TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Chinese Vegetable Types
Jinxiang Da Suan is a white garlic grown in Jinxing County in China, where the loamy soil and good air favourably influence the growing conditions. Jinxing has been known as the Garlic capital of China since the 1980s, and the export of this unique product has taken up 70% of the total garlic market in the world in the past 20 years.
On the exterior, the garlic has a skin that is brightly white in colour and is of a standard, oblate shape. On the interior, there are from eight to eleven cloves with a slightly pungent fragrance and a mildly hot flavour. In some varieties of Jinxiang garlic, the contents of trace elements like selenium can be 60 times more than those of standard garlic.
Bok choy is a type of Chinese cabbage (lat. Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis) that features dark green leaves and white to pale green stalks, forming a cluster akin to mustard greens or celery but with a softer texture and a milder taste.
Nutritionally, bok choy is low in calories but high in vitamins A, C, and K, as well as minerals like calcium and iron. It also contains important antioxidants and is a good source of fiber. Bok choy is a staple in Asian cuisine, especially in Chinese cooking.
Chinese cabbage primarily refers to two types of leafy greens that are integral to Chinese cuisine and widely cultivated across the country: napa cabbage and bok choy. Originally, it was grown in the Yangtze River Delta region and it was popularized for its medicinal qualities.
Today, it is a staple of Chinese cuisine and it is widely used for pickling, but it is also often consumed raw, baked, or braised. The vegetable is commonly used in China, Japan, and Korea. In Japan, it is a symbol of prosperity, while in Korea it is used to produce the popular kimchi.
VARIATIONS OF Chinese cabbage
Gai lan, also known as Chinese broccoli, is a leafy vegetable characterized by its large, thick, flat leaves with fat stems. It is one of the most popular leafy vegetables used in Asian and Chinese cuisine. Gai lan can be steamed, boiled, or stir-fried.
It is used in a variety of dishes such as stir-fried noodles with beef and stir-fried gai lan with oyster sauce, which is one of the most famous dishes incorporating this healthy vegetable, rich in vitamin A, C, and K. Gai lan also contains large amounts of folic acid and dietary fiber.
Chinese onion or Allium chinense is an evergreen vegetable characterized by its white, crisp bulbs, long green stalks, and tiny, purple flowers. It is cultivated in Asia and its leaves and bulbs can be consumed either raw or cooked, adding a depth of flavor to a variety of dishes.
The flowers, which bloom in autumn, are sometimes used as a garnish. The strong, pungent odor of Chinese onion is thought to act as a repellent for moles and other garden vermins. This vegetable can also be pickled and served as a side dish or as an appetizer in Asian cuisine.
Choy sum is a leafy vegetable with widespread use in both Asian and Western cuisines. It belongs to the pak choy cabbage family and is characterized by tender, white or green stalks, with oval-shaped green leaves and tiny yellow flower buds on top.
The stalks have a delicious, mustard-like flavor and a crunchy texture. Both the stalks and the tiny flowers of the plant are edible, typically used fresh in salads, or either blanched or stir-fried and paired with meat dishes or prawns.
Native to China, yamaimo or Chinese yam is a climbing plant that bears edible tuberous roots with hard white flesh that is encased in a thin, light brown or yellowish outer skin. The tuberous roots are similar in flavor to potatoes or water chestnuts and are widely used as traditional medicine and an ingredient in Asian cuisine.
Raw or cooked, Chinese yam is typically consumed on its own, added to soups, stews, and many other dishes for extra flavor and texture. This plant is cultivated throughout East Asia, including Japan, Korea, Kuril Islands, and Vietnam, and may vary in shape and color.
Konjac is the widely used root, or a tuber, produced by the konjac plant, a crop native to China that is also very popular in Japan, where it has been cultivated since the 6th century. The root has an oval shape and is especially praised for its numerous beneficial properties.
It is rich in glucomannan sugar, a fiber widely used in powdered form that is incorporated in many traditional and modern remedies. In gastronomy, it is often used as flour that easily swells in liquid, so it is mainly employed as a thickening agent in dishes to give them a denser, jelly-like consistency.
Dongshan Bai Lu Sun are white asparagus of the "Gi jnlim" and "Thielim" varieties that are cooked, peeled and canned according to the traditional production process in Dongshan County, Zhangzhou city, province of Funjian in China. Dongshan island is China's earliest planting area for white asparagus and also the origin of great white asparagus, where the sandy soil and sea mud favourably influence the asparagus cultivation.
The asparagus has a thick stem and a dense texture, with a round tip that is no more than 1 centimeter in length. The whole asparagus has a length that varies from 10 to 17 centimeters and have a unique, delicate and pleasant taste. When sold, they can be packaged in tin cans or glass containers within 12 hours of harvest, as to ensure that the asparagus is fresh.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.