Chinese lettuce is also known as 生菜, pronounced as sang choy in Cantonese and sheng cai in mandarin. Translated, it means raw vegetable.
An apt name since chinese lettuce is often eaten raw.
The lettuce is a very "old" vegetable in China. It has been cultivated for more than a thousand years. There are 2 basic branches:
- Stem or asparagus lettuce has a thick edible stem which is pickled and canned.
- Leafy lettuce which we are most familiar with. Big leaves with a very small stem. The representative being the iceberg lettuce.
Photo courtesy: Geoff604 at flickr
Amongst the leafy branch, there are 2 varieties of lettuce commonly found in tropical Asian markets.
In the lowlands, the chinese lettuce has long loose leaves with frilled edges, and does not form a tight round head like the common iceberg lettuce variety. This variety, also known as local lettuce, lacks the crispness of the iceberg lettuce. They are best used as wraps because their leaves are thinner.
The round lettuce can be found in the highland. These are crispier and best for garden salads and shredded for garnish and soups.
Lettuce consists of nearly 95% liquid. It is crispy and refreshing when eaten raw. It is cooling, anti-inflammatory and aids sleep. Most importantly, it is low in calories. It comes as no surprise that it is also known as the weight loss lettuce.
Lettuce is most frequently used in salads or as side dishes. I prefer it as a wrap for savoury fillings like ground beef, pork and chicken. It is also shredded and added to fried rice and soups just before serving.
Lettuce as skincare?
I have a bottle of facial toner that is supposed to contain lettuce extract. I like it a lot as it is refreshing and does not irritate my skin. (I am very fussy about my toners as my skin itches if the toners contain alcohol.) I wonder if I can make my own toner water with fresh chinese lettuce? Anyone?
How to prepare chinese lettuce
Tear lettuce leaves into pieces by hand instead of cutting with a knife. The edges of the lettuce can turn brown easily, soak them in cold water before use. This will also prevent them from wilting, especially under hot conditions.
Lettuce leaves will turn brown when in contact with ethylene. So, it should be stored away from apples, pears and bananas.
The leaves are grown close to the ground so they should be washed thoroughly to get rid of any chemical residues.
Lettuce should not be cooked for too long.
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