We’re thinking of the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” that was filmed in On Location in Hongcun. There are many different varieties of Chinese cabbage. Bok Choy. Soy Sauce Butter Pasta with Shrimp and Shiitakes, Enoki Mushrooms with Garlic & Scallion Sauce, Vegan Spicy King Oyster Mushroom Stir-fry, King Oyster Mushrooms with Garlicky Glass Noodles. We have it every once in a while, but a recipe hasn’t made its way onto the blog yet, mostly because this is one of those very Chinese vegetables that has barely hit the mainstream of authentic Chinese restaurants, let alone the kitchens of home cooks. "Vegetable" can be used in several senses, including culinary, botanical and legal. Only immature silk squash are eaten, as older silk squash have a bitter taste. See how they are prepared and used in this classic and authentic Sichuan boiled beef dish. Herein, what are the vegetables in Chinese food? Image credits: iStock. Braised Spring Bamboo Shoots (油焖笋) recipe. Nutritionally, like most leafy green vegetables, bok choy is a good source of iron; it is also high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and calcium. As the name implies, it has a rather bitter taste; however, this can be lessened by blanching or degorging the melon with salt. Try mung bean sprouts in a simple Chinese mung bean sprout stir-fry, shrimp and garlic noodle recipe, or Mongolian chicken with mung bean sprouts. Vegetarians and vegans and even meat lovers will love and seek out this dish once they have had it once! One of our family favorites is the Cantonese Eggplant Casserole. It’s a little bit easier to prepare than the ridged luffa since it doesn’t have those long tough ridges. That said, dried mushrooms can be a bit more rubbery while fresh mushrooms will have a more soft and tender texture. We generally prefer fresh or frozen but canned bamboo shoots are usually available at Asian markets and some supermarkets Asian food aisles. Cut off any dark spots. However, channels running through the root give cut slices a delicate, lacy appearance, and lend itself to a stuffed recipe such as lotus root stuffed with sweet sticky rice. We didn’t think that it was even available here in the US, but we did see them by chance at an H Mart about an hour’s drive from us. It can also be filled and steamed. They are also called Chinese black mushrooms, which is a bit misleading as the mushrooms can range in color from grey to light brown. Now, why I chose to plant this ridged luffa I do not know, nor do I remember, but we emptied the bags of manure and planted the seeds (most average future son-in-laws would simply bring over a bag of oranges and call it a day). Chinese Cabbage. Fresh shoots need to be boiled until tender, then husked and cut into pieces. It is best to saute, steam, or stir-fry this vegetable, as you would when using broccolini. Resembling a large white carrot, Chinese white radish has a much stronger flavor than small, round red radishes. The photo below is from a wet market in Shanghai. These long, thin white enoki mushrooms have a crisp texture and very small caps and are also know in Chinese cooking as golden needle mushrooms or jīn zhēn gū (金针菇). Because it is smaller and thinner than the usual oblong-shaped eggplant you find in the produce section of local supermarkets, Chinese eggplant is not normally salted and disgorged before cooking. root vegetable translate: 根菜类，根茎类蔬菜. Bok Choy ( recipe) One of the most famous vegetables found in Asian cuisine, bok choy is used extensively in a number of recipes. Below is an amazon link to see the different brands available but the best bet is to buy them locally. Pictured below are good quality mushrooms that some Asian grocery stored sell by the pound. Try a simple stir-fried flowering chives or stir-fry beef with flowering chives and bean curd. While sprouts of all types didn't become popular in North America until the 1960's health food craze, the Chinese have been sprouting mung beans for approximately 3,000 years. You’ll notice the trend with Asian vegetables is they all are high in nutrients. Yardlong Beans. The Spruce Eats uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience and for our, Must-Have Ingredients for Cooking Chinese Food, 15 Chinese Beef Recipes That Are so Much Better Than Takeout, 10 Popular Cantonese-Style Recipes to Try Tonight, 10 Vegetarian and Vegan Tofu Stir-Fry Recipes. Fresh mushrooms are also quite common here in the US, and when they are in season (and on sale), we can still dry them here as well. Each piece must be washed thoroughly, as they have a natural sap that can come off as slimy if prepared improperly (similar to okra, though not