Chives boast stronger flavors than common greens. (Photo/Shine.cn)
Chives
Belonging to the same genus as garlic, onion, chive and scallion, chives boasts stronger flavors than common greens and is a very popular vegetable in China.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the leak's unique and slightly pungent fragrance can help promote appetite, and the fiber-rich vegetable can also improve gastrointestinal peristalsis.
It's better eaten cooked for both nutritional and safety reasons and should be consumed moderately.
Although chives are available throughout the year in the market, the best season to enjoy the vegetable is in spring as the overwintering cultivar has fattier leaves and stronger flavors.
The best way to enjoy the pure flavors of chives is to cut the long leaves into smaller segments and lightly sauté them in a little bit of oil until the leaves soften in texture. Season with a little salt and stir before serving. It's an ideal dish to accompany steamed rice.
Leek and egg stir-fry is another all-time classic dish for the spring. First, scramble two eggs and remove from the wok, add oil and stir-fry the chives on high heat with salt, then add in the egg and cook for a little longer.
The chives and egg combo can also be mixed in batter to make pancakes for the breakfast or diced finely to make a light filling for the dumplings.
For a taste of the sea, add some chopped fresh scallop or shrimp.
Leek can also be stir-fried with squid, pork, bean sprouts and clams. For hardcore fans of the Chinese barbecue, grilled chives with seasoned salt and chili sauce is an irresistible delicacy to pair with cold beer.v
First, rinse and dry the fresh chives and cut in half, place them on top of tinfoil and add some oil, garlic chili sauce, salt, pepper and cumin powder.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and bake for 10 minutes, sprinkle some more chili powder and serve.