Vegetables of China

Prepared for students inEthnobotany in China,

a Study Abroad course atEastern Illinois University

taught byGordon C. Tucker and Zhiwei Liu

Chinese Vegetables

• Part 2 • Asteraceae through Mushrooms

Asteraceae

• Includes artichoke, lettuce, thistle, and sunflower

• Also several Asian vegetables and herbs, such as safflower and burdock

Chrysanthemum greens

• Chrysanthemum coronarium• Mandarin: Tong hao cai• Cantonese: Tong ho choy• Used as an herbal medicine and as a

cooked vegetable combined with other vegetables and in various stir-fried dishes.

• An annual eaten at the seedling stage when it is not more than 20 cm high. Leaves are succulent with a light silvery tinge and broadly serrated edges. The related species, C. cinerariifolium is the source of insecticide powder.

Lettuce, Lactuca sativa

• Lettuce is an ancient species.

• The wild ancestors are not known with certainty; Lactuca serriola is a possibility.

• Cultivated before 4500 B.C. in Egypt.

• The Romans ate tossed salads with leafy lettuces.

Sheng-cai (生菜 , Lettuce) • On important days such as

Chinese New Year in January or February, many families have Sheng-cais at their celebration dinners and bundle them with red strings to honor their ancestors.

• Why? Because Sheng-cai vegetable is pronounced the same as "making money" in Chinese. Therefore it is considered a symbol of hopeful goodwill and fortune for Chinese people. Chinese cultivars of lettuce resemble

Romaine lettuce, rather than leaf or iceberg

Celtuce 莴苣• Chinese Lettuce • Stem Lettuce • Asparagus Lettuce• woh sun • Edible stalk lettuce• Much of China's crop goes into

Shanghai pickles, called "lettuce pickles" in Chinese groceries.

Celtuce 莴苣

• Stem Lettuce• One of several

cultivars grown in China

Vegetable Market in Jishou, Hunan

Solanaceae • Nightshade Family

• tomatoes• potatoes• chili peppers• goji berries• eggplant

Tomatoes• Yes, the Chinese eat tomatoes

• large tomatoes and cherry tomatoes are common

• they are eaten fresh or used in sauces or stir-fry

Tomatoes in a vegetable market in Jishou, Hunan

Potato Solanum tuberosum

Solanaceae

• native to South America• introduced to China in

the late 1500’s• China is now the world’s

largest producer of potatoes

• potatoes are most often shredded or sliced and used in stir fries

Potatoes with long beans, green beans, carrots, eggplants, melons, and other local vegetables, at a market in Jishou, Hunan Province

Eggplants

• native to India• widely

cultivated in China

• most often used in stir fries

Eggplant and long bean, served in Changsha

Red pepper Capsicum species

• cayenne and chili peppers (hot)• pimiento and bell peppers (mild)• native to South America,

cultivated for at least 6000 years• introduced to China in the 1500’s

and so thoroughly incorporated in Chinese cuisine, that some people might think they were native to Asia!

Hot Chili Peppers in a Vegetable Market in Hunan, China

Sweet Peppers (Bell peppers)

• both red and green bell peppers are commonly used in stir fries in China

• usually they are mixed with other vegetables, occasionally served alone

Cucurbitaceae -- Gourd Family

• Herbaceous vines with tendrils.

• Combine these features with a palmate pattern of leaf lobing and venation and you have, just using vegetative characters, a well marked family.

• at right, young cucumber plants in Changsha, Hunan

Cucumbers

• Commonly sliced and used in stir fry

• Small varieties often eaten whole as snacks

Bitter melon• Momordica charantia• Other names: bitter gourd, bitter

cucumber, foo gwa• Characteristics: With deep grooves

and a bumpy texture, this green melon is unlike most melons known in the Western hemisphere.

• If eaten in an unripe state, it lives up to its name. Allowed to ripen, the interior gains a lovely reddish hue and it has a sweeter flavor.

• Grown in tropical regions throughout the world, the melon's bitterness (due to small amounts of quinine) is an acquired taste.

Luffa acutangula, Ridged Gourd

• Si Gua, Loofah, Lufah • Vine with dark green

leaves and yellow flowers. • Fruits have white, fragrant

flesh, used in stir-fried dishes or soup.

• Round Lufa (Luffa cylindrica) Similar use. Mature fruits are processed and used as a bath or kitchen sponges.

Winter Melon

• Benincasa hispida • Popular in China and

southeastern Asia • Can grow up to 60 cm long

and 40 cm across• Can weigh 10 kg• Winter melon soup • Served in a scooped-out

winter-melon shell, • A sweet soup often served

at large Chinese gatherings, such as weddings

Watermelon is often served at the conclusion of a meal.

