Chinese stem lettuce 莴笋炒豆腐

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This is another of those brilliant local vegetables that I'd never even heard of before moving to China. A search today turned up that it has become sort of a "darling" of a couple of adventurous five-star chefs in New York and a couple more in California. One or two cutting-edge French chefs have been reported to love it and be trying to promote it. But it's still a long way from being a staple at Mr. Wang's China Palace Buffet in that strip mall on the loop near where I spend part of each year in small town North Texas. Be that as it may, it is truly fine stuff, and I will do my best to tell you something about it today.

 

Here's what it looks like, raw in the market. I can find it here nearly year round, and even though it gets a little more expensive in the winter, it never comes close to breaking the bank.

 

 

 

It is in fact a variety of lettuce, and here in the south of China it goes by several names, the most common one being wo sun 莴笋。It's very popular in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou, with Hunan and Guangxi being fond of it too. Sometimes it's called 莴苣 wo ju. As you know, Chinese vegetables usually have numerous monikers, so it has several other labels as well. In English it gets dubbed "Celtus" by the scientists, and "asparagus lettuce" by some of the chefs. My own favorite is "stem lettuce" because it describes how it is mainly raised for its stem, instead of for its leaves.

 

Occasionally, however, it is picked young in order to get the leaves when they are prime. Then it is referred to as 油麦菜, and that's what is shown here, just below. One can eat the leaves of the more mature forms, but they tend to be somewhat tough and bitter. I usually throw them away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wo sun is exceedingly versatile, and can even be eaten raw as a salad. Today I have used it in a stir fry, paired with a very distinguished partner, namely Shiping Tofu 石屏豆腐。It comes from a town of that name in Honghe Prefecture 红河州 where all the conditions are just right for the production of world-class tofu. It's sold throughout Yunnan, and I've mentioned it in these pages before.

 

Wo sun, like so many other unique vegetables, is a challenge to describe. It has a mild flavor, slightly nutty, with a pleasantly crunchy texture. Some writers have called its taste a cross between lettuce, celery, and asparagus. It combines well with things that are a little more forward, such as today's tofu. One can buy Shiping Tofu in several editions ranging from silky and bland, all the way through aromatic to stinky. The one I bought for this dish is called 老豆腐,  and you can smell it halfway across the room even though it is not overpowering or aggressive. It doesn't make you flinch or cry.

 

 

 

I peeled the fibrous outer skin, then cut off and discarded the leaves. Sliced the two stems into thin rounds. Sometimes I cut them into coarse matchsticks, depending on the intended use.

 

 

 

Thinly sliced half of a red bell pepper 红甜椒, minced a little garlic and ginger. By the way, I'm sure you recognize my trusty Hong Kong knife, sharp and well balanced, eagerly doing its duty. It continues to be the star of my Kunming kitchen and has been easy to maintain as well as a joy to use. I'm also pleased to report that it has not caused any severed digits and has only produced minimal arterial bleeding on a couple of unfortunate careless occasions.

 

Rinse the tofu and blot dry. Slice it into bite-sized pieces.

 

 

 

The rice cooker beeps, indicating that it is finished, wok is nice and hot on the gas burner, and we are ready now to rock and roll. You will notice some dry red chili peppers 干红辣椒 in with the garlic and ginger.

 

 

 

 

Add a couple tablespoons of oil, and slide in the tofu. Cooking it first like this keeps it from getting all torn up like it would if we introduced it at the same time as the vegetables. When it's brown on both sides, take it out 备用。

 

 

 

Wipe out the wok and add a little more oil. Stir-fry the aromatics (garlic, ginger, red chili pepper) until you can smell them 炮香。Then add the wo sun in the middle. When the wo sun is heated through, flip it all around vigorously 翻炒 and mix everything well with your spatula 锅铲。

 

 

 

Now make a hole in the center and add back the reserved golden brown tofu. When it comes up to temperature, mix it all up with a gentle flipping motion 翻炒。It's always good to follow the "dao of the wok" by adding new ingredients to the middle, which is the hottest part. Then gradually incorporate them into the other items that are already frying. Sprinkle in about half a teaspoon of salt and a pinch of 味精 (wei jing MSG.)

