Читать книгу Edible Asian Garden - Rosalind Creasy - Страница 8
Оглавлениеthe 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 itself from becoming a pest, make sure the roots of the running types are contained within a concrete or metal barrier at least 2 feet deep, or plant it in containers.
New shoots of the clumping bamboos usually appear in summer or fall, the running types in spring. Harvest the large shoots just as they emerge by freeing them from soil and, with a sturdy, sharp knife, cut off the top 6 to 8 inches. (If you make 6-inch mounds of soil around the base of the plant before the shoots emerge, they will be easier to harvest and the shoots will be longer.) The more slender species, generally referred to as summer bamboos, produce shoots 1-2 inches wide. These can be allowed to grow to a height of 12 inches before being harvested at ground level. In all cases, do not harvest all the shoots; the plants need to renew themselves.
Giant bamboo shoots, peeled (above), and how to cut the small-diameter shoots (below)
Varieties
In this case, the term varieties refers to the species described in the following list. All bamboos produce shoots; a few specially recommended ones are listed below.
Upper Bank Nurseries and Bamboo Sourcery offer many types, including some of the species recommended below. Bamboos are often available locally as well.
Bambusa beecheyana (Beecheyana Bamboo): clumping type; 15 feet tall; stems 4 inches wide; hardy to USDA Zone 9; graceful form
Bambusa glaucescens (Hedge Bamboo): clumping type; 20 feet tall; 1½ inches wide; hardy to USDA Zone 8
Phyllostachys aurea (Golden Bamboo): running type; 15 feet tall; stems 2 inches wide; hardy to USDA Zone 7
P. dulce (Sweet Shoot): running type; 30 feet tall; stems 2½ inches wide; hardy to USDA Zone 8; considered the sweetest shoots
P. nuda: running type; 35 feet tall; stems 1½ inches wide; hardy to USDA Zone 5, among the hardiest types
P. heterocycla pubescens (P. edulis) (Moso): running type; 50 feet tall; stems 6 inches wide; hardy to USDA Zone 7
How to prepare: For the large, thick bamboo shoots, cut a ring around the outside of the bottom of the shoot with a knife and peel the first outer layer to expose the white flesh; repeat this procedure for a dozen or so layers until all the brown leaves are removed and the shoot is white. Then, as you would with asparagus, if the base is tough, remove that as well. Cut the shoot in very thin slices.
The small-diameter shoots must also be peeled; in this case, remove the outer layer between each joint, one joint at a time. Slice the shoots in rings and discard the woody joints.
If the shoots are sweet (which is the exception), they can be eaten raw in salads. However, most shoots are fairly tough and have a bitter taste that must be removed by parboiling for 20 minutes. Change the water after the first 10 minutes and drain the shoots when you are done parboiling. Taste the shoots and, if they are still bitter, repeat the process. After parboiling, the slices can be used in any recipe calling for bamboo shoots or frozen in plastic freezer bags.
To serve immediately, cook until tender. The most popular use of bam boo is in stir-fried dishes. Bamboo shoots are most popular in northern China, where they are used in soups, stews, dumplings, noodle and meat dishes, meat and vegetable stir-fries, and, often, with mushrooms or pickled mustard (see recipe, page 65). For example, bamboo is used in gai lon with barbecued pork (see recipe, page 72), spring rolls with Chinese chives and shredded pork, and Thai beef with bamboo shoots. In Japan, fresh bamboo shoots are occasionally grilled on skewers and glazed with soy sauce or miso, or used in braised vegetable dishes. Of course, they can be used in any recipe calling for canned shoots.
BASILS
THAI BASIL
Ocimum basilicum
Thai: bai horapa; Vietnamese: rau que
LEMON BASIL
O. citriodorum
Thai: bai manglak
HOLY BASIL
O. sanctum
Hindi: tulsi; Thai: bai gaprow
‘Siam Queen’ (above); Holy basil (left); Lemon basil (right)
Three Asian basils are prominent ingredients in the cuisines of Southeast Asia. Red-stemmed Thai basil is relatively similar in taste and appearance to Italian sweet basil, but with an anise flavor. Small-leafed lemon basil has a delicate citrus scent and taste. Purple-tinged holy basil, with slightly serrated leaves, has a strong scent of cloves and a musky taste. Holy basil is so named because it is sacred to the Hindu gods and is found planted near temples and homes in India.
