Water Spinach
Water spinach is a highly nutritious, energy-boosting vegetable. In Japanese, it is sometimes called asagaona (lit. “morning glory vegetable”), because its flowers resemble morning glory. It can also be refered to as kushinsai (lit. “hollow-core vegetable”), because the inside of its stem is hollow, like macaroni. Water spinach is native to tropical Asia, and is often eaten in China, where it is prepared in a variety of ways.
- Seasonal season
- Time to go around Peak season (seasonal season)
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- Main production area
- Takamatsu
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One popular Chinese dish is a stir-fry of water spinach, garlic and ginger, seasoned with salt. This simple dish is characterized by the water spinach’s slimy leaves and crunchy stems. Because it cooks quickly, the stems and leaves are separated when stir-frying, with the stems being added to the pan first. Water spinach is also delicious when cooked as ohitashi (boiled vegetables marinated in soy sauce), or as aemono (vegetables tossed in a dressing). As its color changes over time, it’s best to eat this vegetable as soon as possible.
