stems are also good in stir-fried vegetable mixtures, adding a firm texture and bright green color. Baby kailan is usually stir-fried briefly, with a little chicken stock or water added during the frying process to keep it from burning, then splashed with oyster sauce and sprinkled with crisp fried garlic.
Cucumber Shoots make an excellent vegetable, like the fruits of the cucumber plant itself. Throughout Asia, the leaves of many plants used as vegetables (root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and beetroots, as well as flowering vegetables such as chilies, snow peas and papayas) are not wasted. This is particularly true in rural areas, where people depend on their own vegetable crop rather than markets.
Appearance & Flavor Cucumber shoots have a pale, dull green color, and consist of approximately 6-7 in (16-18 cm) of stem with young green leaves and a few curling tendrils. They have a pleasant, mild flavor which is usually accentuated with sauces or seasonings during cooking. Choosing & Storing Avoid any shoots that look limp. Wrapped in kitchen paper, the shoots can keep refrigerated for 3-4 days. Preparing Wash and drain the shoots, and cut off any hard parts of the stem. Cut across into 2-in (5-cm) lengths. Culinary Uses The shoots and leaves can be eaten blanched as part of a salad or cooked. In Thailand, the shoots are often blanched and served with a sauce containing fresh crabmeat, which is a particularly pleasing combination. Cucumber shoots are also often stir-fried briefly and seasoned with oyster sauce or soy sauce, or chopped and added to soups.
Fern Tips are mostly gathered in the wild rather than cultivated in Asia and as such, form an important source of nutrition for those living in isolated regions far from the nearest market. Several types of edible fern are popular in Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea. Those from northern Asia are most likely to be the fiddlehead fern (Pteridium aquilinum), while tropical varieties may include Anthyrium esculentum and Diplazium esculentum. Fern tips are given the generic name pako, paku or pakis in much of Southeast Asia.
Appearance & Flavor If bunches of ferns are sold in Asian markets, it is safe to assume they are edible. Some have very thin, feathery leaves which are pale reddish brown in color, while others are bright green with thicker leaves. The flavor varies depending on the type of fern, but most are highly palatable, tasting somewhat like a spinach. Fiddlehead ferns, sold while still tightly furled, have a crisp texture and an asparagus-like flavor. Choosing & Storing Look for young ferns, preferably with slightly coiled tips. Wrap in damp newspaper and refrigerate for 1-2 days. Preparing Wash well, then pluck off the tender tips and remove the leaflets from the tough, central stem. The final sprig usually has a tender stem which can be cooked together with the leaves. In some varieties, such as the fiddlehead, the coiled tips and about 3-4 in (8-10 cm) of the stems are eaten. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Ferns are rich in beta-carotene, iron and phosphorus. Culinary Uses Fern tips are often blanched for just a minute, drained, cooled in iced water, then mixed with dressings or seasoned freshly grated coconut to make a salad. One popular Balinese recipe combines ground black pepper, aromatic ginger or kencur, garlic and oil. Fern tips are also popular stir-fried, often with garlic, dried prawns or dried shrimp paste and chili, and can be added to soups.
Flowering Cabbage or Choy Sum, which is the Cantonese name for this vegetable, is also known as cai xin (Mandarin) and chye sim (Hokkien)—all of which translate as "stem vegetable." Many Chinese and Japanese regard flowering cabbage as the best of all the cabbages, and appreciate the fact that both the stems and leaves are tender and pleasantly mild in flavor. This cabbage is now increasingly available in Western countries.