How to grow: Basils are annuals that glory in hot weather and wither in the frost. Gardeners in cool-summer areas struggle to keep them going. Choose a well-drained area of the garden in full sun or light shade, and with fertile organic soil.
You can start basil seeds inside a month before planting them out, or purchase them as transplants from specialty nurseries in the spring. Basil put out in the garden before the weather is warm suffers badly. Space seedlings 1 foot apart. Keep the plants fairly moist during the growing season. Feed basil with fish emulsion every 6 weeks and after a large harvest.
Harvest basil leaves about 80 days from sowing by picking or cutting. Keep the flower heads continually cut back or the plant will go to seed.
Varieties
Seeds of Thai, lemon, and holy basil can be purchased from the herb catalogs listed in Resources. ‘Siam Queen’ is a new variety of Thai basil that is compact and tasty.
How to prepare: Thai basil is excellent in Southeast Asian curries of vegetables, chicken, and game (see recipe, page 86). Both Thai basil and lemon basil are excellent for flavoring soups and added fresh to salads. The seeds of lemon basil are used in sweet drinks and mixed with coconut milk to make a dessert. Soaked in drinks, these seeds become slippery, yet crunchy. In Vietnam and Thailand, lemon and Thai basils are combined on a platter with fresh mints, Vietnamese coriander or cilantro, and lettuce to put in spring rolls, which are served with a spicy dip (see recipe, page 78.)
Holy basil is almost always used in noodle dishes paired with chicken or shellfish. Use this basil according to taste, for its flavor intensifies in cooking.
BEANS
ADZUKI (RED BEAN)
Vigna angularis
Mandarin: hong xiao dou, chi dou; Japanese: azuki
MUNG (GREEN BEAN)
V. radiata
Chinese: look dow
SOY (SOYA BEAN, SOYBEAN)
Glycine max
Mandarin: da dou; Cantonese: tai tau, wong tau, hak tau; Japanese: daizu, eda mame
A layout of green mung, white soy, and red adzuki beans.
Adzuki beans are popular in Japan. The pods, which grow to about 4 inches, contain reddish seeds; the flowers are rose colored. Mung beans have purplish yellow flowers, hairy pods that grow to about 4 inches, and green seeds. Both are bushy plants that reach about 3 feet tall. Soybeans are a powerhouse of nutrition and the major source of protein for many Asians. The white- and black-seeded ones are generally used as dry beans, the green-seeded ones for fresh eating. Soybean plants have fuzzy leaves, stems, and pods and grow to about 2 feet. The tiny flowers are white or lilac.
How to grow: Soy, adzuki, and mung beans are all annuals, grown much as you would regular bush beans. Plant after all danger of frost is past and the soil has warmed to at least 60°F. Plant in full sun in a well-drained garden loam. Sow seeds 1 inch deep in rows 24 inches apart. Thin seedlings to 4 inches apart. (Wider spacing is needed for soybeans in southern areas.) Once established, water deeply and infrequently. If the plants look pale at midseason, fertilize with fish emulsion.
The Mexican bean beetle can be a pest in certain areas. Phytophthora can be a problem for soybeans, especially in overly moist soil.
You can eat the immature pods of both adzuki and mung beans or let them mature and use the beans fresh shelled or dried. Harvest soybeans for fresh shelling when the pods are plump but still green or let them dry before harvesting. If letting the beans dry on the plant, harvest after the plant turns brown. Pull up the whole plant and hang to dry completely in a warm, dry place. Shell the beans and store them in airtight containers in a cool, dry place.
Varieties
Mung and Adzuki Varieties
Mung and adzuki beans are usually not available as named varieties. Vermont Bean Seed Company and Evergreen Y. H. Enterprises carry them.
