Chinese vegetables

[liuzhou]

There is a discussion of this here.

[hzrt8w]

Thanks liuzhou, that's is very interesting!

[Dejah]

There is a discussion of this here.

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The A choi in the picture looks like heart of romaine. I like this lettuce stir-fried.

[AzianBrewer]

The 'A' Chai tastes pretty much like the cross of romaine and endive. I think the original name for it is Ai'a Chai (Taiwanese).

[Gastro888]

I saw it in the Asian grocery store today and the sign said "AA Choy". It looks like a pale heart of romaine.

[SuzySushi]

Haven't seen anything labeled "A vegetable" here and am curious as to what it really is.

Going slightly off-topic but in the same vein, a lot of Chinese restaurants here serve something called E-mein. What does the "E" stand for? Is it a transliterated Chinese name? One website called it "yee mein," but the waitress at one local restaurant told us the "E" stands for the English word "egg."

[Gastro888]

The E-noodle is the way we spell "yee fu mein" in English on the menu. My mom told me geniune "yee fu mein" is hard to find in the States now. They are thick, ropy, chewy, dense and oh so yummy when chowed with lobster, ginger and scallion.

I would ask the elders of this forum if the noodles contain egg or not. I don't know if they do. They're just super yummy!

Re: A vegetable. It's funny - I read this thread and for some reason the Cantonese phrase "A-A jai" comes to mind. My mom would use it in conversation. I do believe it's slang for a picky cranky kid but I could be mistaken. Or maybe it's just a phrase my mom made up to describe someone's undiscplined son!

[Shiewie]

Uhm...it looks like yau mak (Cantonese) from the picture - also mentioned in the thread that liuzhou linked.

[toisangirl]

Hi, everyone. New to egullet and this forum. I wanted to ask if anyone knew about this Chinese vegetable called "gow gee" (in Toisan dialect, both g's are hard sounding, as in "girl") and where I could find it in New York's Chinatown. I'm not sure how widely available it is but I have not be able to find it.

My grandma used to grow it in the backyard and make soup with it. She put in a little pork and cracked one or two whole eggs in it. The taste is kinda hard to describe, as I haven't had it in quite some time, but it's really good. Almost grassy in flavor.

[Prawncrackers]

Hello and Welcome!!!

My mother grows that stuff and puts it in soup too. I always thought it was a type of watercress. I'd be interested to know what this stuff is too....

Edited August 18, 2007 by Prawncrackers (log)

[jo-mel]

Hello and Welcome!!! 

My mother grows that stuff and puts it in soup too.  I always thought it was a type of watercress.  I'd be interested to know what this stuff is too....

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枸杞菜 Chinese Box Thorn? (gou qi cai)

This vegetable? There is a picture here:

http://www.aphnet.org/thesaurus/chinese%20boxthorn.htm

[liuzhou]

枸杞 Gouqi (Mandarin). gau gei (Cantonese)

They are the young leaves of the Wolfberry plant.

I love it in soup, too

See here.

Edited August 19, 2007 by liuzhou (log)

[Dejah]

枸杞  Gouqi (Mandarin). gau gei (Cantonese)

They are the young leaves of the Wolfberry plant.

I love it in soup, too

See here.

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Toisangirl:

Welcome also from me, another Toisangirl.

There are two varieties of the wolfberry plant: one is more of a bush and grown mainly for the wolfberries (gow gai gee). The other is grown for the leaves where the gardeners usually cut the stalks when the leaves are big enough to be used for soup. These leaves are more round in shape whereas the bush leaves are more elongated.

I am usually given bunches of the latter for soup - my favourite from the time I was a child. I love it with acouple of salted egg yolks and egg white in the soup.In my country home, my former garden is overgrown by grass now, but the wolfberry bush still lives, and produces the berries.

The fresh berries make a wonderful soup with just a bit of chicken or pork. My kids used to eat them right off the bush. If you want to dry the berries, make sure you pick them with the stem intact. Dry them in a single layer out of the sun to maintain the lovely red colour.

Edited to add: I've never seen it sold in stores but my sister said it is now availabe in Vancouver.

Edited August 20, 2007 by Dejah (log)

[Gastro888]

Welcome, toisangirl!

