Can Litsea cubeba leaves be used for cooking?

The scientific name of "grass residue" is Litsea cubeba, and its roots also have a tonic effect. It is wild and has never been planted by any family. It turns out that every household can dig some up the mountain to dry for later use, which can be bought at the local farmers' market. In Fuzhou, Fujian Province, there is a local dish called "Caozaigen" or "Caoji Residue" in Gutian, Ningde, Minqing, which stewed pig's feet, ducks, chickens and rabbits (this dish is the most representative in the local area, and most foreigners don't like it. Most of them are circulated locally and eaten at Minqing's home. Gutian also has several snack bars stewed with rabbit meat, which tastes good.

Stewed pork knuckle with litsea cubeba

Boiling soup with the roots of cangzi tree has the effect of relieving fatigue and reducing fire. People often use it as a food supplement. This soup was often made at home when I was a child. It tastes slightly bitter. When the farm is busy, I will take a bamboo tube to the field to quench my thirst and relieve my fatigue.

If you cook with the roots of litsea cubeba, you should add ingredients-dried cuttlefish and dried mushrooms from pig's trotters (ducks, chickens and rabbits). When using, the root should be cut into sections of about 10 cm, and the thicker one should be split, and the index finger thickness is better. After washing, put the ingredients into a basin or bowl, add appropriate amount of water, put them in a large pot and steam them on high fire for 20 minutes and low fire for 40 minutes. It's not out of the pot yet, and the smell is overflowing. You can smell which stewed "grass residue trotters" from a distance. This dish is very popular in the local area, and almost every family can cook it, but non-local dishes are a little uncomfortable, spicy, bitter and strong, so this dish is only circulated locally.