthwise while others are sliced into round rings, not unlike calamari. The meat is usually accompanied by side dishes of sesame, soy and chilli sauces. The most coveted and expensive part of animal bian is the root, which is darker, softer in texture and supposedly more nutritious. The root of deer bian is dark, salty, flaccid and definitely not for the squeamish. The lamb is grey, crunchy and like munching on beef tendon. The white cow cock is fatter, chewier and has more flavour. The gray sheep penis is, er, hard. You get twice as much bang for your buck with an order of snake as it is a creature blessed with two bian. 

Why? During the Qing dynasty, deer bian was considered imperial food since only the very rich could spend their days deer-hunting. In Mongolia, horse penis was given as a gift to the bride and groom on their wedding day. Bian is considered good for bones, muscles, kidneys, blood circulation and is even said to clear the lungs. Chinese have their own version of the saying, 'You are what you eat,' so supposedly if you eat penis, you will become like...penis – which translates as: men eat it to up their virility or yang while ladies chow down because the high protein content is reputedly good for their skin. Women should avoid eating testicle stew, because its high testosterone level might lead to hair growth and manly attributes. 'A lot of people in Beijing have a lot of money, and they don't know how to spend it,'  says the waitress at penis specialty restaurant Guo Li Zhuang, who has been trained to unleash her nutrition knowledge while cooking the meat and two veg. 

Where? We'll try to contain ourselves with the numerous puns that come to mind. Guo Li Zhuang (a combination of the owner's, his wife's and son's names) only sells penis (and testicles) so this is the place to go. For those new to a phallus feast it is a good idea to start slowly with the turtle and deer penis hot pot (488RMB for a half portion). The 12-year-old grandpa turtle (lao guai) are lauded for their wisdom and symbolise longevity and come served, shell and all, floating in a traditional white broth of medicinal herbs – red raisin-sized wolfberries, dates, longan and ginseng. The head contains the tastiest meat. Big spenders are maneuvered onto the Canadian seal penis (hai gou bian), which is 3,288RMB per order and needs to be ordered in advance. Health benefits are said to include fighting cancer, wiping out fatigue and keeping you looking young.  

Exotic eateries  

Guo Li Zhuang 34 Dongsishitiao, Dongcheng district (tel 8411 6666). 锅里壮 东城区东四十条34号

Huang Ting The Peninsula Beijing, 8 Goldfish Lane, Wangfujing, Dongcheng district (tel 8516 2888 ext 6707). 凰庭 东城区王府井金鱼胡同8号王府饭店

Lei Garden Restaurant 89, Jinbaojie, Dongcheng district (tel 8522 1212). 利苑酒家 东城区金宝街89号

Noble Court Grand Hyatt Beijing, 1 East Changanjie (tel 6510 9243). 悦庭 东城区东长安街1号东方君悦饭店

qi The Ritz Carlton, 1 Dong Jinchengfangjie, Financial Street (tel 6601 6666). 金阁 西城区金融界丽思卡尔顿酒店  

Lauren Mack and Ivy Dai