 

 

 

Next step, you guessed it, serve it up 装盘。Enjoy it with a fresh bowl of steamed rice. This is enough for a simple vegetarian meal, or you could have it alongside a small roast chicken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[889]

There's a notion in Western cooking that butter makes just about everything taste better.  "With enough butter, anything is good,"  famously said Julia Child.

 

Well, when it comes to Chinese cooking I'm of pretty much the same view about sesame oil. Doesn't your dish just cry out for a few drops of sesame oil there at the end?

 

(Julia Child spent World War II working in Kunming, but Chinese food didn't do much for her. No butter, perhaps.)

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3 hours ago, 889 said:

Well, when it comes to Chinese cooking I'm of pretty much the same view about sesame oil.

 

I share your view, @889, I'm a big fan of sesame oil too. Next time I'll try adding a bit at the end. Good suggestion. Might make it even better, especially if one were using tofu which had less flavor. The tofu this time was aromatic enough to give the dish a nice focus without sacrificing balance.  It kept it from being boring. I sometimes make this with sliced pork 肉片 instead of the tofu. Also, it comes out real good with slivers of Yunnan ham 云南火腿丝。

 

Didn't know about Julia Child having been a temporary Kunmingren 昆明人。I sure do admire her cooking and had read that there was more to her life than met the casual eye. Interesting character.

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@889-- Your Julia Child comments got me thinking and digging around. Wouldn't it have been grand if she had found a Chinese mentor chef the way Fuchsia Dunlop did years later. The entire western world might now know quite a bit more about Chinese cuisine.

 

Quote

 

It was in Kunming that Julia’s palate was first awakened, for she was surrounded by “sophisticated people … who knew a lot about food,” she recalled. During the two years she spent there, Julia said she and Paul “continued our courtship over delicious Chinese food.”

 

Historian and author Theodore H. White (“The Making of a President”) turned Paul on to dining in the “best eating places,” and Julia followed suit, enjoying the unique textures and flavors. She later remembered “nuggets of chicken in soy sauce, deep-fried or in paper; always rice, pork, [hot]-and-sour soup. The duck was always good, and everyone had a good time.”

 

She not only ate with great pleasure from the cuisines of China, Julia began to learn a variety of cooking styles from different parts of China, as well as Vietnam. “I am very, very fond of northern, Peking-style Chinese cooking,” she said. “That’s my second favorite [cuisine]. It’s more related to French; it’s more structured.”

...

As farewells loomed, he (Paul) and Julia lingered over spring rolls fried in sesame oil, napa cabbage with Yunnan ham, Chinese black mushrooms braised with greens and Peking Duck Three Ways (the crispy skin and then the meat served as the first two courses along with thin crepes, shredded leeks and sweet wheat paste; the bones turned into a soup with cellophane noodles, spinach and egg).

 

 

From: http://zesterdaily.com/people/julia-childs-first-culinary-love-china/

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Couldn't resist posting another Julia Child tidbit, this one about her cooking up a successful shark repellent.

 

Quote

She was later posted to Kunming, China, where she received the Emblem of Meritorious Civilian Service as head of the Registry of the OSS Secretariat.^[9] When Child was asked to solve the problem of too many OSS underwater explosives being set off by curious sharks, "Child's solution was to experiment with cooking various concoctions as a shark repellent," which were sprinkled in the water near the explosives and repelled sharks.^[10] Still in use today, the experimental shark repellent "marked Child's first foray into the world of cooking..."

 

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Child#World_War_II

[889]

That's interesting. I thought I'd read in some biography that Chinese food didn't intrigue her much.

 

 

Edited September 7, 2017 at 02:37 AM by 889
Intervening post.

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Just think, if she hadn't gone on to become the mother of French cooking, she might today only be remembered for discovering a good Chinese shark repellent. Wouldn't that have been a pity!

[Zeppa]

I  am interested in this because my Chinese teacher in Nuremberg said it was the main thing she missed from Beijing. I tried to grow it here in London, but the slugs got it. It is sometimes sold, without leaves, at See Woo in Lisle Street. But when I got hold of some I found the taste rather unpleasant. Perhaps that was because it was old?

