Chinese Vegetables Illustrated

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

 

First thing I noticed was the almost complete LACK of smell.

Weird!  So basically, regardless of what it is, it's useless!

[Eatmywords]

I've been growing Thai basil for years and that looks exactly like it.  Maybe you got some odd batch grown in weird soil that stole it's aroma and flavor. 

 

And what's up bitches! 🙃

[liuzhou]

I've spoken to the vendors and they have confirmed that they 打错了 (made a mistake) and sent the wrong thing. They have both refunded the little I paid ($1 USD) and promised to add a correct batch to my next order at no charge.

 

They haven't yet said what they did send. I suspect they don't know.

 

I'm still somewhat disappointed as they were advertising sweet basil. I mentioned that and they admitted to not knowing the two are different.

 

Anyway, if the end result is a reliable supply of real Thai basil, I'll be happy. I'll just grow my own sweet basil as usual.

 

Maybe, I can sell them my excess!

 

 

[liuzhou]

Finally, I do have some Thai basil. This is the replacement batch they sent me. I know it looks similar to the previous batch, but this new lot has the right smell and taste. The leaves are about half the size of those in the incorrect batch.

 

That's a duck egg for scale.

 

 

 

[liuzhou]

香柳 (xiāng liǔ), sweet sallow is something I've never come across before and there is little information on it other than that it is a member of the Salix family of plants which includes the willows after which Liuzhou (柳州) is named.

 

It seems to be added to soups and hotpot or can be briefly stir-fried like any other green.

 

The taste is initially sweet but turns peppery on the palate. Reminds me a bit of watercress.

 

It is also, of course, used in TCM.

 

Edited June 27 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Many herbs which we take for granted in western kitchens are unknown in China. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme are just strange words in a song to the average cook here. Coriander/cilantro is the only common exception.

 

Despite being near the border with Vietnam, very few SE Asian herbs make it through either. 

 

In the last year or so, the highly developed  food delivery service, both for cooked meals and for ingredients has allowed some retailers to be more adventurous with their offerings and a few surprises are starting to show up.

 

 

迷迭香 (mí dié xiāng) or rosemary arrived for the first time yesterday. I have grown it myself in the past and will be attempting to get some of these stalks to root, but in the meantime will be cooking with one of my favourite herbs! Still looking out for the rest of the quartet.

 

 

Edited February 4 by liuzhou (log)

[KennethT]

8 hours ago, liuzhou said:

香柳 (xiāng liǔ), sweet sallow is something I've never come across before and there is little information on it other than that it is a member of the Salix family of plants which includes the willows after which Liuzhou (柳州) is named.

 

It seems to be added to soups and hotpot or can be briefly stir-fried like any other green.

 

The taste is initially sweet but turns peppery on the palate. Reminds me a bit of watercress.

 

It is also, of course, used in TCM.

 

This looks a little (but not exactly) like the Viet rau ram (laksa leaf in Malaysia).  Are the stems tender enough to eat or is it just the leaves?

[liuzhou]

The stems are tender but laksa is available here as 叻沙 (lè shā), a phonetic transcription of the Malay. 

 

I can't see them using 香柳 when there is a well known established name, so I'm thinking it's something different.

 

 

[liuzhou]

Yet another addition to the bok choy confusion. This is a Sichuan cultivar known as 四川儿菜 (sì chuān ér cài), literally Sichuan young vegetable.

 

 

These are about 10 cm / 4 inches in height and taste mild but indentifiably cruciferous. Usually halved lengthwise and stir fried with garlic and soy.

 

 

It isn't a Sichuan treatment but I like this one with a dribble of oyster sauce.

 

 

Edited February 5 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Here's a thunderous vegetable for you. Lei Gong 雷公 (léi gōng) is the Chinese name of the God of Thunder. For reasons which escape me he has this innocuous looking herb / vegetable named in his honour.

 

Lei Gong - image baike-sogou.com

 

Centella asiatica, 雷公根 (léi gōng gēn), Lei Gong root, is also known as tiger grass , cica, or gotu kola (Indonesian).

 

 

It is used in TCM for various alleged crimes against healthiness and, of course, the wellness fakirs have jumped on the bandwagon with their ludicrous claims, this time touting it as a skincare miracle.

 

For sensible people, it's just another bit of dinner, being used in hotpot and soups etc. 

 

 

Edited February 27 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

I talked about tomatoes back in 2018 in this post. Today, I came across these  for the first time. The Chinese describes them as 绿色千禧小番茄 (lǜ sè qiān xǐ xiǎo fān qié) which translates as 'green jubilee small tomatoes'. I call them 'green cherry tomatoes'.

 

To my amusement they come with instructions! Because China thinks of cherry tomatoes as a table fruit and many use them in fruit salads, they have to be advised to stir fry these until they burst and use as a quick sauce with noodles as a sweet and sour sauce or, as it's known in Chinese, a 'sour and sweet sauce'.

 

 

 

Edited July 2 by liuzhou (log)

[Katie Meadow]

2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I talked about tomatoes back in 2018 in this post. Today, I came across these  for the first time. The Chinese describes them as 绿色千禧小番茄 (lǜ sè qiān xǐ xiǎo fān qié) which translates as 'green jubilee small tomatoes'. I call them 'green cherry tomatoes'.

 

To my amusement they come with instructions! Because China thinks of cherry tomatoes as a table fruit and many use them in fruit salads, they have to be advised to stir fry these until they burst and use as a quick sauce with noodles as a sweet and sour sauce or, as it's known in Chinese, a 'sour and sweet sauce'.

 

 

 

In a stir-fry they sound great. Or it would be a clever way to make fried green tomatoes as finger food. Heavenly if you used a light tempura batter. 

[KennethT]

3 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I talked about tomatoes back in 2018 in this post. Today, I came across these  for the first time. The Chinese describes them as 绿色千禧小番茄 (lǜ sè qiān xǐ xiǎo fān qié) which translates as 'green jubilee small tomatoes'. I call them 'green cherry tomatoes'.

 

To my amusement they come with instructions! Because China thinks of cherry tomatoes as a table fruit and many use them in fruit salads, they have to be advised to stir fry these until they burst and use as a quick sauce with noodles as a sweet and sour sauce or, as it's known in Chinese, a 'sour and sweet sauce'.

 

 

 

Green or green-ish tomatoes are used quite a bit in Indonesia as a sour component.  It is raw (but with a bit of hot oil poured on top) in sambals like dabu dabu from Manado in Sulawesi, and other times cooked down to a puree in stews.