Vegetables

Many of these fresh vegetables are available in our supermarkets, however, for those buying online the following tinned oriental vegetables are perfect for home cooking. Most are wok ready and might only need to be drained and cut up. Do not use the liquid for cooking.

Bamboo Shoots
Even Chinese cooks use tinned bamboo shoots as preparing and cooking fresh shoots can be a long and messy process. The shoots are cooked and only need to be drained and rinsed before being added to food. Bamboo shoots have a strong flavour so use in equal proportions to meat or vegetables.

Water Chestnuts
Grown in muddy fields this crisp, mild flavoured bulb can be eaten raw and is similar in texture to a radish. It is added to stuffings, stir fries and some deserts, in Thailand a popular desert is made from water chestnuts and coconut milk. When using tinned water chestnuts you must drain the liquid before use.

Baby Corn
Baby sweet corn, sliced and added to a stir fry will add bulk and fibre, a good store cupboard standby.

Creamed Corn
A vital ingredient of Sweetcorn Soup, creamed corn is one item that is not readily available in western supermarkets. Add straight from the can to a basic stock to make a delicious starter, in the Far East it is added to thick custard to make an unusual dessert.

Chow Chow

Also known as chayote or christophine, this apple shaped fruit is light green. Its white flesh is rather bland in flavour and its texture has been described as a cross between a cucumber and a potato. Rich in amino acids and vitamin C it is used in soups and stir fries.

Water Convulvus

Also known as water spinach or kangkong this vegetable is rich in vitamins. Unusual with hollow stems it is often cooked with chillies and shrimp paste.

Aubergines

Also know as Ping Tung, these long, mauve aubergines of the oriental variety are popular in Chinese and Japanese cooking. They can be peeled and are creamy and delicious when cooked in hot pots and stir fries.

Bean Sprouts

Bean sprouts are germinated mung beans which have been grown in a dark environment for a period of 6-8 days. Tp wash, drop the beans sprouts into a basin of cold water and lift out by the handful into a colander. This is an easy way to separate the whole sprouts from the broken tails and bean casings in the bag. Never soak bean sprouts as they absorb water which will be released upon cooking.

Bitter Gourd

Also known as bitter melon this bitter fruit can best be described as a warty cucumber shaped vegetable with an undulating, light green surface. A member of the gourd family, grown in tropical and sub tropical countries, it is prized for its bitter taste and natural healing qualities. To prepare, remove the pith and seeds from the central cavity and slice. Salting the fruit prior to cooking sometimes removes some bitterness. In Thai cuisine, bitter melon is used in salads, stir fries and soups.

Bok Choy / Pak Choy

Of the brassica family these crunchy long cabbages with their white stems and dark green leaves are stir fried with garlic in Chinese and Thai kitchens. To prepare, cut off root to separate individual stems, slice stems diagonally and cut up large leave, rinse and drain well before cooking. A smaller variety with light green stems (popular in the north of China), sometimes called pak choi or baby pak choy, is sold in many supermarkets.

Chinese Broccoli

Also known as Chinese kale or gai lan, this blue green leafy vegetable with its thick stem of the same colour is a popular vegetable in the Far East and China. To prepare, trim stalk end, cut up stem diaginally and cut up large leaves. Rinse, drain well and stir fry in a little oil and crushed garlic. Season with light soya sauce and serve immediately.

Chinese Leaves

Napa cabbage or Chinese cabbage are other names for this curly edge cabbage. It has oblong shaped leaves that are pale green or yellow with a wide white stem. Needing very little cooking it is often used raw in salads and lightly cooked in soups or stir fries.

Straw Mushroom

These small, coolie shaped mushrooms are more easily available in tins than fresh. The young mushrooms, light tan in colour are shaped like small quails eggs (labeled "unpeeled" on tins). As the mushrooms mature they change colour and shape, ending up grey to charcoal grey in colour and the size of golf balls. Grown on straw (thus their name) straw mushrooms, paddy straw mushrooms or grass mushrooms. Select small mushrooms for Tom Yam soup as the flavour released from inside the mushroom on biting into it is quite intense. The larger variety can be sliced and added to stir fried vegetables or casseroles.

Garlic Chives

Consumed as a vegetable, these chives are more robust and have a stronger flavour than it Western counterpart. Also known as koo chye or gau choy it is often stirfried with pork or squid.