Miscellaneous Plant Families

Sweet PotatoIpomoea batatas (Convolvulaceae)

• Fan Shu (Mandarin)Fun-Shu (Cantonese)

• A trailing herbaceous perennial rooting from the nodes. Many varieties are cultivated for their tuberous roots or edible leaves.

• The leaves cooked with various seasonings, and chili form a tasty dish.

Sweet Potato• The plant is native to tropical America,

having been cultivated there for centuries. It spread to the Pacific Islands and then to Asia. It was known in southern China by the mid 1500’s.

• The root tubers are usually boiled steamed, or stir-fried. They are sweet in taste owing to the presence of sugars, the quality of which is increased by boiling or baking.

• However, starch is the main constituent and flour can be prepared from the tubers. They are nutritious, with about twice as much protein as white potatoes.

Water Spinach Ipomoea aquatica

• Convolvulaceae • Kang-kong, Weng Cai;

Ung-Choi (Cantonese); • Relative of sweet potato• A perennial semi-aquatic plant producing

long shoots which trail over the water or mud, rooting freely at the nodes.

• Can also be grown on dry land. • Flowers are white or pink and leaves are

arrow-shaped and stem hollow.• The young plants, leaves and shoots form a

common leaf vegetable with Asians. It has a high iron content.

Chinese Spinach• Amaranthus tricolor

(A. gangeticus)• Amaranthaceae • Xian Cai (Mandarin) • Yin-Choi (Cantonese) • A very ancient pot herb in South East

Asia, many of the more than fifty species in both tropical and temperate regions are eaten as greens.

• It is probably the best of all tropical spinaches both in flavor and food value. It contains substantial amounts of vitamins A, B, C and double the amount of iron found in spinaches.

Tong-cai ( 通菜 , Water Spinach)• Tong-cai with fermented

bean curd and pepper slices is a local favorite delicacy in southern China.

• There are two kinds of Tong-cai, which grow respectively in relatively dry fields or watery land. The latter is greener and more robust, with larger leaves.

Bo-cai (菠菜 , Spinach)

• Spinach of western gardens

• nicknamed "Hong Zui Lue Yingge" ("Red-beak green parrot") in East China for its appearance.

Houttuynia cordata Lizard’s Tail

• 鱼腥草• pinyin: yúxīng cǎo;

literally "fishy-smell herb“

• Used in salads and stir fries, especially in Sichuan and Hunan

Colocasia esculenta (Araceae)• Taro or Cocoyam • Yu Tou; • Woo-Tau (Cantonese) • The corms of Taro are the "potatoes" of the

tropics, being superior to potatoes in nutritional value, containing a higher proportion of proteins, calcium and phosphorus. The main bulk is starch, present in very fine grains that makes them easily digestible. The corms can be boiled, roasted, fried as chips

• nice nutty flavor • The young leaves and petioles are also

used as food and cooked like any other green vegetable.

Water Chestnuts• Eleocharis dulcis• an edible tuber that belongs to

the sedge family Cyperaceae. This is not to be confused with the horned water chestnut or water caltrop (Trapa spp.) or with the tree chestnut that is usually roasted and eaten (Castanea spp.).

• The water chestnut is grown in paddies with rice

• The Chinese water chestnut is a popular ingredient in Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines

• In the U.S., we often make due with canned water chestnuts, but fresh ones are the rule in China.

ARROWHEAD, Sagittaria sinensis

TSEE GOO, KUWAI A small, tuberous vegetable used in Japan and China, where it is grown extensively in Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. It resembles a lily bulb with smooth, beige skin and peeling, thin, brown, layered leaves. It has a bland, slightly sweet taste, and can be used in the same way as a potato. Also known as tsee goo (China); kuwai (Japan).known as p'ien t'ao jen (China)The round tuber is edible. In China, it is known as cí-gū ( 慈菇 ; lit. "benevolent mushroom"), and its tuber is eaten particularly on the Chinese New Year. It tastes bland, with a starchy texture, similar to a potato but somewhat crunchier, even when cooked.

Lotus 莲花

• Nelumbo nucifera• Lián-huā• The lotus root looks like a chain of giant

pods connected to one another. Crunchy, with a tinge of sweetness, the vegetable can be prepared in a variety of ways—fried, sautéed, steamed, boiled—without losing its firmness, making it an ideal snappy texture for dishes such as salads.

• Although used throughout Asia, the lotus root is closely associated with Chinese cuisine. It is also prized for its unique interior pattern of holes, which add a decorative aspect to many dishes.

Lotus with sesame and leek

Lily• Lilium bulbs are starchy and edible as

root vegetables, although bulbs of some species may be very bitter.