Adzuki: 60 days pods, 90 days mature seeds; high yields; pods contain 7-10 beans
Mung: 90 days mature; pods contain 7-9 beans; use for plants or sprouting if not treated with fungicides
Soybean Varieties
Johnny’s Select Seeds, Evergreen Y. H. Enterprises, and Kitazawa Seed Company carry a few varieties.
‘Butterbeans’: 90 days, fresh; green beans, buttery flavor; high yields, good fresh
‘Envy’: 75 days, fresh; very early, short-season favorite; green beans good fresh or dried
Soy, Verde: 98 days; not for northern climates; very nutty flavor; 3-foot bushes with pea-sized green beans
Soybean plants (above); soybeans (below)
[How to Sprout Mung and Soybeans]
It is amazingly easy to sprout bean seeds, which can be a fun project for children. Purchase seeds in bulk from an Asian grocery or a health-food store, or order sprouting seeds from a mail-order nursery. When obtaining them from a nursery, make sure the seeds have not been treated with a fungicide that is applied to aid sprouting in cold soils.
Of the several ways to sprout beans, the easiest is to put ½ cup of seeds in a clean 1-quart widemouthed mason jar and cover the top of the jar with cheesecloth tied with string. Soak the bean seeds in water overnight and drain them the next morning. Put the jar in a cool, dark place, like a closet, to sprout. Rinse the seeds with cold water 2 to 3 times a day to cool the growing sprouts and provide moisture (more often in warm weather). Drain them well each time. Repeat the process for 4 or 5 days or until the seeds have sprouted and are about 1½ inches long. Once the sprouts are ready, rinse them well to remove most of the hulls and refrigerate them. The sprouts deteriorate quickly and are best used within a day. Your mung and soy sprouts will be curlier and a little smaller than those grown commercially, but they taste the same. One word of caution: Soybean sprouts need to be cooked before they are eaten.
How to prepare: Green soybeans can be cooked in numerous ways when fresh or allowed to mature and used as dry beans. Add raw fresh beans to raw rice and cook them together, as they cook up at the same rate.
The great majority of white soybeans in Asia are made into soy products or consumed as sprouts. The latter use is particularly prevalent in Cantonese dishes, where they are stir-fried or used in soups. In Korea, the sprouts are used for salads (see recipe, page 78), and in a stew with pork.
(Caution: Soy sprouts are not edible in their raw state and are always eaten cooked.) The Japanese enjoy the fresh green soybeans in a traditional fall snack (edamame) consumed with beer. The beans, pod and all (sometimes still on the stalk), are boiled in salted water and drained; then snackers shell their own, as we do peanuts in the shell (see recipe, page 82). In Japan, the beans are sometimes shelled and added raw to rice before it is cooked (see recipe, page 66).
Adzuki are widely used in Asia for soups, but especially in desserts, and in a sweet paste for dumplings. The young pods are eaten like snow peas.
Mung bean sprouts are one of the most widely used vegetables in stir-fries in general, in various classic Asian stir-fries with pork, and in sweet-and-sour soup.
BEANS, FAVA
(BROAD BEANS)
Vicia faba
Chinese: tsaam dou; Hindi: bakla; Japanese: sora mame
BEANS, YARD-LONG (ASPARAGUS BEAN; CHINESE PEA)
Vigna unguiculata spp. Sesquipedalis
Cantonese: cheung kong tau; Mandarin: chang dou; Japanese: sasage
PIGEON PEAS (RED GRAM, DAHL)
Cajanus cajan
Fava bean flowers (above), fava bean pods (below)
Favas are cool-season beans, good for cool climates. On the other hand, yard-long beans and pigeon peas are best grown in warm climates.
Yard-long beans produce very long, thin pods. These vining plants, which are related to black-eyed peas, grow to 10 feet. The young pods, seeds, and leaves are edible. The pod and foliage flavor is mild and sweet. There are three types of yard-long beans: the dark, thin pods with black seeds; the larger, light green one with spongy pods and red seeds; and a white-seeded type.
