Читать книгу Handy Pocket Guide to Asian Vegetables - Wendy Hutton - Страница 5

Botanical Family:

Agaricaceae

Thai name:

Hed horm

Malay name:

Cendawan

Indonesian name:

Jamur

Filipino name:

Kabuteng kahoy

Shiitake Mushroom

Lentinus edodes

Until relatively recently, this north Asian mushroom, also known as the black forest mushroom, was found only in its dried state in tropical Asia. Fortunately, the fresh mushroom, generally sold under its Japanese name, shiitake, is increasingly grown in the region and is highly prized for its firm texture and rich, almost meaty flavour.

Fresh shiitake can be grilled, braised, stir fried or added to stews and one-pot dishes; they can also successfully be made into European-style mushroom soup. The coarse stem should be discarded and the caps carefully wiped with a piece of paper towel or cloth. Do not wash the mushrooms; store them loosely wrapped in paper towel, not plastic, which makes them sweat and decay quickly.

The medicinal benefits of this mushroom, known to the Chinese for centuries, have been confirmed by Western scientists. Fresh or dried, the shiitake mushroom lowers cholesterol levels; it also posses anti-viral and possibly anti-cancer properties.

Chinese Spinach

Amaranthus gangeticus;

Amaranthus tricolor

Botanical Family:

Amaranthaceae

Thai name:

Phak khom suan

Malay name:

Bayam puteh, bayam merah

Indonesian name:

Bayam

Filipino name:

Kulitis

Amaranthus spinach is often regarded as the best of all the tropical spinaches in terms of food value and flavour. Despite the reputed health-giving properties of true or English spinach, Chinese spinach has double the amount of iron and also contains considerable amounts of vitamins A, B and C.

At least seven different cultivars are found in tropical Asia. The most common has pale, almost rounded green leaves, while another variety has dark red markings at the centre of its rounded green leaves. A third variety has darker narrow leaves with pointed tips.

There is no appreciable difference in flavour between these varieties. All should be washed well and the leaves pulled off the stems before cooking. Chinese spinach can be steamed, simmered in soups, or cooked in coconut milk with root vegetables such as sweet potato or pumpkin. If steaming this type of spinach Western style, a few leaves of mint added to the pan improve the flavour.

Ceylon Spinach

Basella rubra

Botanical Family:

Basellaceae

Thai name:

Phak prlang

Malay name:

Remayong, Gendola

Indonesian name:

Gendola

Filipino name:

Alugbati

The leaves of this plant, which is widely cultivated in tropical Asia, are used in much the same way as a spinach, hence its name. Despite its name, this vegetable is believed to have originated in India. It has been grown in China for centuries, cultivated mainly for its fleshy red berries which produce a dye used by women as a rouge and by mandarins for colouring seal impressions. It can also be used for colouring jellies or cakes, the colour intensified by the addition of lemon juice.

The distinctive beetroot-red stems and fleshy leaves of Ceylon spinach make it easy to recognise in the markets. It grows easily and keeps well after picking even without refrigeration, provided the stems are put in a jar of water. It has a slightly slippery texture after cooking, and is rich in minerals and vitamins, with mildly laxative properties.

The leaves and tender top portion of the stems are best steamed in the water left clinging after washing; they can also be added to soups and stews.

Botanical Family:

Caricaceae

Thai name:

Malakor

Malay name:

Buah betik

Indonesian name:

Pepaya

Filipino name:

Papaya

Papaya

Carica papaya

Papayas are one of the most easily grown and popular fruits found in kitchen gardens throughout the tropics. The unripe green fruit is eaten as a vegetable, particularly in Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.

While not as rich in vitamin C as the ripe fruit, green papayas contain an enzyme, papain, which softens meat and is used commercially as a meat tenderiser. Local cooks often mix the pounded leaves or bruised skins with meat to tenderise it. The young leaves of the papaya tree are also edible, but must be boiled in two changes of water.

