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

Robert Sietsema

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.

Got any other recommendations at Hunan House? I've enjoyed the fish head with pickled chilis.

Any other vegetarian recs in particular at HH would be great. Thanks!

Robert Sietsema

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.

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.

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.

Holy Shitake --

Thanks for giving us the Chinese name of those preserved peppers. I love them!

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