Houttuynia Cold Salad (Zheergen)

The salad uses fresh houttuynia rhizomes dressed with vinegar, chili, salt, minced garlic and wood-ginger oil; the rhizomes are crisp and refreshing with a distinctive herbal-mint aroma that defines Guiyang's palate.

Houttuynia has long been gathered in Guizhou as both a wild vegetable and medicinal plant; Guiyang people's attachment to it has become a defining marker of local culinary identity, woven into everyday eating.

Served as a cold side dish, stuffed into Silk Baby Wraps and Love Tofu, or stirred into noodle bowls—houttuynia threads through nearly every Guiyang snack.

Defined by the crisp texture and pungent herbal aroma of fresh houttuynia rhizomes, the soul ingredient of Guiyang's entire flavor repertoire.