Guide to Chinese Green Vegetables

There is a wide range of leafy green vegetables in Chinese cuisine, and greens can be used within dishes or as a side dish. Greens are usually fresh leaves or stems that are used to bulk out dishes, such as soups and stir-fries.

As well as adding texture and colour to dishes, greens tend to offer great nutritional content, with high levels of vitamins, iron and fibre.

Round Leaf Spinach

Also known as flat-leaf spinach, these tender and sweet salad leaves are popular in the West too. The variety found in China often tends to have slightly thicker and longer stems than that used in Western cuisine.

In Chinese cuisine, it is common to sauté round leaf spinach in a small amount of broth to make them tender and flavourful.

Coriander

A herb as divisive as marmite or natto, coriander is soft in texture but strong in flavour and can be added as a finishing touch on dishes. For example, a sprinkle of chopped coriander may be added on top of soups.

Chinese Broccoli

Unlike the broccoli eaten in the West, Chinese broccoli is a leafy vegetable, with a fat stem and wide, flat leaves. Also called gai lan, it is a popular vegetable that is commonly used in a lot of dishes in China.

Chinese broccoli is even served as a dim sum dish, cooked with seasoning or a simple sauce.

Water Spinach

Water spinach, or ong choy, features a long, round, hollow stem and slim, pointed leaves. It naturally has a mild taste and tender texture once cooked but is able to pick up the flavour of whatever sauce or spices it is cooked in, making it a very versatile ingredient.

Pea Shoots

Often enjoyed in Sichuan cuisine, pea shoots absorb flavour very well and become tender once cooked. If you want a softer texture from your greens, then choose pea shoots that have thicker stems, as these will soften better than smaller pea shoots.

Napa Cabbage

This is perhaps the most commonly used, and best-loved, green vegetable in Chinese cuisine. In northern China, the napa cabbage is one of the only vegetables that are able to withstand the winter conditions and grow in the colder months of the year. As well as being enjoyed fresh in soups and stews, napa cabbage is also pickled in jars to be eaten over the winter months.

Napa cabbage has a sweet taste to it and gains a tender texture once cooked. It is great with sauce, as the leaves soak up the flavour and make for a very tasty bite.

Bok Choy

Bok choy is an Asian leafy green vegetable that is also commonly available in Western countries due to its popularity in stir-fry dishes. They are mild in flavour but add a great green colour and interesting texture to dishes.

As well as stir-fries, bok choy can be added to noodles and soups.

Chinese Chive

Chinese chives are similar to chives used in Western cooking but are longer and thicker. While chives are typically used as a garnish in Western cuisine, in China, chives are used as a main component of a meal. They can be added to dumplings, stir-fries and egg dishes.

Celtuce

While the name makes this vegetable sound like it is a cross between celery and lettuce, this is not the case! Celtuce comes as a thick stem which is peeled and sliced. Inside is a green flesh that is sweet, crunchy and mild. It is used in stir-fry dishes and with eggs.

Luffa

Luffa looks a little like a long courgette or cucumber. When cooked, it becomes soft and silky, with a texture similar to aubergine. If left to dry out, these vegetables can be turned into luffa or loofah, the sponges used for scrubbing!

Chinese Celery

Chinese celery differs in a number of ways from the celery used in Western countries. The stalks tend to be thinner and typically have a less bitter flavour than Western celery.

In some Chinese cuisine, the leaves of the celery stalks will also be eaten.

Bitter Melon

A popular vegetable in China, the bitter melon is often seeded and sliced before being blanched, to help reduce the bitter taste. It can then be cooked in a sauce, such as black bean sauce or garlic sauce, where the strong flavour can compete with the bitter notes.

It is surprisingly tasty, despite the bitterness, and also boasts great health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels, boosting immunity and aiding digestion.

All of these green vegetables are used in a wide variety of Chinese cuisine. If you would like to make your own Chinese dishes at home, then check out our range of Chinese food in the UK.