• The non-bitter bulbs of L. lancifolium, L. pumilum, and especially L. brownii ( 百合 干 ; bǎihé gān) are grown on a large scale in China as a luxury or health food, most often sold in dry form.

• They are eaten especially in the summer, for their ability to reduce internal heat. They may be reconstituted and stir-fried, grated and used to thicken soup, or processed to extract starch.

• Their texture and taste draw comparison with the potato, although the individual bulb scales are much smaller.

Chinese Toon • Toona sinensisXiang Chun Ya

A hardwood tree, related to mahagony. The young leaves and shoots can be used as a vegetable called Xiang Chun Ya. They are uniquely aromatic, excellent for stir fry (especially with egg), salad, pickling, seasoning, etc. It is also used as a medicinal plant 

Bamboo Shoots• Pleioblastus variegatus • Grass Family (Poaceae)• Shoots are the young

canes that are harvested within two weeks, or less than a foot of growth

• Crisp and tender, similar to asparagus

• Low in fat and calories • good source of fiber and

potassium

Bamboo Shoots

• Must be for cooked (blanched) for 20 minutes before eating

• raw shoots are bitter tasting and hard to digest

• Other genera are utilized, especially Phyllostachys

Harvesting bamboo shoots

National Geographic

Shan-cai ( 潺菜 , Ceylon Spinach)

• Basella alba, B. rubra• Zi luo kui, Lu luo kui

(Mandarin)• Lo kwai (Cantonese)• Native of southern Asia• smooth and gluey on the

palate• Mucilaginous quality makes it

good as a thickener in soups and stews.

• Functions to "cool" the inside of the human body

Bracken Fern

• juécài ( 蕨菜 )• Worldwide, the most

widely distributed species of fern

• Harvested from the wild

• Used in stir fries with light seasoning

Vegetables from bulbs

• Onions, leeks, garlic, and shallots are all in the genus Allium of the Liliaceae. All of these have been cultivated for thousands of years. Onions (Allium cepa) and garlic (A. sativum) probably originated in central Asia and leeks (A. ampeloprasum) in the Near East. All were cultivated in Egypt by 3200 B.C.

• Chives (A. schoenoprasum) are eaten for the leaves alone.

Onions in rural garden, Hunan

Cong（葱 , Spring Onion）

• There are two interesting cais widely used for seasoning in Chinese cuisine, Cong and Jiu-cai.

• Cong, slim and refreshingly fragrant, can enrich and balance the flavors of a dish. It is also synonymous with "smartness” ('Cong Ming' in Mandarin).

• Many traditional-minded parents let their babies have a bite of cong in the hopes that the plant will help their children become smarter in the future.

Jiu-cai (韭菜 , Leek)

• The leaves are flat, unlike similar European chives

• Jiu-cai is nutritious, but "hot" according to TCM. It has been served on Chinese menus for over 3,000 years.

• The Jiu-cai harvested in February of the Chinese lunar calendar (about March) is the finest.

• Used both as a seasoning and as a vegetable component of stir fries

Mushrooms

• Some common mushrooms and other fungi in Chinese cuisine

• Some are used as medicines

Courtesy G. Chen, Jishou University

Lentinus

Lactarius

Hericium

MorchellaGastrosuillus

Straw Mushrooms

• Volvariella volvacea. • Their common name comes

from the rice straw on which they are grown. The straw mushroom, also called "paddy straw mushroom," is cultivated in the hot, steamy climate of Southeast Asia.

• eaten in China for 2000 years.

• Worldwide they rank third in consumption, just behind Agaricus bisporus (the common store mushroom) and Lentinus edodes (shiitake).

• Harvested before the caps expand

Golden Mushrooms

• Flammulina velutipes• 金針菇 , Pinyin: jīnzhēngū • Especially used for soups• grows on the stumps of the

Chinese Hackberry tree, also on mulberry and persimmon trees.

Tree Ear Fungus• Auricularia polytricha • Also Cloud ear fungus • a jelly fungus gray-brown in color

used often in Asian cooking. • The fungus grows in frilly masses on

dead wood. It is a dark brown color but somewhat translucent.

• It is usually sold dried and needs to be soaked before use.

• It is prized for its slightly crunchy texture and medicinal properties.

Shiitake Mushrooms• Lentinus edodes• Shiitake have many uses in

Chinese cuisines. They are served in many steamed and simmered dishes.

• Shiitake are often dried and sold as preserved food in packages. These must be rehydrated by soaking in water before using.

• Shiitake contain lentinan, which benefits the immune system

…..

