Cook's Guide to Asian Vegetables. Wendy Hutton

Nutritional & Medicinal Properties The Chinese believe that boiled Swatow mustard cabbage offsets the symptoms of flu. Fresh Swatow mustard cabbage is difficult to digest. It is also claimed to have the negative effect of diminishing male virility. Culinary Uses The leaves of Swatow mustard cabbage are discarded and only the stems used. They are blanched, used to hold minced pork or seafood, and then steamed. The cabbage can also be simmered in a soup. Bamboo mustard cabbage should be washed and chopped before stir-frying with minced garlic and ginger and with seasonings such as soy or oyster sauce added to balance the strong flavor.

      Purslane PIG is a member of the Portulacca family, a fleshy decorative plant with small bright flowers which grows wild, from Greece right across to China. It is a very ancient plant and was known to the ancient Egyptians. Purslane can be enjoyed both raw and cooked.

      Appearance & Flavor Purslane has fat, succulent stems that are often tinged with red and small, fleshy green leaves. It has small yellow flowers. The texture is somewhat sticky and chewy, like that of okra, and its flavor, sometimes described as having a sweet-sour taste, is pleasant. Choosing & Storing Look for bunches where the stems are firm and not wilted. Refrigerate the vegetables in a jar with the stem ends standing in 1 in (2½ cm) of cold water. Store for 1-2 days. Kept this way, the purslane remains fresh for 2-3 days, although the vegetable should be used as soon as possible because the plant wilts quickly. Preparing To prepare, cut off the root end and cut the stems together with their leaves into 2-3-in (5-8-cm) lengths. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Purslane is not just one of the few plants to contain omega 3 fatty acids—which is believed to help combat high cholesterol levels—it has the highest amount of the fatty acid compared to other plants. It is also rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C and iron. In addition, it is believed to be a diuretic. Culinary Uses Purslane can be eaten either raw or blanched with a dip or added to soups. It is also good in stews, mixed with spices and freshly grated coconut or briefly stir-fried with garlic and lightly seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil.

      Round Cabbage, sometimes known as white or head cabbage, is the variety most commonly eaten in the West. Since its introduction to Asia, it has become widespread and is used in both cooked and raw dishes. As this variety of cabbage will grow even in relatively warm climates, it is increasingly found in tropical Asia as well as in the cooler countries of the north. The flavor is relatively mild compared with many Asian cabbages, making it an excellent foil for a range of spices and seasonings.