Sechium edule
I guess most people are familiar with chayote, the gourd also known among other names, as christophene, vegetable pear, mirliton, choko etc. In Chinese it is 佛手瓜 (Mand: fó shǒu guā; Cant: fat6 sau2 gwaa1 ), literally, Buddha’s hand gourd.
Perhaps less well known is that the leaves and young shoots of the chayote vine are also edible and a popular vegetable in southern China. Often described as 龙须菜/龍須菜 (Mand: lóng xū cài; Cant: lung4 seoi1 coi3), literally 'dragon beard vegetable', they also are sometimes more prosaically described as 佛手瓜苗 (Mand: fó shǒu guā miáo; Cant: fat6 sau2 gwaa1 miu4), meaning chayote shoots. Sometimes they come with pretty white flowers which are also edible.
Chayote shoots are usually simply stir fried with garlic as a green vegetable dish.
Stir fried chayote shoots
I'll deal with the chayote gourd separately, when I get round to the many gourds.
