‘Wait all year for a single bite' - Seasonal wild vegetables in demand

With spring finally making its presence felt, food enthusiasts are keeping an eye out for seasonal wild vegetables.

Chinese gastronomes are renowned for eating only what the season provides - as one age-old proverb goes, "waiting all year for a single bite".

Some wild vegetables bloom for just a few weeks, which means food lovers will have to wait for an entire year before they are available again.

Here's what you need to know about traditional Chinese wild vegetables.

Xiang chun (Chinese toon)

For households in northern China, spring begins once leaves start to sprout from Chinese toons.

The tree's pink leaves release a deep, nutty aroma that fills the kitchen - heaven to some, unbearable to others.

The harvest lasts only a matter of weeks.

Chinese toon can cost more than 100 yuan a jin (about $48 per kilogramme) in China.

In New Zealand, you might notice Chinese toon leaves blush pink under blue skies, but not many know they have been a part of Chinese diets for more than 2000 years.

Chinese toon is a delicate vegetable to cook.

It should be blanched properly, then cooked fast and mixed with tofu, fried with eggs or shrimp, added to dumplings, steamed buns, noodle salad or omelettes.

It's also one of spring's trickiest greens. Its high nitrate levels mean it must be consumed at the beginning of spring, blanched properly and eaten in small amounts.

Always buy Chinese toon from reputable supermarkets or restaurants.

Several Chinese supermarkets sell pickled toon in a jar - a rare find.

It is best to refrain from foraging roadside plants that may contain heavy metals, pesticides or toxic lookalikes.

The same advice applies to most of the spring vegetables featured below.

Pu gong ying (taraxacum)

Taraxacum leaves, commonly called po po ding in northern China, bring a bitter freshness to spring dishes.

The dandelion is one of the species that falls under this wider umbrella of wild vegetables. We've all seen it, but not many of us know what it tastes like.

Blanched, stir-fried and mixed into dough and dumplings or boiled in soup, the bitter, tender leaves help to awaken the body from winter's heaviness.

According to one Chinese herbal medicine proverb, "Eat a little bitter in spring to stay healthy in summer".

Dry taraxacum leaves to produce tea, fry its buds to create an intriguing side dish or roast its roots for an alternative to coffee.

There's no custom of making a wish when blowing the seeds from the stem in Chinese culture.

Instead, contemporary Chinese parents tell their children the following story when the breeze blows.

"Mother taraxacum made parachutes for her babies," they whisper.

"As soon as the wind arrives, they'll sail away to find a new home."

Jiu cai (Chinese chives)

Crisp, aromatic and bold, chives mark the return of positive yang energy.

Folded into spring rolls, wrapped in dumplings, or stir-fried with eggs or green-bean sprouts, they colour the plate with gold and green.

Their flavour divides diners - strong to some, subtle to others.

Either way, spring chives are the best of the year.

True food connoisseurs insist on eating chives exclusively in early spring.

These individuals refuse to consume chives for the remainder of the year, though they can be found in local Chinese supermarket in other months.

Chun sun (spring bamboo shoots)

Yangtse River natives have been known to dream of a quiet green bamboo grove.

The thin, more delicate bamboo shoots that are abundant in spring pair well with pork, tofu or vegetables.

The flavour of spring bamboo is light yet rich in umami, harmonizing easily with other foods.

The bamboo shoots need to be harvested shortly after emerging from the soil.

In the Northern Hemisphere, spring bamboo shoots lose tenderness just weeks after spring starts according to the Chinese lunisolar calendar.

In New Zealand, bamboo shoots can be found in many Shanghainese restaurants.

They can be braised with vegetables, stir-fried with pork, stewed with beef brisket, served with squid and pickled mustard or included in yanduxian - a Shanghai specialty featuring pork and ham.

Packed shoots can also be found in local Chinese supermarkets, while some Sichuan or Chongqing hot pot restaurants offer spring bamboo shoots as an option.

Qing tuan (green glutinous rice dumplings)

Soft, fragrant and bright as dawn, qing tuan is the result of glutinous rice flour being mixed with spring mugwort juice to create green dumplings that are filled with sweet bean paste or a savoury meat.

Families in southern China traditionally make the dumplings by hand during springtime.

Steamed in the morning, they fill the house with the scent of rice and herbs.

Each bite offers a moment of nostalgia, tasting tender, fresh and resilient.

It's hard to find the dumplings in New Zealand, so don't hesitate to give them a try if you stumble across them.

Other common spring vegetables in Chinese cuisine

• Ji cai (shepherd's purse): Used in dumplings, soups or tofu broth. Look for ji cai wontons at local Shanghai restaurants or frozen versions in local Chinese supermarkets.
• Ma lan tou (Indian aster leaves): Best enjoyed served cold with dried tofu. It is also found as a chilled dish in some Shanghainese eateries.


Wan dou miao (pea shoots) in broth Photo: RNZ / Ruth Kuo

• Wan dou miao (pea shoots): Best served stir-fried or in broth (with some diced preserved egg, standard salted egg, garlic and optional shredded pork. The vegetable is common in Cantonese and southern restaurants, though seasonal.


Packaged frozen tender broad beans at a Chinese supermarket in Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Ruth Kuo

• Can dou (broad beans): Newly harvested and boiled, the broad beans are sweet and floury. Frozen broad beans can be found in many local Asian supermarkets. Try the broad beans in a shrimp soup, stir-fry them with pork strips or just simply boil them in water with a pinch of salt.