What Would You Do With...

[Kerry Beal]

 

Looked intriguing at the asian grocery today - Asparagus Lettuce - online sources seem to suggest stir frying, but would welcome other suggestions.

[FauxPas]

Anyone has any suggestions for using leftover waterchestnuts (from a can)? 

 

I make lettuce wraps, using ground pork or ground poultry. If I'm making them for the two of us, it's a great way to finish off a small can of water chestnuts. Lots of variations are possible, here's just one (an attempt to imitate the PF Chang's ones). 

Edited September 4, 2014 by FauxPas (log)

[huiray]

IMG_1552.jpg

 

Looked intriguing at the asian grocery today - Asparagus Lettuce - online sources seem to suggest stir frying, but would welcome other suggestions.

 

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/145474-grocery-shopping/page-4?p=1968170#entry1968170

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012%E2%80%932014/page-15?p=1933370#entry1933370 (scroll down to the 4th sub-entry)

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/148424-dinner-2014-part-3/?p=1968621#entry1968621

By all means do it with sliced meat of your choice.

 

Oh, in soups (Chinese-type, with solid stuff in broth) and braises too.  Treat it like broccoli stems; or like celery or even like young daikon.  Yes, you need to peel off the tough/hard "skin", see one of my links above.  Or pickle them, like cucumbers.

Edited September 4, 2014 by huiray (log)

[Kerry Beal]

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/145474-grocery-shopping/page-4?p=1968170#entry1968170

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012%E2%80%932014/page-15?p=1933370#entry1933370 (scroll down to the 4th sub-entry)

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/148424-dinner-2014-part-3/?p=1968621#entry1968621

By all means do it with sliced meat of your choice.

 

Oh, in soups (Chinese-type, with solid stuff in broth) and braises too.  Treat it like broccoli stems; or like celery or even like young daikon.  Yes, you need to peel off the tough/hard "skin", see one of my links above.  Or pickle them, like cucumbers.

Excellent - thanks - I've got some sous vide pork shoulder that I could combine with them to make a nice soup.  

[Shelby]

Asparagus lettuce!  Now there's something I've never heard of before.  Please let us know what it tastes like.  Can't wait to see what you think.

[huiray]

Well, they're also known as "lettuce stems" or "celtuce" or "A-choy stems" as at least three other synonyms; while a common Chinese term for them would be wosun.  See the wiki article on "celtuce".  I'm interested too in what Kerry Beal thinks of them, taste-wise and texture-wise.  For myself, they taste like...lettuce. :-)

[suzilightning]

Anyone has any suggestions for using leftover waterchestnuts (from a can)? 

Finely mince and make sweet and sour meatballs subbing the waterchestnuts for onions.

[liuzhou]

Asparagus lettuce!  Now there's something I've never heard of before.  Please let us know what it tastes like.  Can't wait to see what you think.

 

Asparagus lettuce is one of my favourite stir fry vegetables. The stems are peeled and sliced then fried with whatever other ingredients. I think the taste issort of a blend of celery and lettuce.

 

It is a very popular vegetable round here.

[Kerry Beal]

Peeled and chopped - microwaved.  Will add to soup tomorrow.  Indeed tasted like a blend of lettuce and celery as luizhou suggested - kind of the best of both.  Tasty cooked and raw.

[huiray]

The next time round you might also try cooking the lettuce stems (peeled & sliced) IN the soup as the soup is cooked. ;-)  I personally find the lettuce taste to be (pleasantly) dominant.

Edited September 5, 2014 by huiray (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Would have done - but soup will have to be assembled at work tomorrow so doesn't lend itself to cooking there.  Next time I might even try a stir fry!

[Kerry Beal]

[Shelby]

 

 

Google....and the label.... told me these are mustard greens.  They look different from the mustard greens I've grown.  

[huiray]

photo.jpg

 

 

Google....and the label.... told me these are mustard greens.  They look different from the mustard greens I've grown.  

 

:-)

 

They ARE mustard greens.  But not the type you may be used to, as you mention.

 

These look like "kai choi" (芥菜) (ignore the "skinny types" in this photo set), the kind used to make the kind of Chinese pickled mustard greens called "harm choi/choy" or "syun choy/choi".  They are one of the most common vegetables in Chinese cuisine.  I've posted before here on eG about stir-frying the "fresh" "kai choy" as you show in your picture, or making soup (many times!!) with "pickled mustard greens" with chicken or duck or pork.  Just search the dinner and lunch threads. :-)  If you need specific links just ask.  ;-)

 

Here's the google translation of the baidu article on 芥菜.

 

They will have a slight bitterness.  I like this myself, but some folks who can't stand any hint of bitterness in their vegetables may have a problem with them.

[Shelby]

What would I do without you around here, Huiray???  I've seen you use these a lot in your cooking.  I'm going to open them and take a taste.  I love greens, so I think I would like these simply stewed or in a soup.

[takadi]

The phrase on the package label "Cai lam dua" translates to "greens for pickling" in Vietnamese.  Eaten unfermented they have a very nice mustardy bite and a cabbage/radish flavor. Pickled, the bite mellows out and it is very tasty. I eat them like popcorn.