Shredded green papaya is used for salads, particularly in Thailand, where it is transformed into the famous Som Tom, and in pickles, such as the Filipino Atsara. When cooked, the flesh tastes much like bottle gourd or any other vegetable marrow. It readily takes on other flavours and is even cooked with juniper berries and other seasonings to make a tropical sauerkraut in French Polynesia and the French Caribbean.

English Spinach

Spinacea oleracea

Botanical Family:

Chenopodiaceae

Thai name:

Phak puay-leng

Malay name:

Bayam po choy

Indonesian name:

Peleng, puileng

Filipino name:

Kulitis

The origin of this plant is unclear, but it is believed to have spread from Southwest Asia to both Europe and China. Although there are a number of tropical leafy greens loosely referred to as "spinach", this is the only true spinach and has an incomparable flavour. It is quite expensive, and much prized by the Chinese.

As this vegetable prefers a cooler climate, it is grown only in hilly areas in tropical Asia. The leaves bruise easily, so care must be taken when choosing spinach to ensure the leaves are not already damaged or they will perish quickly. Store wrapped in a paper towel for a day or so and wash thoroughly before using both the tender stems and the leaves.

Often called "Cameron Highlands Spinach" (referring to where it is grown), this spinach is also known by its Cantonese name, poh choy. It can be cooked in any style, Asian or Western, but benefits from only subtle seasoning to allow its own flavour to dominate.

Botanical Family:

Compositae

Thai name:

Phak khat horm

Malay name:

Selada

Indonesian name:

Salada

Filipino name:

Letsugas

Lettuce

Lactuca sativa

Lettuce is a vegetable which has been cultivated for thousands of years, and is believed to be derived from a wild lettuce indigenous to Western Asia. In China, lettuce has been grown for more than a thousand years. One particular variety (stem or asparagus lettuce) is grown for its thick edible stem. It is sometimes pickled and canned, a somewhat surprising concept to those accustomed to lettuce as a salad vegetable.

Two varieties of lettuce are found in tropical Asian markets. When the vegetable is grown in the lowlands, it has long loose leaves with frilled edges, and does not form a tight round head like the common iceberg variety. Loose-leaf lettuce (often termed "local lettuce") lacks the crispness and flavour of the round variety. It is often used as a garnish or else added, both leaves and sliced stem s, to soups in most of Southeast Asia.

The round or "head" lettuce found in temperate climates is grown in highland areas of tropical Asia.

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum coronarium

Botanical Family:

Compositae

Thai name:

Phaktang-o

Malay name:

Tungho

Indonesian name:

Tungho

Filipino name:

Tunghao

Everyone is familiar with the brightly coloured chrysanthemum flowers, native to Europe and north Asia, but not many are aware that the leaves of a certain variety of chrysanthemum are edible. Do not be tempted, however, to cook the leaves of the next bunch of chrysanthemums you buy from the florist; they may technically be edible, but they certainly won 't be nice.

In tropical Asia, the tender leaves of a particu ar variety known as the garland chrysanthemum are eaten mainly by the Chinese, who add small amounts to soup or sometimes cook them as any other leafy green vegetable. They seem to be particularly popular in the hot pot or fondue known in Malaysia and Singapore as "steamboat".

The leaves can also be dipped in batter and deep fried (a popular Japanese treatment). Perhaps because of its pungent smell, the garland chrysanthemum is not widely eaten, although it is rich in vitamins A and B.

Botanical Family:

Araceae

Thai name:

Phueak.

Malay name:

Keladi, talas

Indonesian name:

Keladi

Filipino name:

Gabi

Taro

Colocasia esculenta

The taro, also known as cocoyam or dasheen, is sometimes confused with the yam. To add to the confusion, sweet potatoes are often referred to as yams in the USA. Taro is superior in flavour and texture to the yam, which is more popular in the Pacific than in tropical Asia. The starchy paste known as poi eaten in Hawaii and other parts of the Pacific is made from taro.