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@Zeppa -- That's an interesting comment, about how much your teacher missed it. I think I will miss it too when I eventually move back to the US. Nothing else quite like it. Hate to even think of that day; there is a long list of Chinese vegetables that I have come to love. It has been such a pleasure to have them become part of my everyday life here.

 

3 hours ago, Zeppa said:

But when I got hold of some I found the taste rather unpleasant. Perhaps that was because it was old?

 

Could be. I'm not really sure. In researching the recipe I mostly used Chinese sources, but also reviewed what little I could find that was written in English. One of those English-language articles talked about how they found it bitter and strong, to the extent that they suggested par-boiling it briefly before using it in a stir-fry. I was very surprised because I've been eating it here for quite a few years and never encountered a bad batch.

 

My experience with it has led me to expect a mild flavor, a bit like celery and a bit like asparagus, with a slightly sweet aftertaste and pleasant degree of crunch. I sometimes have it raw in a salad. A couple of times when I haven't peeled it carefully however, the remaining parts of the outer layer have been fibrous and tough.

[Shelley]

The bitter taste could be because some people are more sensitive to that green vegetable bitter taste from broccoli, cabbage etc. Young children have been found to be hyper sensitive to it and find it all very bitter and unpleasant. Parents have been advised to not force kids to "eat their greens" , at a later age they will come round to them and start eating them. I hated broccoli when I was young and not until I was in my twenties I actually started to like it.

 

It could be that a slight bitter taste is exaggerated in hyper sensitive people and so puts them off,  whereas you don't notice it.

 

 

 

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Good point, @Shelley, I hadn't considered that.

[Mindmaxd]

I like wo sun too and I usually cook them,most time I use it to make 凉菜 with spicy oil or sesame paste,you can also use mustard oil.

Next time maybe you can try to use pan 平底锅 to fry tofu,that will be easier to make both sides heated,Here people like to use 香干 or 豆腐干 to fry with wo sun,shred 切丝them，tofu usually not easy to get flavor,so make some 芡汁儿 can make it taste better.

 

[Zeppa]

I will try it again, but it wasn't that it's bitter - I like bitter gourd, which is sold a lot here as karela - it was a sort of muggy, off taste. Maybe it had travelled too long without its leaves, though most of the flown-in veg at See Woo seems fresh. I reject the definition of me as 'hypersensitive people'. I actually have that book called Bitter, by Jennifer McLagan.

If you are worried about not getting it in Texas, it should be really easy to grow. I haven't really got a vegetable garden that functions here, and I tried it in tubs, but I think the earth in the tubs was infested with slugs or something. But if you can grow lettuce, you should be able to grow celtuce.

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I understand, @Zeppa -- I like the gentle bitter of kucai 苦菜,  but have a hard time with bitter gourd 苦瓜。So you are ahead of me on the "吃苦 scale." I guess you just got a bad batch, maybe chilled real cold so it would travel well and then began to spoil when it warmed up. Try it again, by all means.

 

Thanks for the tip about growing it. I'm not currently set up for gardening, either in Yunnan or in Texas, though in the past I've grown lettuce (and battled slugs every imaginable way.)

 

Thanks for your comments, @Mindmaxd -- I've used 香油 with it in a 凉拌。 Also like it with 花椒油。 Haven't tried it with mustard oil or sesame paste. Good tips.

 

Agree with you about using a non-stick flat-bottom pan 不粘平底锅 to fry tofu. It's the best way and I usually do that, but this time used the wok so as not to have to wash two pans afterwards.

[Shelley]

2 hours ago, Zeppa said:

I reject the definition of me as 'hypersensitive people'

 

I wasn't saying you specifically are "hypersensitive" just that this can happen.

[Zeppa]

Sorry, Shelley, I wasn't sure. Have you tried celtuce?

 

Here's a UK site on growing it.

 

abcdefg: I will have a look in Chinatown the next time I get up there - maybe tomorrow (though there is a Chinese food festival on elsewhere). I will look out for kucai 苦菜 too - I don't know it.

