I am amazed by my lack of culture when it comes to greens… every month or so I am discovering something new… something I can’t remember having seen before or tried before… This time it is water spinach or 空芯菜 kushinsai. Actually I even grow some in my garden that I received as a sprout from a friend, devotedly planted but as I didn’t know what it was I just let it grow quietly when the other day, at the farmers market I found them on the shelf… Well… I just got some and tested them… The leaves resemble a lot that of Japanese spinach, smaller and thinner, and the stem is wider and hollow. When cooked it indeed resembles spinach in texture and flavour, without the tartness that spinaches often have, bonus, it grows in the summer, making it a good new summer friend to add to the collection with moroheya and tsurumurasaki.
I first cooked it in a Japanese version to top rice. Simply blanched and then deglazed in soya sauce. It is always a good way to test a new local green. Most Japanese people will tell you they eat them like this, so I don’t bother asking anymore!!!!
Once this test passed, I use the vegetable in more European ways, with pasta and olive oil, that is the second test. And the vegetable is adopted in my list of easy-daily vegetable. If it doesn’t pass both test it stays in the list of once in a while vegetable, that requires special treatment or attention, like uri (you’ll see it soon), togan, takenoko…
Water spinach passed both tests easily is now adopted in my everyday routine. Good with bacon, good with pork filet, good with pasta, turmeric and parmigiano… basically as you would used spinach… next test probably will be the quiche, but I already know it will pass easily that one too!
I could also try some more south Asian recipes, but I barely cook Chinese and Taiwanese… if you have good recipes to use my new friend in cooking let me know and I’ll be happy to test them!
