‘Tsoi Sim,’ and ‘Taisai’ plus shungiku greens and a mustard spinach called ‘Osome.’
I asked David about pest problems, and he told me he had had flea beetles on some of the daikon plants and greens and an occasional problem with moles. He remarked that at one time the family had had problems with occasional rabbits, deer, and woodchucks and a serious struggle with raccoons whenever corn was growing. “But,” he added, in what I considered a masterful understatement, “since the wolves have been here, things have settled down a bit.’’
I left this Vermont pastoral scene with my concern about the adaptability of at least some Asian plants put to rest. Many of these wonderful vegetables could be well adapted to a non-Asian kitchen, and David was obviously enjoying both growing and cooking with them. In fact, as far as I was concerned, a fair number of these vegetables had passed the true cooking gardener’s test, as David was interested enough to try even more varieties the next season.
the encyclopedia
of asian
vegetables
Asia encompasses diverse climates, from northern China to tropical Thailand, so it is not surprising that Asian vegetables and herbs are an extremely varied lot. For the sake of practicality, I have concentrated here on the vegetables and herbs especially identified with the cuisines of Asia. The majority of species covered are Chinese, Japanese, and Southeast Asian, but I certainly could not discuss Asia without mentioning vegetable favorites from India, Korea, and the Philippines.
Japanese cooks long for mitsuba and green daikon. Thai gardeners, to have a taste of home, must cultivate their own coriander for its roots. Chinese cooks seek out blanched Asian chives, Shanghai flat cabbage, and an amaranth called Chinese spinach. To enjoy these vegetables and herbs, they usually need to grow their own.
An Asian harvest includes: ‘Japanese Giant Red’ mustard, ‘Joi Choi,’ tatsoi, mibuna, leek flowers, and snow and ‘Sugar Snap’ peas.
Owing to space limitations, numerous vegetables such as celtuce, taro, and cucuzzi (a type of squash) are not covered here but are well worth exploring, as are other seasonings such as turmeric, galangal, and many Japanese herbs, which are not reliably available commercially as plants.
The format of the entries calls for a few words of explanation. Each vegetable is listed under its most common English name, followed by alternate common names in parentheses, the Latin name, and the Asian name(s), where pertinent. Regarding the spelling of Chinese names there is great confusion, primarily because the English words are transliterated from Chinese characters. The result is a diversity of spellings approximating the original sounds. Pac choi, for example, might also be spelled pak choy, bok choy, bok choi, and baak choi. I have chosen to use the North American spellings.
A number of seed companies carry Asian varieties of vegetables and herbs; these are listed on page 102. The largest offerings are available from Evergreen Y. H. Enterprises and Kitazawa Seed Company, which specialize in Asian vegetables.
AMARANTH
(CHINESE SPINACH; LEAF AMARANTH) AMARANTHUS TRICOLOR
(A. gangeticus, A. mangostanus)
Hindi: chaulai; Mandarin: xian cai; Cantonese: yin choi; Japanese: hi-yu-na
‘Merah’ amaranth
Amaranth is a New World plant that has been enjoyed for centuries in Asia, where the leaf type is preferred to the grain types. In parts of China, a variety with green and red leaves is popular; in India, cooks select the light green.
Most leaf amaranths grow to 18 inches and are best when the leaves are young and tender.
How to grow: Amaranth, a tropical annual, glories in warm weather. Start seedlings after all danger of frost has passed. Plant seeds ⅛ inch deep and 4 inches apart in full sun and rich, well-drained soil. Either grow the plants as a cut-and-come-again crop, harvested when only a few inches tall (see “The Pleasures of a Stir-fry Garden” for information on page 11) or thin the plants to 1 foot apart and grow full-sized plants. Keep amaranth fairly moist. Generally, amaranth grows with great enthusiasm. Cucumber beetles are occasionally a problem.
Harvest by hand, selecting the young, tender leaves and shoots. If growing as a cut-and-come-again crop, harvest with scissors as needed.
Varieties
Green Leaf Amaranth: 50 days; pointed, oval, dark green leaves; popular in subtropical areas
‘Merah’: 80 days; crinkled green and red leaves
‘Puteh’: 80 days, mild, light green leaves
White Leaf Amaranth: light green leaves; dwarf plants popular in Taiwan and Japan
How to prepare: Amaranth should be cooked only briefly, as it gets mushy. Popular ways to cook it are by stir-frying or adding it to soup made with pork and garlic. According to chef Ken Hom, “Westerners usually cut the stems off, but most Chinese love the texture, even though the stems are kind of stringy.” He likes amaranth simply stir-fried and flavored with fermented bean curd (also known as tempeh).
BAMBOO
Bambusa spp. (clumping bamboo) and Phyllostachys spp. (running bamboo)
Chinese: mo sun (spring shoots), jook sun (summer shoots), doeng sun (winter shoots); Japanese: takenoko; Indonesian: rebung; Malaysian: rebung; Tagalog: labong; Thai: normal; Vietnamese: mang
Grove of giant bamboo (below left), and narrow bamboo shoots, ready for harvest (below right)
Bamboo is one of the most useful and beloved plants in Asia. The young shoots are cooked and included in many dishes. The familiar canned product is tinny tasting and flaccid when compared to fresh shoots.
For the gardener, there are two types of bamboo: clumping and running. Running bamboo does run-it can even come up through asphalt. See the following growing instructions for how to contain running bamboo. The clumping type stays confined, sending up only basal stems.
How to grow: Bamboos are perennial grasses. Most are semihardy, but a few are hardy in the 0°F range. All species prefer well-drained, rich loam with a high organic content. In hot-summer areas, bamboo needs some shade, in cool coastal areas, full sun. During the first few years, fertilize with a balanced organic fertilizer in spring and midsummer. Thereafter, the dropped leaves and a yearly application usually suffice. Most bamboos are drought tolerant but produce the tenderest shoots when watered well. Newly established plants must not be allowed to dry out. To protect new shoots in winter, mulch well or, if bamboo is in a container, bring it into a well-lit room. Check occasionally, as bamboo litter sometimes prevents water from penetrating the root area during rain. Thin out three-year-old canes and use them for trellises, staking, and fencing. Bamboo has no major pests or diseases. To prevent bamboo