Appearance & Flavor This cabbage has soft, bright green leaves with slender stems. If left to mature, small, pretty and edible yellow flowers develop on the stems (hence the name "flowering cabbage"). Choosing & Storing Look for fresh, unwilted leaves with tender stems. Check this by pressing the stem with your fingernail, which should go in easily. The presence of yellow flowers does not mean that the vegetable is too old. Wrap in paper or a cloth and keep refrigerated for 1-2 days. Preparing Wash thoroughly and drain. Both stems and leaves are used, as well as any flowers. Unless the flowering cabbage is fairly short—and • thus more manageable to eat with chopsticks—the stems and leaves are generally cut in 2-3-in (5-8-cm) lengths before cooking. If there are any flowers, these can be washed and used as a garnish. Culinary Uses Flowering cabbage is often added to soups or blanched and served with noodles. It is also often stir-fried with a little chopped garlic, with a pinch of sugar, a little oyster sauce, and a sprinkle of sesame oil added just before serving.
Garland Chrysanthemum is a popular vegetable among the Chinese and Japanese. Do not mistake garland chrysanthemum for the leaves of the common flowering chrysanthemum, which may be edible but are certainly not appetizing. The type that is grown for its edible leaves is quite different to that cultivated for its familiar, showy flowers. The edible garland chrysanthemum grows in the cooler climates of north Asia, and also in the tropical highlands. There are two varieties of garland chrysanthemum: one found in China and the other in Japan. (Flowering chrysanthemum is grown in China especially for its flowers, which are used in cooling teas and in various traditional medicinal preparations.)
Appearance & Flavor The pale green, elongated leaves, similar to those of the flowering chrysanthemum, have a pungent smell and somewhat astringent flavor, and so are generally eaten in small quantities. The Chinese and Japanese cultivars vary slightly in terms of the width of the leaves, although both have the same characteristic flavor. Choosing & Storing The younger the vegetable, the milder the flavor. The leaves are generally sold in bunches, often with the roots still attached, and will keep refrigerated, wrapped in paper, for 1-2 days. Preparing Strip the leaves off the central stalk, wash well, then drain. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Garland chrysanthemum is rich in vitamins A and B. The Chinese also believe it is "warming" for the body, so the leaves are often added to soups drunk during the winter months. Culinary Uses Garland chrysanthemum leaves are usually added to sukiyaki in Japan, and to the Chinese hotpot or fondue, also known as steamboat. To avoid a bitter aftertaste when simmering the leaves, take care not to overcook. Garland chrysanthemum leaves can also be dipped in tempura or pakhora batter and deep-fried, or stir-fried on their own as a vegetable, or with shredded pork or prawns and a touch of seasoning.
Kohlrabi looks as if it should be classified as a root vegetable, owing to its bulbous appearance, but what you see is really a swollen stem of a member of the cabbage family rather than a true root. Like watercress, broccoli, cauliflower and round or iceberg lettuce, kohlrabi was introduced to Asia relatively recently. The Chinese find that it resembles the popular kailan or Chinese kale in texture and flavor.
Appearance & Flavor Kohlrabi looks a bit like a turnip, with a bulb-like base of purplish red or green, or sometimes a mixture of both colors. Slender stems with green leaves project from the top of this swollen base. Choosing & Storing The smaller the kohlrabi, the sweeter the taste and better the texture. Avoid any which have blemishes or cracks on the swollen stem or bulb. Store the kohlrabi in the vegetable drawer of a refrigerator for several days. Preparing Remove the stems and leaves. Peel the kohlrabi then slice, chop or shred as desired. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Kohlrabi is high in vitamin C and iron, and also has appreciable amounts of calcium, phosphorus and beta-carotene. Culinary Uses Although not eaten raw in Asia, kohlrabi is sometimes added to salads or made into fresh pickles. It can be simmered in coconut milk or added to vegetable soups. Chinese cooks like to use kohlrabi in stir-fried vegetable combinations, and consider it particularly good stir-fried with beef and seasoned with a dash of oyster sauce, white pepper and perhaps a little Chinese rice wine.
Mizuna is sometimes referred to as pot-herb mustard, although it is is more widely known by its Japanese name. This delicate member of the cabbage family is identifiable by its attractive feathery leaf, and is popularly used in Japan as an edible garnish.
Appearance