I think I've had that before as well. The ones my mom got were from someone's backyard and they were growing from a wooden bush. No berries to be had, though.

Good gravy that was horrible tasting. It was *SO* bitter & acrid. Worse than fu gwah. My mom loves it though.

[Dejah]

Welcome, toisangirl!

I think I've had that before as well.  The ones my mom got were from someone's backyard and they were growing from a wooden bush.  No berries to be had, though.

Good gravy that was horrible tasting.  It was *SO* bitter & acrid.  Worse than fu gwah.  My mom loves it though.

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If the greens were more bitter and acrid than fu gwah, then you were probably eating from the berry bush rather than the soup green type.

Most older Chinese ladies grow them in their "backyards."

[Gastro888]

It was BAD. As in, "I don't care if you punish me with the gai mo sow, I'm not gonna eat this because I'd rather take the beating instead" bad.

Well, my mom's friend grew hers in her backyard. By the garage. Oy.

[Prawncrackers]

....gai mo sow ....

the times i've refused to drink the nasty soup..... thanks for the memories

[hzrt8w]

Gow Gay [Cantonese] is quite bitter. I have only seen it used in soup. Like many said upthread, with salted duck eggs and pork. I am not sure if it would taste good in stir-fries.

I don't usually see it offered in local Asian markets. My father-in-law grows some in his back yard. They seem to be pretty hardy plants. He harvests them here and there all year around (but this is California! ) to use in soup.

[Dejah]

Gow Gay [Cantonese] is quite bitter.  I have only seen it used in soup.  Like many said upthread, with salted duck eggs and pork.  I am not sure if it would taste good in stir-fries. 

I don't usually see it offered in local Asian markets.  My father-in-law grows some in his back yard.  They seem to be pretty hardy plants.  He harvests them here and there all year around (but this is California!  ) to use in soup.

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I was talking to my Mom and she said the leaves will be bitter if it is too mature - or if it has been boiled for too long. It is best used when the leaves are young and tender.

[Gastro888]

That explains why the choy was so nasty tasting. These were rather big leaves on a woody steam. Blargh, so gross.

[Dejah]

Anyone know what the Chinese name is for purslane?

I don't remember ever eating this plant.

[junehl]

I love the flavor of gow gay! I think their flavors are quite different.

My family has always grown the kind that has thorns on it, but my mother recently had gotten some seeds from a friend that didn't have any thorns.

Is the one w/ thorns the wolfberry bush? Because I prefer that one more, the bitterness and flavor is more pronounced and i try to put a handful of it in my ramen noodles on those lazy days.

[Dejah]

I love the flavor of gow gay!  I think their flavors are quite different.

My family has always grown the kind that has thorns on it, but my mother recently had gotten some seeds from a friend that didn't have any thorns.

Is the one w/ thorns the wolfberry bush?  Because I prefer that one more, the bitterness and flavor is more pronounced and i try to put a handful of it in my ramen noodles on those lazy days.

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Both varieties have thorns. The ones for leaves only will have thorns after they've become really too mature and bitter for eating. These branches can be cut, stuck back into the ground to increase next year's crop. There is no other vegetable like it for flavour.

The bush ones always have thorns, but then, you just pick the berries. These berries have been targeted as one of the ten Best food: MSN Men's Health:

http://health.msn.com/dietfitness/slidesho...75&imageindex=9

Why they're healthy:  Goji berries have one of the highest ORAC ratings—a method of gauging antioxidant power—of any fruit, according to Tufts University researchers. And although modern scientists began to study this ancient berry only recently, they've found that the sugars that make goji berries sweet reduce insulin resistance—a risk factor of diabetes - in rats.

How to eat them: Mix dried or fresh goji berries with a cup of plain yogurt, sprinkle them on your oatmeal or cold cereal, or enjoy a handful by themselves. You can find them at specialty supermarkets or at gojiberries.us.

[liuzhou]

馬齒莧【mǎchǐxiàn】 purslane. (Traditional)

马齿苋【mǎchǐxiàn】 purslane. (Simplified)

Edited September 1, 2007 by liuzhou (log)

[Hest88]

My parents still grow Gow Gay in their backyard. Ick. Young or mature, I always found them too bitter, but my dad loooooves them.