as intense). We use both varieties in everything–from noodle and rice dishes to stews. Being the country boy from upstate New York, I brought over some ridged luffa seeds and three bags of cow manure compost to plant them in. In Mandarin, they are called huā gū (花菇) in Chinese, literally “flower mushroom” as they have a flowery pattern. These are the tender shoots of the bamboo plant, before they turn into huge green stalks on which kung fu masters battle it out. Needless to say, we were all a little sick of luffa after that summer. Varieties . Chinese long beans are denser and crunchier than green beans and can be found in different colors, from light and dark green to purple. The flavor and slightly crunchy texture of these straw mushrooms are delightful as an ingredient in a stir fried meat and vegetable dish. Works like a charm. Beetroot Vegetables. Yardlong beans are also known as asparagus beans. Snow pea shoots are the delicate tips of the vines and the top set of leaves of the snow pea plant. You can try them at home in almost any stir-fry dish, including stir-fry beef with bamboo shoots and stir-fry mushrooms and bamboo shoots. These huge white radishes or daikons look like super-large white carrots instead of the little round red radishes you've had. So don’t waste any of this delicious root! Judy really hit the target with this recipe because it is unbelievably good and so easy to make! A favorite soup that all Shanghai people know of and love is Yan Du Xian (Shanghainese Salted Pork Soup with Bamboo Shoots and Tofu) where either winter or spring bamboo shoots are one of the featured ingredients of the dish. You can store it in your vegetable crisper for 4-6 days. Like Chinese cabbages, you'll see them piled in Chinese markets. Straw mushrooms are often available fresh in China and other parts of Asia. Flowering chives are more frequently used in stir-fries, both because of their more attractive appearance and stronger flavor. Fava beans, also known as broad beans or cán dòu (蚕豆), are not very common nor popular in both western and Asian cooking. Celtuce, Stem lettuce or wō sun (莴笋) is the overgrown stem of a variety of romaine lettuce commonly known in Chinese circles as AA choy and can be found pretty easily in Asian markets. Cut it on a diagonal to get a professional, chef-y look. Because they have such a mild flavor, you can pretty much add them to whatever you want! Stir-frying the sprouts helps reduce the chance of food-borne illness; however, to preserve their crunchy texture, mung bean sprouts shouldn't be stir-fried for more than 30 seconds. add to my cookbook add to shopping list . As the name implies, bamboo shoots are the edible shoots of the bamboo plant, which is native to Asia. A simple yet satisfying dish of vegetables tosses in a spicy schezuan sauce. Bean sprouts: These silver-white stalks with their yellow heads and long tails aren’t exactly exotic to most North American … I was looking for information on how to sprout mung beans and could not find it. Root vegetables are wonderful for soups and stews, and most are easy to grow. 15 Delicious & Healthy Asian Vegetables You Must Know About 1. Learn how to select, cook, store, and prepare these interesting vegetables. Nutritionists debate the value of eating heavy servings of root vegetables when other food sources are available. Water bamboo or jiāo bái is a type of water bamboo found commonly in China and is prepared in similar ways are other types of bamboo. Root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, and beetroot, are great for slow cooking. The Chinese for root vegetables is 根蔬菜. You may think twice about making bitter melon for your kids or you’ll be met with equally bitter stares! Leeks commonly found in supermarkets have a mild sweet flavor. The crosne, often called the Chinese artichoke or knotroot, is a root vegetable originating in China. If you thought this one's a tough recipe, then you are wrong. You can adjust the vegetables, seasoning and … It’s probably the only recipe you’ll ever need for arrowhead root. You may also see it called by its Chinese name, sui choy. Bill here for a little impromptu story time! The plant tends to grow in small, lumpy tubers that can make it difficult to clean. The skin of a fresh turnip should be shiny, not dull, and smooth, free of black spots which indicate that they are not fresh. You'll find Chinese garlic chives lending flavor to soups, stews, and other slow-cooked dishes. Regular broccoli can usually be substituted in recipes calling for Chinese broccoli. You will see them in various sizes depending upon the season and region. Mung bean sprouts are added to many dishes like Roast Pork