Asian Produce
Some notes about Asian Produce:
A great many Asian plants and herbs are used medicinally as well as for
cooking. Use of these plants and herbs in combination with western
medicines, or in non-complimentary combinations with other medicinal
plants may cause undesired effects. When preparing non-traditional
Asian meals, you may want to check the properties of the (substituted)
ingredients. One good reference is Foods -n- Herbs.
Most Asian greens are cool-weather crops, preferring a temperature
range of 55º-75ºF. In much of the U.S. they are best early in
the
growing season and then again late in the season. A touch of frost on
mature Asian greens increases sugar concentrations and reduces sulfur
compounds, resulting in rich sweet flavors.
Thanks to the following sites for some of the information on this
page.
Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association
Wegmans
Asia Food
Amaranth
Similar in taste to spinach.
Asian Pumpkin
The globe-shaped fruit is smooth, dark green with pale green stripes
and weighs about 3 pounds. Flesh is very sweet. Harvested during fall
but usually available year-round.
Bok Choy
Bok choy stems are similar in taste to cabbage. Used in stir-fries with
shellfish, beef, poultry, or by itself, as well as in soups and braised
and steamed dishes. May also be used in salads.
Baby Bok Choy
Similar in taste to Swiss chard or spinach. Use in soups and stir-fry,
or braised whole or sautéed.
Bitter Melon
Often used in soups and stir-fries, or can be steamed and braised.
Bellflower
Root [doraji (도라지)] or Chinese Bellflower (桔梗)
Actually not from the Korean bellflower plant, but from the Korean
Balloon
Flower (Translations are usually mistaken and given as Bellflower or
Broad Bellflower).
Used in Korean ban chan dishes, stir fry, soups.
Burdock
Root (uang 우 엉)
Burdock root has a very distinctive flavor and is normally pickled or
used in small amounts in combination with other vegetables and/or
meats. May be stir fried, boiled, or pickled. Pickled burdock is often
used as an ingredient of Kim Bop.
Burdock
Leaves
Chinese Eggplant
Sweet and tender, use as "common" eggplant: baked, stir-fried, or even
steamed.
Chinese Long Beans
Mild flavored, best when used in combination with bolder flavored
foods.
Chrysanthemum (ssukgat)
Daikon
Daikon is a winter radish that can stand up to high heat and long
cooking times without loosing shape, taste, or texture. Use in salads,
soups, or bake, braise, or broil.
Daikon may also be pickled as takuan
(沢庵)/danmuji (단무지) Varieties like the Lobak ot the
ponytail are often used in Korean kimchi making.
Gai LanChinese brocoli. Similar to common brocoli with a more delicate flavor. Use in salads, stir fry, or lightly seasoned and served on it's own.
Hairy Gourds
Similar in flavor to summer squash. Once peeled use in the same way as
squash.
Japanese Eggplant
A thin skined, smoother fleshed variety of egg plant with fewer seeds.
Interchangeable with common eggplant in many eggplant recipes. It can
be baked, fried, or steamed.
Lemon Grass
With a fragrant lemon scent and delicate flavor, minus the tartness of
lemon, it is often used as a flavoring in soups, stews, and teas. Lemon
Grass does not cook down well so is best removed from foods before
serving.
Lo Bok
Often called a turnip, lo bak is a variety of daikon. Crisp, juicy, and
sweet, lo bok is used pickled or raw, as a garnish, in salads, or
cooked in stir-fry. The lo bak and giant lo bak are also used to make kkakdugi
(깍두기), a form of radish kimchi.
Lotus Root
Lotus root is has a crisp fibrous
texture and a mild, distinctive flavor similar to an artichoke. Fry,
steam, or batter and deep fry, candied, stir fry, or long simmer. May
also be pickled, eaten raw in
salads, or used as a garnish.
Mung Bean Sprout
Crisp and mild, may be used in salads, soups, or stir fry.
Mustard Greens
Strong mustard-like flavor. Add to soups or sparingly to salads.
Napa or Chinese Cabbage
Crisp and sweet. Often used in soups and stir fry. Used in Korea to
make the most common form of Kimchi.
Nira Grass
Green nira grass has a distinctive pungency that adds richness to
stir-fry dishes. The tough ends of the nira grass are chopped off and
the rest is eaten in various Asian recipes.
Yellow nira grass has a distinctive, mildly onion flavor. Its yellow
color and mild taste come from being grown out of direct sunlight.
Opo
Opo has a lemon-like
taste. Add as flavoring to soups, stir fry, and salads.
Perilla or Wild Sesame (Korean Mint)
Mint flavored, this leaf can be eaten raw in salads, as a wrap for
other meat and vegetables, or cooked in soups and dtir fry. May also be
pickled. Often served as a ban chan dish in Korea.
Snow Peas
Crisp,
with a flat pea, they turn jade green when cooked, adding color and
texture to soups, stir fries, and salads.
Snow Pea Leaves
The tender leaves and tendrils of the snow pea plant can be eaten raw,
used in soups, steamed, or stir-fried with meat, seafood, or poultry.
Snow Pea Sprouts
Snow pea
sprouts can be eaten raw in salads, used in soups, steamed, or
stir-fried with
meat, seafood, or poultry.
Sugar Snap Peas
Sweeter and crisper with bigger peas inside than snow peas, the sugar
snap holds up better in stir-frying.
Taro Root
Thai Eggplant
Often used without peeling, the Thai eggplant can be used in
stir- fries, and can be grilled or cooked in tempura.
Water Chestnut
Yu Choy
Also known as green choy sum, or Chinese flowering cabbage. It is
a
tender vegetable and is considered one of the best Chinese cabbages. It
has a delicate, sweet, slightly cabbage-like flavor and requires
minimal cooking to maintain its crunch. Yu choy is a garnish.
Asian Fruits
Asian Pear
Crisper and less sweet than common pears. Often eaten raw or lightly
cooked in syrup as a dessert, but may be added to cooked dishes for
flavor. Also used in marinades as a meat tenderiser.
Cherimoya
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