There are some 200 varieties of taro, which is sometimes referred to as "the potato of the tropics", although sweet potatoes could also make this claim. The pinkish-white fleshed taro, recognised by the ring of colour at the base of the stem, probably has the best flavour and texture.

The bulging starchy corms can be roasted, fried, boiled and mashed to form croquettes or grated to form a taro "basket" (a Cantonese restaurant favourite). The young leaves can be cooked in the same way as any other leafy green. Taro corms contain calcium oxalate crystals, so must always be boiled to destroy these.

Botanical Family:

Convolvulaceae

Thai name:

Man thet

Malay name:

Ubi keledek

Indonesian name:

Ubi manis, ubi jalar

Filipino name:

Kamote

Sweet Potato

Ipomoea batatas

The root tubers of this tropical American native are very popular in many parts of Southeast Asia, and as the plant grows easily, it is often planted in home gardens. Both the young leaves and the tubers can be eaten, the former simmered in soups, stir fried or stewed, the tubers cooked in a variety of ways.

There are several different shapes, sizes and colours of sweet potato. A purple-fleshed variety is particularly popular in the Philippines. Malaysians and Indonesians generally prefer the b right yellow or orange-fleshed sweet potato to that with white flesh; interestingly, the former has a higher content of vitamin A.

Although peeled chunks of sweet potato are often cooked in coconut milk with leafy greens, the flesh is also boiled and mashed to make a number of savoury snacks. Diced sweet potato is also used in desserts, particularly with sweetened coconut milk; cubes of yam, slices of banana and sago balls are often added to the concoction.

Water Convolvulus

Ipomoea aquatica

Botanical Family:

Convolvulaceae

Thai name:

Phak bung

Malay name:

Kangkung

Indonesian name:

Kangkung

Filipino name:

Kangkung

There seem to be more English names for this leafy green than almost any other tropical vegetable:

water convolvulus, water morning glory, water spinach and swamp cabbage being the most common. It usually thrives in marshy ground, although one variety is grown in normal seed beds like other vegetables. It is a member of the same family as the common morning glory, whose purple, pink or white flowers can be seen growing wild in much of Asia.

Water convolvulus is very rich in iron and vitamin A, and lacks the bitterness of some other iron-rich greens. It is, in fact, one of the nicest leafy greens grown in the tropics. The tender shoots are eaten raw in Thailand, although in most other areas of Southeast Asia, the shoots and leaves are stir fried or braised. The Filipinos make a type of pickle from the hollow stems.

At least two varieties of water convolvulus are cultivated, the one with a slender, blade-like leaf generally being regarded as superior in flavour.

Botanical Family:

Cruciferae

Thai name:

Phak kwaang tung

Malay name:

Sawi

Indonesian name:

Sawi

Filipino name:

Petsay

Flowering Cabbage

Brassica chinensis var. parachinensis

This is a variety of the popular white cabbage or bok choy. As the English name hints, this particular Chinese cabb age has yellow-flowered shoots when mature, although it is usually sold before these are evident. The leaves are less tightly packed than with many other varieties of cabbage. Both the leaves and stems are eaten, while the flowering tips are also edible.

Many Asians regard the flowering cabbage as the best of all Asian varieties, and it is very popular with Chinese cooks (the Cantonese name is choy sam). Flowering cabbage is often cut in 5-8 em (2-3 inch) lengths and added to soup and noodle dishes. In such cases, the cabbage is often briefly blanched before being added, although it can also be stir fried or braised without this step.

Take care not to overcook flowering cabbage, as its crisp texture and bright green colour are part of its appeal. Stir frying is recommended as this method tends to conserve the vitamins and minerals.

Celery Cabbage

Brassica pekinensis var. cylindrica

Botanical Family:

Cruciferae

Thai name:

Phak kaet khaao-plee

Malay name:

Kubis cina

Indonesian name:

Sawi putih

Filipino name:

Petsay tsina