Pigeon peas are shrubby perennials from Asia and Africa that are popular in east Indian cuisine. The quick-growing plants can be 9 feet tall and 6 feet wide.
How to grow: In areas where winters don’t dip below the teens, plant fava beans in the fall. They need about 90 days of cool weather and tolerate repeated frosts. In cold-winter areas, plant favas when you plant peas. To plant, prepare the soil well and plant seeds 2 inches deep and about 3 inches apart. The plants grow quickly to 5 feet in height. Support the tall plants with stakes and strings surrounding the outsides of the beds. Black aphids sometimes infest fava beans; control them with sprays of water. Slugs can destroy seedling beds. For young, tender fava beans whose skins do not need to be removed, harvest them when they first start to fill out the pods. Alternately, let the fava beans mature and use them fresh or dried.
Yard-long beans are hot-weather annuals that produce poorly in cool-summer areas. Plant them in full sun at least 2 weeks after your last expected frost, sowing the seeds 1 inch deep and 4 inches apart. Thin the seedlings to 8 inches. Make successive plantings 3 weeks apart. Yard-long beans need trellising and produce best if kept fairly moist. Fertilize sparingly—too much nitrogen results in few beans. Pest and disease problems are minimal. Harvest when pods reach 12 to 18 inches, before the seeds fill out the pods.
Pigeon peas are tender tropical shrubs that need a very long, warm growing season. They tolerate poor soils. Plant ½ inch deep and 5 feet apart. The plants may need support. In Florida, the plants produce for up to 5 years if there are no freezes. Harvest pods while young or let them mature and harvest the seeds for drying.
Varieties
Fava Beans
‘Nintoku Giant’: three large green seeds per pod; grows well in warmer climates
‘Windsor’: 80 days; bush; grows to 4 feet with green pods to 10 inches; large, light green beans
Yard-Long Beans
Redwood City Seed and Evergreen Y. H. Enterprises both carry yard-long beans.
Red Seeded: 75 days; heirloom; light green pods; maroon brown seeds; trouble-free variety
Black Seeded: the most widely grown yard-long; dark green pods
Black Stripe Seed: new variety from Taiwan; high yields; pods are crisp
‘Kaohsiung’: dark green, thick, meaty pods and black seeds
‘Sabah Snake’: 80 days; very long pods; pods are light green and wrinkled; white seeds; heirloom; popular in Malaysia
Pigeon Peas
ECHO and The Banana Tree carry pigeon pea seeds.
Yard-long beans (above), pigeon peas (below)
How to prepare: Young fava beans have a special sweetness. These tasty beans are shelled when the seeds start to fill out the pods. Then the bean skins must be peeled before preparation—double peeling—a real labor of love. In northern China, the beans are paired with ham or sprouted and cooked. In parts of China and Japan, mature fresh fava beans are parboiled, then stir-fried in a little oil and garlic. Diners eat them as a snack, peeling the skins off themselves.
Caution: Some males of Mediterranean descent are allergic to favas and should be wary when trying them for the first time; persons taking antidepressants with monoamine inhibitors should avoid them at all costs.
Yard-long beans are actually tastiest when 12-18 inches long. In a popular Szechwan dish called dry-fried beans, the red-seeded yard-long beans are deep-fried, drained, and then put in a wok and stir-fried with spicy seasonings. The dark green variety is best in a simple stir-fry with a bit of ginger. Try them in rolls of marinated beef or pork (see recipe, page 81) or add them to soups. These beans are pencil-thin and a bit like French haricots verts; they can be used in place of string beans in most recipes.
The young pods of pigeon peas are eaten cooked, or the fresh or dried seed is cooked and eaten, often with rice. In the Philippines, pigeon peas are often used in soups (see recipe, page 74.)
BITTER MELON
(BITTER GOURD; BITTER CUCUMBER; BALSAM PEAR)
Momordica charantia
Cantonese: fu kwa; Mandarin:ku gwa; Japanese: niga uri; Hindi: Karela
Bitter melon
Bitter melons are warty vegetables that somewhat resemble their cousins the cucumber and have a distinctive, quininelike taste. They are popular in Asia where bitter tastes are appreciated. In the Philippines, the juice from a bitter melon is sometimes rubbed on babies’ lips to accustom children to bitter tastes. The immature leaves and shoots are edible, too.
