Stem Celtuce is also called Chinese lettuce or Chinese stem celtuce. It is not a common vegetable in western countries but I feel it is necessary to introduce it to you since its great taste and of cause the green color.

The Chinese name for celtuce is “莴笋 wosun” which is a common and popular ingredient in Chinese people's kitchens. It belongs to the lettuce family. There are different types of Chinese stem celtuce in different areas of China. And in general, they can be classified into two groups--the first group is to use the stem and the other group is to use leaves.  Both leaves and stems can be used for stir-fry recipes. There is a picture of Chinese celtuce mainly planted for the stem.

Why do I recommend it?  

1. Firstly both leaves and stems are excellent ingredients for eating especially for diets and healthy recipes.
2. The stem is crispy, fresh, and has a really pure green color.
3. It is quite beneficial to the human body. It can help the body to secrete more digestive ferment thus further helping the digestive system and improving appetizer.

The recipe today is a simple stir-fried celtuce stem recipe that only needs no more than 10 minutes. Thus if you can find some in your local market, then this should be a recipe that is worth trying.

The method is from Sichuan cuisine, called Scorched chili flavor (Hula flavor). This is a flavor named after its technique. Chili peppers or other dried spices are fried in a wok until darken. So the oil absorbs the flavors of the peppers deeply, then ingredients are further added to mix with the oil. Other sauces and condiments can also be added to enhance the flavor. I believe the best example dish is bok choy stir-fried with garlic and chili pepper. But the flavor of chili pepper is only a fundamental tone. This sauce will be enhanced by the flavors of Sichuan peppercorn, black vinegar, and sugar. Kung Pao flavor is a sub-type of the flavor. You can use the same step, but skip dried chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorn to make a basic garlic version.

How to prepare celtuce stem for cooking

Remove the leaves and then peel off the hard skin from the head.

Then cut the long stem into sections around 3 cm wide and further cut it into slices. You can also choose to cut them into small strips.

Instructions

Heat a large pot of water to a boil and then add a small pinch of salt. Place the stem slices in. Blanch for 10 seconds. Transfer out and drain completely.

To start, heat the wok until really hot firstly, and then place in garlic, chopped dried chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorn. You can skip the dried chili and Sichuan peppercorn and make a garlic flavor stem celtuce stir fry.

Place the slices in, and add salt. Mix well.

Drizzle some sesame oil before transferring out. After wrapping with the infused oil, the stem slice can be super delicious!