 

There is a little shop in Dansey Place that sells Chinese greens grown in Kent, but it doesn't have celtuce. I just read somewhere else that probably only See Woo has it. And of course, not necessarily this week.

 

http://www.thehappygardeners.co.uk/celtuce/

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8 hours ago, Zeppa said:

I will look out for kucai 苦菜 too - I don't know it.

 

Here's some about kucai 苦菜。We get two kinds here, one is picked young; it's tender and less strong flavored. Referred to as 小苦菜。The other, bigger and more mature, somewhat more biter, is great for soups and stews. That's usually just called plain 苦菜。Don't think I've ever heard "老苦菜。“

 

https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/54191-stir-fry-chinese-greens-with-ham-苦菜火腿炒饭/?tab=comments#comment-415700

 

Your mention of a Chinese food festival made me perk up my ears. Hope you have a chance to go and then tell us all about it. Let the organizers know that you are a Special Reporter covering the event on behalf of Chinese Forums. @roddy can probably print up a name badge and set of press credentials.

[Zeppa]

7 hours ago, abcdefg said:

 

Your mention of a Chinese food festival made me perk up my ears. Hope you have a chance to go and then tell us all about it. Let the organizers know that you are a Special Reporter covering the event on behalf of Chinese Forums. @roddy can probably print up a name badge and set of press credentials.

Thanks for the link re kucai.

 

You know, you have persuaded me to go to this festival. I have only been back in London for four years and maybe I am getting a bit jaded, but of course I should go. But my write-up will be nothing like what you would manage. I don't know many restaurants at all. I suppose it is a trendy foody thing.

 

It seems the festival is in its third year. It showcases 13 restaurants. I have been doing a lot of photography so that alone would be a reason to go, but I have to get there at 11 because I think it'll be raining this afternoon.

 

Here is the link:

http://www.chinesefoodfestival.com/

 

For anyone who's in London, it is just by the south end of Tower Bridge. I have a longish journey because the train line I use is closed for engineering works. So it will take 1 hour instead of 30 minutes to get there.

 

I haven't uploaded any pictures here but I see there is a maximum size of 19.53 MB - I don't want to make the images too small so I hope the software handles them well. That is, if I get there and if I get any photos.

 

[abcdefg]

@Zeppa -- I'm looking forward to your coverage of the event.

 

About posting photos, please don't make them too big. Those of us with slow internet will not be able to see them. They just hang up and never open. The ones I post are always under 100 kb in size, but when you click on them they enlarge to show plenty of detail.

 

The photo software is not terribly easy to use after the last forum upgrade, but it is functional. Here's how I do it. (There may be better ways.) One has the option of how to attach. I use the "choose file" option. I select the image from my computer's directory. These roses, for example, are only 81 kb. Once I select a place for them in the text (put the cursor there,) then I hit the "+" sign and the software inserts the picture.

 

One gets the instruction to "double click the image to resize." If I'm posting two photos side by side, I make the width 250 or 300 and tick the box that says "keep original aspect ratio." The height then takes care of itself. Click the option that aligns it left. If there's a second photo that you want to put beside it (to the right,) for that second one select "alignment none."

 

It's nearly impossible to get them three across without their being tiny (200.)

 

Regardless of posted size, double clicking enlarges the image . (I wish there were some automatic instruction to that effect, because many readers don't know that feature is available.)

 

Give it a try.

 

 

 

 

[Zeppa]

Thanks for that. I do usually make photos that small, but then I worry that they won't enlarge.

Really you should have been at this event, then you could have tasted all the food, spoken to the sellers (some had difficulties with English) and described it all. I only tried two things and I took lots of photos but I don't think they are very interesting. I mean, a tent with people cooking in it? It doesn't convey very much.

I believe there was a series of high-class meals for £60, and there was also the possibility of signing up for a Chinese cooking course by the School of Wok, I think. But although I may go there one day, I didn't want to spend more time today. So here is a view of the tents from Tower Bridge - at the bottom left of the picture. The sky was good today! Building in the middle is City Hall, where the Mayor of London's offices are.

 

Just after I took this there was a warning sound and I had to hurry along as the bridge was opening to let this big vessel through -- but somehow I don't think you wanted to know that.