Bitter melon plants are handsome vines that bear yellow flowers and may climb more than 12 feet. The unique fruits may be light or dark green, or white when young; they mature to red orange.
How to grow: Bitter melons are grown as annuals. They need long, warm growing conditions. Soak the seeds for 24 hours before planting to help germination. Start bitter melons inside at a minimum soil temperature of 64°F. Once in the garden, they need full sun and a fertile, organic soil.
Space or thin plants to 2 feet apart. Put a trellis in place for them to grow on when you plant them. Bitter melons require ample water.
If the vines are pale at midseason, apply fish emulsion. If the plants are not setting fruit, you need to hand pollinate the flowers. Slugs and snails can be a problem for young plants.
Harvest bitter melons while they are young and still firm, in the white or green stage. They grow more bitter as they mature. Harvest regularly and do not let them ripen on the vine; they will continue to ripen after harvesting. Harvest leaves and shoots for cooking while they are young.
Varieties
In some sources, bitter melons are listed only by the common or species names rather than by variety names.
‘High Moon’: 90 days; pale green to white; to 10 inches long. Available from Territorial Seed Company
‘Hong Kong’: dark green, rather smooth skin; spindle shaped; more bitter and flavorful than most; Cantonese use this for stuffing
‘Karela’: 55 days; dark green, to 7½ inches long; very productive; from India; carried by Willhite Seed Company
‘Taiwan Large’: large, high-quality fruits, green skin and white flesh; disease resistant; popular in Taiwan
‘Thailand’: small fruits with blistered deep green skin; productive; popular in tropics
How to prepare: In much of Asia, bitter melon is considered to have coming or medicinal properties, and the young tendrils are considered a delica and are prepared by quick frying. Alternately, they are incorporated at the last minute into simple egg dishes The tendrils have some bitterness bu possess a distinctive, quite pleasant vegetable taste. The taste of the fruit varies in flavor and bitterness depend ing on maturity. Most fruits begin de green and mild and grow increasing yellow and bitter with age. Try young melons in soups and mature ones in stir-fries (see the recipe on page 70) or stuffed with meat. In China, bitter melon is usually cooked in a soup wi pork and black beans or added to stir fries. In India, bitter melon is often cooked with potatoes and numerous spices or pickled with garlic; it is also fried, stuffed, and used in curries. Before cooking with bitter melon, to remove much of the water and some the bitterness, slice, salt, and then squeeze the juice out.
BUNCHING ONIONS
(GREEN ONIONS, SCALLIONS, MULTIPLIER ONIONS, WELSH ONIONS)
Allium fistulosum
Cantonese: ts’ung fa; Mandarin: cong (onion), quing cong; Japanese: negi
Multistemmed bunching onions
Bunching onions are bulbless onions widely used throughout Asia. They are hardy perennials and are cultivated for their long, white stems and green leaves. There are two basic types: those that grow as single-stemmed onions and those that are multistemmed and grow in clusters. The single-stemmed types are grown as annuals and can be planted quite close together. The clustering types continue to spread from year to year.
How to grow: As with other alliums, bunching onions prefer cool weather and soil rich in organic matter and phosphorous. Plant bunching onions from seed in the spring for summer use or in the fall to overwinter. Sow ¼ inch apart and ½ inch deep. Keep weeded. Give consistent moisture. The clustering types should reach a good size the first year, with some division at the base; they can be divided the second summer. To produce whiter stalks, mound the soil to blanch the stems. The long, single-stalked types are particularly well-suited for blanching and are sometimes called Chinese leeks. Bunching onions are fairly resistant to pests and disease.
Harvest the leaves when young, as you would chives. Once the plants are established, harvest the individual scallions or separate from the cluster as needed.
