Side Dishes 16: Spring Mustard Greens

Take the heart of the mustard green, chop well, and pickle in a bottle until mature. They are also known as "nuocai".1 春芥 取芥心風乾、斬碎，醃熟入瓶，號稱「挪菜」。 Note: 1Nuocai 挪菜 literally means “shifted” or “kneaded vegetable.” This is possibly a corruption of another character, also pronounced nuo, meaning “soft” or “tender.”

Vegetable Dishes 47: Radish Cooked in Lard

Stir-fry the radishes in rendered lard, then add dried shrimp and braise them until completely done. When one is about to plate the dish, add chopped green onions. The radishes should be translucent and red like amber. 豬油煮蘿蔔 用熟豬油炒蘿蔔，加蝦米煨之，以極熟為度。臨起加蔥花，色如琥珀。 Note: 1The descriptions in this dish reminds me of the daikon radish in the oden they …

Vegetable Dishes 46: Stir-fried Shaggy-mane Mushrooms

The monks from the great monastery of Wu Lake wash the shaggy-mane mushroom1 to rid them of sand, then stir-fry them with autumn sauce and wine until done. They plate and serve them to guests at their banquets. This dish is incredibly good. 炒雞腿蘑菇 蕪湖大庵和尚，洗淨雞腿蘑菇去沙，加秋油、酒炒熟，盛盤宴客，甚佳。 Notes: 1The Chinese name “Chicken drumstick mushroom” sounds so much …

Vegetable Dishes 45: Wenzheng Shredded Bamboo Shoots

Wenzheng bamboo shoots are a type of bamboo shoots from Huizhou, brought in by people of that region and are typically lightly salted and dried. One must soak them until soft, cut them into shreds and braise them in a meaty chicken broth. Marshall Gong boils shoots in autumn sauce, bakes until dry, then serves …

Vegetable Dishes 44: Yanghua Greens

Yanhhua greens1 are available during March in Nanjing. They are as supple and crisp as spinach. A vegetable with a truly elegant name. 楊花菜 南京三月有楊花菜，柔脆與菠菜相似，名甚雅。 Notes: 1Contemporary sources and modern practices together seem to suggest that these are the leaf shoots and unopened flowers from Chinese willow trees Salix matsudana.

Vegetable Dishes 43: Indian Aster

Choose the tender tips of the Indian aster1 and serve then mixed with bamboo shoots and vinegar. This dish can be served to rouse one's spleen2 after having greasy food. 馬蘭 馬蘭頭菜，摘取嫩者，醋合筍拌食。油膩後食之，可以醒脾。 Note: 1Malan (馬蘭) is the Indian Aster (Aster indica) 2This is from traditional Chinese medicine, where the belief is that the spleen acts …

Vegetable Dishes 42: “Fragrant Pearl” Beans

Green soybeans harvested in the evening during August and September are very large and tender, and known as “Fragrant pearl beans”. Boil them until done and soak them in autumn sauce and wine. They can be served shelled or left in shell, and are fragrant, soft, and are loved by all. Normal beans cannot be …

Vegetable Dishes 41: Taro Braised with Napa Cabbage

Braise the taro until it is very soft, then add Napa cabbage hearts to cook then season  and adjust with soy-sauce or water. This is the best recipe of all the home-styled dishes.1 Still, one need to choose Napa cabbage that have been freshly picked and are still plump and tender. Once they start turning …

Vegetable Dishes 40: Braised Three Types of Bamboo Shoot

Braise Tianmu,1 winter,2 and Wenzheng3 bamboo shoots in chicken broth. This is known as “geng" of three bamboo shoots.4 煨三筍 將天目筍、冬筍、問政筍，煨入雞湯，號「三筍羹」。 Note: 1Tianmu bamboo shoots from Phyllostachys tianmuensis 2Winter bamboo shoots from Phyllostachys edulis, and as its name suggest comes from its shoots that are harvested in winter time. When harvested in the late spring …

Vegetable Dishes 39: Cowpea

Stir-fry cowpea pods with pork. When the are about to be served, remove the meat and keep the cowpeas.1 Use the most tender parts of the pod and pull off any tough fibres. 豇豆 豇豆炒肉，臨上時去肉存豆。以極嫩者，抽去其筋。 Note: 1The pods of the cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is cooked very similarly to how lentil pods are cooked. You could …