It's Happy Belly Time!

After our experiences abroad, we are tired of re-inventing the "what to order or eat" wheel in China. Tired of being unable to eat at that cool looking hole in the wall mom n pop joint because they don't have picture menus? Tired of asking the waitress for her recommendation and being sad that you get pig's brains instead? Then you've come to the right place. Just jot down the most appealing dishes to you, take them to your local fine eating establishment, and finally relax and enjoy a 好吃 (hao3 chi1) meal.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Shredded Asparagus Lettuce

Chinese: 炝莴笋丝
Pinyin: qiang4
wōsŭn si1

This cold dish, first introduced at a banquet, won my heart with its light and refreshing crispiness (something that is hard to come by in a traditionally non-salad culture). The asparagus lettuce or celtuce is shredded into thin thread-like or si1 pieces and then gently tossed in a sesame oil like dressing. Eaten alone or with other dishes, this is the perfect accompaniment to the rest of your meal.


this is what the veggie looks like fresh. the greens are bitter and not used as often as the stems (hence their other name - stem lettuce)

from Wikipedia:

Celtuce (Lactuca sativa var. asparagina, augustana, or angustata), also called stem lettuce, celery lettuce, asparagus lettuce, or Chinese lettuce, is a cultivar of lettuce grown primarily for its thick stem, used as a vegetable. It is especially popular in China, where it is the most common form of lettuce, and is called wosun (Chinese: ; pinyin: wōsŭn) or woju (Chinese: ; pinyin: wōjù) (although the latter name may also be used to mean lettuce in general).

The stem is usually harvested at a length of around 15-20 cm and a diameter of around 3-4 cm. It is crisp, moist, and mildly flavored, and typically prepared by slicing and then stir frying with more strongly flavored ingredients.

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