Vegetarian Delights of NYC--Hollow Stem Vegetable at Hunan House

By Robert Sietsema Thu., May 28 2009 at 12:20 PM

Categories: Featured, Sietsema, Vegetarian Delights of NYC

Pin It

"Sauteed hollow stem vegetable with spicy sauce" at Flushing's Hunan House

The jury is still out as to what species "hollow stem vegetable" represents, but the taste is wonderful nonetheless. The light-green vegetable--probably some sort of pond weed--is indeed hollow like a reed, and has been cut into short lengths and lightly sauteed at Hunan House, which may be the city's only real Hunan restaurant. As you can see, the sauce mentioned in the name is nonexistent, but you won't even care, due to the fermented black beans and pickled bird chiles that supply oodles of salty and tart flavor. Crunch, crunch, yum, yum! 137-40 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, Queens, 718-353-1808

Like this Story?

Sign up for the NY Bites Newsletter: (Sent out every Wednesday) Bite into the week's top local food news and events, new restaurant openings and closings, foodie news and gossip, and much more for you to chew on.

Write Comment

Email to Friend

Print Article

Related Content

Im not sure if it has been addressed, however when using Firefox I can never get the entire page to load without refreshing alot of times. Could just be my modem.
Im not sure if it has been addressed, however when using Firefox I can never get the entire page to load without refreshing alot of times. Could just be my modem.
It is extremely interesting for me to read the post. Thank you for it. I like such themes and anything that is connected to them. I would like to read more on that blog soon.
Holy Shitake -- Thanks for giving us the Chinese name of those preserved peppers. I love them!
For AA: in addition to the wonderful bean cured with scallion sauce, check out the sauteed loofah (yes, the same veggie as the back-scratching gourd), pumpkin soup (I'm pretty sure it has a vegetarian broth, but you should ask the waiter), and, if you're very brave, the preserved bean curd Hunan style, which is stinky and served with a thick chile sauce. I haven't tried it yet, but the pumpkin cake looks interesting.
My favorite dish growing up in Hunan! Water Spinach, Water Convulus and Ong Choy are all the same vegetable. It is classified as a weed in the US b/c of it's prolific growth. In Hunan we stir fry the stems with with black beans, garlic, tons of preserved peppers (duo la jiao) and chinkiang vinegar. Methodology varies but my family always did a "dry stir fry" where you don't put any oil in the wok initially until the stems get soft. Then you add the oil and at the last minute the vinegar. Adding the vinegar too early would cause the stems to lose the crunch and the bright green color. Wish I was back in Changsha now enjoying the dish. The leaves are more prolific in other areas of China and Asia. You can find them at numerous restaurants in NYC but the best and most authentic version I've had was actually at Pho Bang on Mott. Vietnamese and Malaysian restaurants often carry the dish with black bean sauce or shrimp paste. Another Hunan specific way of preparing the leaves is with fermented bean curd juice.
Quite a few, but you're going to have to wait for them till the full review appears in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, check out the bean curd with scallion sauce, steamed spare ribs with rice "flower", and hot chili crabs Hunan style.
Any other vegetarian recs in particular at HH would be great. Thanks!
Got any other recommendations at Hunan House? I've enjoyed the fish head with pickled chilis.
Thank you so much for the info! I thought it might be ong choy, except for the toughness and woodiness of the stems. Maybe the vegetable is a sort of generic in China, and several species might be included under the general name. And thanks especially for the restaurant tip.
Mr. Sietsema, I believe the vegetable in question is Ipomoea aquatica...commonly known as 'chinese water spinach'. It looks as if they have cut off the leafy part and just used the stem. In chinese, the name is roughly 'hollow heart vegetable'. Not an expert on vegetables, but it has to be part of the spinach family. You should try it with the leafy parts too. Try it at Lu's 66 on the corner of Prince St and 39th ave. Regards, James