

#Tong hua vegetable skin#
The skin is edible but is usually peeled or the hairs rubbed off with a paper towel. This hairy green-skinned gourd is shaped like a marrow or overgrown eggplant. Cook like spinach it suits short quick moist cooking methods but also goes well in soups. The green leaves have deep red coloured veins which distinguish red amaranth from other Asian greens. Many varieties of amaranth are grown and sold in bunches with the roots still attached. The most commonly found gai choi is the large-leafed Swatow variety with thick fleshy ribs which are usually the same grass-green colour from base to tip. Traditionally it is poached in chicken stock and served as a broth. The leaves are predominantly used in stir fries, pickles or soups. Most gai choi are found only in Asian markets. There are many varieties of gai choi – some are grown for their oil, others for seed and others for their highly nutritious mustard-flavoured leaves.

Use only the leaves and discard the stems. Gau gei choi is generally used only for soups where it imparts a distinct flavour. This vegetable has a straight unbranched stem and is closely covered by small oval leaves, and in some varieties, thorns. Other Asian vegetables Gau gei choi or Chinese box thorn Try stir frying with garlic and chilli, and stir in coconut cream once the leaves have wilted. Ong choi is used in a variety of ways, e.g. Cook the stems first as they need more cooking, then add the leaves. Chop stems into thirds, keeping the stem and leaves roughly separated. Discard the lowest 5-6 cm of the stems if they are tough or fibrous. The shorter the stalks, the larger the leaves at the tip, the more tender are the leaves. Ong choi stems are hollow and the leaves are arrow shaped. It has a very strong broccoli flavour and can be used instead of broccoli. Stir frying or steaming are the most common cooking methods. Peel the stem to get rid of the fibrous layer and cut into evenly-sized pieces.
#Tong hua vegetable full#
The flowers should be in bud rather than in full bloom. Gai lan has long green stems (about 2 cm in diameter and 20 cm long), white flowers and green leaves which have a white haze on them. Gai lan, gaai laan, Chinese sprouting broccoli, Chinese kale or Chinese broccoli It is best to eat choy sum when the flowers are in bud rather than in full bloom. Use all parts of the stem, including the flowers. Prepare choy sum like broccoli using quick cooking methods.

Choy sum, choi sum or flowering Chinese cabbageĬhoy sum has pale yellow flowers on long thin green stems (15-20 cm long) with small green leaves. Garland chrysanthemum is a winter vegetable which is generally used in a stir fry or in soup. Garland chrysanthemum leaves have a subtle, but distinct, 'floral' flavour which is best enjoyed in small quantities, accompanied by other flavours. The leaves are bluntly lobed and the stalks look more like a lettuce but feel slightly rough in texture. Garland chrysanthemum, tung ho, tong ho, chong ho or thong ho

Miniature tat soi is regularly found in mesclun salad mixes. The young centre leaves can be used raw in a salad. Tat soi suits quick moist cooking methods. Choose smaller tat soi with lots of young leaves clustered at the centre. Tat soi is round, relatively flat like a plate, with a stronger flavour and slightly tougher texture than bok choy.