fried rice or Cantonese Style Vegetable Pan Fried Noodles but they can also be the star of the dish like this Stir fried Chicken with Bean Sprouts. If you have time, removing the beans from the pods are pretty easy to do and worth the price difference! When selecting these, make sure they are heavy, firm, and have a fresh, clean smell. The varieties in China seem to be a bit thinner and longer than the ones we find in the US and see, c;oser to the Japanese eggplant variety that have thinner skins and a more vibrant purple color.Some of favorite eggplant dishes include the classic Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce and  Chinese Stuffed Eggplant, the same dish you see at the dim sum restaurants. After opening the can, be sure to drain and rinse them. We call them Chinese long squash because we have only seen them in Chinese grocery stores! “mountain medicine.”), or huái shān yào (怀(淮)山药, 怀(淮)山藥) (lit. Lotus Root. Roland Whole Peeled Straw Mushrooms, 15-Ounce Cans (Pack of 8). You can see and try this lotus root veggie in our  Ma La Xiang Guo (Spicy Numbing Stir-fry Pot) or one of our Chinese New Year’s traditional dishes, Crispy Stuffed Lotus Root with Pork (炸藕盒). It’s usually used in pork bone soup for its health benefits, but it’s also very tender and tasty when boiled. We don’t know the technical terms for the types, but there are many varieties of the Asian eggplants, which range in color from dark purple to light purple. They're also a great way to add extra flavor to scrambled eggs and are included in a recipe for Cantonese spring rolls. Sweet potatoes are vibrant and delicious root vegetables that are highly nutritious and jam-packed... 3. Spring bamboo shoots (春笋), pronounced chūn sǔn in Mandarin are seasonal and are commonly found in China but you can sometimes find them in the US. A variety of unusually large cabbage that is also very common in China, maybe more common than xiaobaicai, is dabaicai 'big white vegetable'. There are two types of Chinese bean sprouts, dòu yá (豆芽) that you will see at your local market: mung bean sprouts and soybean sprouts. There are hundreds of varieties of cabbage used in Asian cooking; the cabbage commonly known as Chinese cabbage is the large cabbage with the pale green leaves that you will often find next to the bok choy in the supermarket. They not only differ in size but also in taste and texture. Bitter melon is a curious summer gourd with light green, thick ridged, bumpy skin, this melon has a strong bitter flavor that some–well many–don’t enjoy too much. That aside, it is good eating when harvested at the right time (though we would understand if you wanted to try and cut down on sponge costs). 10. Bitter melon is known for its unusual appearance and taste. You can see from the picture below that the lotus roots in China are fresher (they do spoil rather quickly) and come in multiple segments still attached! Although its healing essence matches the energies of both Late Summer and Fall, its properties align with the energy of Autumn They are grown on rice straw beds and picked during the button or egg phase and before the veil ruptures. Their crisp texture and sweet flavor are used in stir-fries and salads. Most people know and love this root due to the popularity of taro smoothie bubble tea–hate to break it to you, but those are often prepared with purple powder, so don’t be surprised that this taro doesn’t have quite the same flavor. Obviously, it’s a very seasonal vegetable, so it is often difficult to find high quality bamboo shoots for the majority of the year. Fresh Chinese yam known as huái shān (怀山) or shān yào (山药), is found in practically all vegetable markets in China and recently in Chinese grocery stores in the US as well. These higher quality Shiitake mushrooms tend to be thicker and more meaty than the Chinese black mushrooms. It has a thick stem with flat leaves and very small florets, giving it a different appearance from regular broccoli. Unused bamboo shoots should be stored in the refrigerator in a jar of water for up to three weeks; just remember to change the water daily. This list includes botanical fruits such as pumpkins, and does not include herbs, spices, cereals and most culinary fruits and culinary nuts. The picture below, taken at a local Asian grocery store, shows two types of long beans. You'll notice the trend with Asian vegetables is they all are high in nutrients. Onions are popular root vegetables, serving as a staple ingredient in many cuisines. Although both are members of the onion family, Chinese garlic chives are more attractive and more flavorful than regular chives. 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