Handy Pocket Guide to Asian Vegetables. Wendy Hutton

      Ceylon Spinach

      Basella rubra

      Botanical Family:

      Basellaceae

      Thai name:

      Phak prlang

      Malay name:

      Remayong, Gendola

      Indonesian name:

      Gendola

      Filipino name:

      Alugbati

      The leaves of this plant, which is widely cultivated in tropical Asia, are used in much the same way as a spinach, hence its name. Despite its name, this vegetable is believed to have originated in India. It has been grown in China for centuries, cultivated mainly for its fleshy red berries which produce a dye used by women as a rouge and by mandarins for colouring seal impressions. It can also be used for colouring jellies or cakes, the colour intensified by the addition of lemon juice.

      The distinctive beetroot-red stems and fleshy leaves of Ceylon spinach make it easy to recognise in the markets. It grows easily and keeps well after picking even without refrigeration, provided the stems are put in a jar of water. It has a slightly slippery texture after cooking, and is rich in minerals and vitamins, with mildly laxative properties.

      The leaves and tender top portion of the stems are best steamed in the water left clinging after washing; they can also be added to soups and stews.

      Botanical Family:

      Caricaceae

      Thai name:

      Malakor

      Malay name:

      Buah betik

      Indonesian name:

      Pepaya

      Filipino name:

      Papaya

      Papaya

      Carica papaya

      Papayas are one of the most easily grown and popular fruits found in kitchen gardens throughout the tropics. The unripe green fruit is eaten as a vegetable, particularly in Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.

      While not as rich in vitamin C as the ripe fruit, green papayas contain an enzyme, papain, which softens meat and is used commercially as a meat tenderiser. Local cooks often mix the pounded leaves or bruised skins with meat to tenderise it. The young leaves of the papaya tree are also edible, but must be boiled in two changes of water.

      Shredded green papaya is used for salads, particularly in Thailand, where it is transformed into the famous Som Tom, and in pickles, such as the Filipino Atsara. When cooked, the flesh tastes much like bottle gourd or any other vegetable marrow. It readily takes on other flavours and is even cooked with juniper berries and other seasonings to make a tropical sauerkraut in French Polynesia and the French Caribbean.

      English Spinach

      Spinacea oleracea

      Botanical Family:

      Chenopodiaceae

      Thai name:

      Phak puay-leng

      Malay name:

      Bayam po choy

      Indonesian name:

      Peleng, puileng

      Filipino name:

      Kulitis

      The origin of this plant is unclear, but it is believed to have spread from Southwest Asia to both Europe and China. Although there are a number of tropical leafy greens loosely referred to as "spinach", this is the only true spinach and has an incomparable flavour. It is quite expensive, and much prized by the Chinese.

      As this vegetable prefers a cooler climate, it is grown only in hilly areas in tropical Asia. The leaves bruise easily, so care must be taken when choosing spinach to ensure the leaves are not already damaged or they will perish quickly. Store wrapped in a paper towel for a day or so and wash thoroughly before using both the tender stems and the leaves.

      Often called "Cameron Highlands Spinach" (referring to where it is grown), this spinach is also known by its Cantonese name, poh choy. It can be cooked in any style, Asian or Western, but benefits from only subtle seasoning to allow its own flavour to dominate.

      Botanical Family:

      Compositae

      Thai name:

      Phak khat horm

      Malay name:

      Selada

      Indonesian name:

      Salada

      Filipino name:

      Letsugas

      Lettuce

      Lactuca sativa

      Lettuce is a vegetable which has been cultivated for thousands of years, and is believed to be derived from a wild lettuce indigenous to Western Asia. In China, lettuce has been grown for more than a thousand years. One particular variety (stem or asparagus lettuce) is grown for its thick edible stem. It is sometimes pickled and canned, a somewhat surprising concept to those accustomed to lettuce as a salad vegetable.

      Two varieties of lettuce are found in tropical Asian markets. When the vegetable is grown in the lowlands, it has long loose leaves with frilled edges, and does not form a tight round head like the common iceberg variety. Loose-leaf lettuce (often termed "local lettuce") lacks the crispness and flavour of the round variety. It is often used as a garnish or else added, both leaves and sliced stem s, to soups in most of Southeast Asia.

      The round or "head" lettuce found in temperate climates is grown in highland areas of tropical Asia.

      Chrysanthemum

      Chrysanthemum coronarium

      Botanical Family:

      Compositae

      Thai name:

      Phaktang-o

      Malay name:

      Tungho

      Indonesian name:

      Tungho

      Filipino name:

      Tunghao

      Everyone is familiar with the brightly coloured chrysanthemum flowers, native to Europe and north Asia, but not many are aware that the leaves of a certain variety of chrysanthemum are edible. Do not be tempted, however, to cook the leaves of the next bunch of chrysanthemums you buy from the florist; they may technically be edible, but they certainly won 't be nice.

      In tropical Asia, the tender leaves of a particu ar variety known as the garland chrysanthemum are eaten mainly by the Chinese, who add small amounts to soup or sometimes cook them as any other leafy green vegetable. They seem to be particularly popular in the hot pot or fondue known in Malaysia and Singapore as "steamboat".

      The leaves can also be dipped in batter and deep fried (a popular Japanese treatment). Perhaps because of its pungent smell, the garland chrysanthemum is not widely eaten, although it is rich in vitamins A and B.