Ten Tasty Vegetables (Shi Ziang Cai)

• Ingredients: • 1 c Carrots, shredded• 1 c White Chinese turnip,-shredded• 1 c White Chinese celery,-shredded• 8 Pieces spiced soy bean curd• 3 c Soybean sprouts (NOT mung-bean sprouts)• 4 Green onions, shredded• 1/2 c Nami dried black mushrooms -soaked & shredded• 1/2 c Cloud Ear dried fungus -soaked• 1/2 c Dried lily flowers, soaked-and hard tips removed• 2 oz Bean thread noodles, soaked• 1 ts Salt (to taste)• 6 tbTo 8 tb oil for stir-frying

Ten Tasty Vegetables: Instructions

Preparation: Shred in 2" lengths: carrots, turnip, Chinese celery and bean curd.Shred onions, greens & all, into 2" lengths.Rinse, then soak in hot water: enough mushrooms, fungus and lily flowers to give specified amounts.Shred mushrooms, chop fungus.Soak bean thread noodles.Bean thread noodles are important because they soak up excess moisture from the vegetables.Vegetables should be moist but not soggy or watery after stir-frying.Stir-frying: Stir-fry fresh vegetables separately with about 1 tablespoon oil for each, in hot wok.Add salt to taste.Drain off excess water, reserve.(Soybean sprouts should be cooked until they are slightly charred for fullest flavor.) To stir-fry dried soaked ingredients, begin with hot wok, add 2 to 3 tablespoons oil, then add mushroom, fungus & lily flowers.Stir-fry green onions, add all other ingredients to them, including noodles.Allow dish to cool before serving.NOTE: Fresh or canned bamboo shoot may be substituted for any vegetable.Seaweed may be used instead of some of the fungus.

Silk Road Ginger and Carrot Stir-fryFrom the Miao minority in Guizhou province. The namesake ingredients are julienned. Mandolines would help, but if you want a rugged challenge and have strong hands, slicing everything with a cleaver also works. The original recipe also called for pork strips, but I decided to substitute bean curd skin [tofu noodles], which hooked me by being pre-shredded. Serve over rice or stir-fried noodles.  Serves 4 2 tablespoons peanut oil 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic2 large pieces ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks (about 1 cups)6 or 7 dried red chilis2/3 pound carrots, peeled and sliced into matchsticks (about 1 3/4 cups)1 cup shredded bean curd skin (optional)1/2 cup water2 tablespoons light soy sauce10 to 12 Sichuan peppercorns, lightly crushed or 1 tablespoon ground Sichuan pepperSalt to taste Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat and swirl to coat. Toss in garlic, ginger, and chilis and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add carrots and stir-fry 1 minute. Add water and soy sauce, and cover. Allow water to almost fully reduce, then stir in Sichuan pepper. Cook for another minute, then salt to taste. Dish may be served hot or warm. Adapted from Beyond the Great Wall by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Potato shreds with chili and vinegar

• qing jiao tu dou si ( 青椒土豆丝 ), or ‘green chili potato shreds’. • It’s cooked very quickly so that the potatoes still retain a crunch; this was definitely a strange experience at first, having only eaten

potatoes in their starchy softness, in the form of mashed potatoes and chips. But it definitely works - it’s refreshing and the texture resembles the radish, somewhat. Recipe: Serves 1-21 medium potato, peeled (avoid floury potatoes)1 tbsp sesame oil1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1/2 red chili, finely chopped1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar1 1/2 tbsp light soy saucepinch of sugar1 spring onion, chopped

• 1. Prepare the potato by cutting it in half lengthways. Place each half with flat side down, and slice each thinly (3-4 mm, if you can manage, the thinner the better!). For every 4-5 slices, lay flat and slice again lengthways, to create long matchstick-like pieces. Leave to soak in a large bowl of cold water to prevent the potatoes from going black.2. Heat the sesame oil in a non-stick wok, and add the garlic and chili. Sauté for about one minute. Note: You can leave out the chili at this stage if you want a really spicy flavor, and add them in the final stages of cooking

• 3. Meanwhile, drain the potatoes in a colander. Add to the wok and quickly stir fry for another minute. Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce and sugar. Keep tossing the potatoes for another 4-5 minutes until you start to see the liquid in the pan thicken.4. Add the chopped spring onions, toss once more to mix in, and serve.

• http://tastytreats.wordpress.com/2007/08/01/chinese-treats-from-the-north/•

Books

• The Food of China, By E. N. Anderson• Beyond the Great Wall: Recipes and

Travels in the Other China (Hardcover) by Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid

• Food Plants of China by Hu Shiu-ying

References

• http://www.gz2010.cn/08/1230/17/4UE7246O0078003U_2.html