Varieties
‘Evergreen Hardy’ (‘Evergreen’): 65 days; very popular; grows in clusters; most cold hardy of the bunching onions
‘Kujo’ (‘Kujo Green Multistalk’): a multiplier onion; grows in clusters of 3 or 4 stalks; tender white stalks are about 10 inches long; light green leaves to 18 inches
‘Ishikura No. 2’: a popular single-stalked variety; very uniform
‘White Lisbon’: 60 days; an Allium cepa developed for use as a scallion; tender green tops and long white stems; does well in a variety of soils
How to prepare: Bunching onions can become bitter if overcooked, so they are generally chopped and added to cooked dishes toward the end of cooking. In China, these green onions are used as garnishes or added to rice, noodle, and fish dishes as well as soups and stir-fries. Historically, the nomadic tribes of Mongolia gathered the wild green onions that grew profusely in that region. They then quickly fried thin strips of beef and added handfuls of the onions at the last minute, the object being to cook the green onions lightly while still keeping the life in them. In Japanese cooking, these onion-family vegetables are widely used for pickling, in soups and garnishes, and are popular in sukiyaki.
BURDOCK
Arctium lappa
Cantonese: ngao pong; Mandarin: niu pang; Japanese: gobo
Burdock
This plant’s roots, which can grow to 4 feet long and 1 inch wide, and its young shoots are prized in Japan. The roots are usually brown-skinned with white flesh. The plant grows to about 3 feet tall.
How to grow: Burdock is a biennial but is usually grown as an annual sown in early spring. It can also be sown in the fall and harvested in early spring. Soak the seeds overnight in warm water and then plant in extremely soft, deep, rich soil in full sun. Work in bone meal before planting. Thin seedlings to 8 inches apart. Keep mulched for vigorous growth throughout the season. Harvest the roots in approximately 4 months. The roots are tenderest when harvested while young, at 12 to 18 inches long. The best way to harvest is to use a post-hole digger next to the plant to expose the majority of the root before you pull it out; otherwise the root breaks off easily.
Varieties
‘Takinogawa’: 120 days; the standard Japanese variety; has well-formed roots with a mild, bittersweet flavor
How to prepare: The primary edible part of burdock is the root, but young, tender shoots are sometimes used too. The roots are sometimes used in stir-fries and soups in China. In Japan, they are pickled or cooked in soups, tempura, and stir-fries with slivered carrots. Try them rolled in thin strips of beef or pork mixed with other vegetables (see recipe, page 81). Roots are harvested and scraped before cooking; stronger-tasting roots are thinly sliced and soaked in water for several hours to remove bitterness. Keep cut roots in water to prevent darkening.
CARROTS
Daucus carota var. sativus
Hindi: gajar
Japanese carrots
Carrots are popular in India, but plant breeders in Japan and Taiwan have developed many great modern varieties we use in the West. A number of the Asian carrots are high in anthocyanins, which gives them a reddish cast.
How to grow: Plant carrots in early spring, as soon as your soil has warmed, or plant them as a fall crop. Cultivate and loosen the soil 1 foot deep to make room for the roots. Light soils are best—gardeners with heavy soils need stubby varieties. Sow seeds ½ inch apart in rows or wide beds and keep the seed bed evenly moist. Thin to 2 inches. In most parts of the country, once sprouted, carrots are easy to grow. When the plants are about 3 inches tall, mulch with compost and side dress with fish emulsion.
Once the seedlings are up, protect them from snails and slugs. In the upper Midwest, the carrot rust fly maggot tunnels its way through carrots. Floating row covers and crop rotation help. Alternaria blight and cercospora blight are possible diseases.
Carrot varieties are ready for harvesting when they are at least ½ inch across and start to color. The optimal time to harvest carrots is within a month after they mature, less in very warm weather. Harvest when the soil is moist. To prolong the fall harvest in cold climates, mulch plants well with 1 foot of dry straw and cover with plastic that’s weighted down with something heavy.
Varieties
‘Carrot Suko’(Baby Carrot): 70 days; very sweet; bred for growing as baby carrots 3 to 4 inches long