Go West, Chef, for Some Different Veggies

This seems to be the summer of Asian vegetables at the Harbor Area Farmers Market in the Marina and Wednesday at the Marine Stadium Farmers Market. I am seeing green, leafy vegetables that I don’t remember seeing in years past.

June Farms from Fresno is one of the main purveyors of these exotic vegetables with names like Indian broccoli, pumpkin leaf and ong choy.

“These vegetables are available year-round, if you grow them in greenhouses like we do,” says June Moua, owner of June Farms. “People recognize some of these vegetables, like Chinese long beans and bok choy, but others, like the Indian broccoli and pumpkin leaf, we are just starting to introduce to this market.”

Many cooks are afraid to leave their comfort zone when it comes to shopping for Asian vegetables. A variety can have different names in different states and be spelled in many ways. But according to an article last year in Readers Digest, a national naming system is being implemented by the Department of Primary Industries to help everyone involved in Asian veggies, from farm to fork, talk the same language.

So leave those good, ol’ stand-by vegetables behind for a few weeks and try some of these Asian vegetables. By the way, all the vegetables listed are $2 per bunch:

Indian broccoli – Much like broccoli rabe (pronounced rob), Moua explains that the seed comes from India, hence the name Indian broccoli. It is one of the most popular vegetables among the Chinese. Although it has broccoli's name, Indian broccoli is not related to broccoli.  It is, however, closely related to turnips. The leaves, stems, and flower heads are cooked (broil, stir-fry, braise, sauté, or steam) and eaten just like regular broccoli and have a flavor similar to broccoli, but much more pungent. Some say it is aggressively pungent and bitter. Preparing it is simple: Rinse and trim ¼-inch from bottom of stems. Cut stalks crosswise into 2-inch pieces and drop them into salted (optional), boiling water. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes and remove with slotted spoon. Sauté the blanched Indian broccoli in a little olive oil and as much garlic as you like for 3 to 5 minutes until tender. Optional – add a few dried red pepper flakes.

Pumpkin leaf – The leaves come from the Asian pumpkin squash and according to Moua, you should not eat these leaves raw. It is best to cook the leaves in a soup, using a good, concentrated broth that is filled with lemongrass and either chicken, pork or beef.

Ong choy – This is also known as water spinach. Ong choy is a green-leafed vegetable belonging to the sweet potato family. Ong choy shares a strong resemblance to regular spinach in both appearance and flavor. Grown wild along the edges of damp, pond-like environments, Ong choy is used in salads and can be cooked. Here’s one recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/stir-fried-water-spinach-kangkung-10000001714586/

Elsewhere around the market, carrots are crunchy and really sweet this time of year and depending on the vendor, are $1 to $2 per bunch. Strawberries are still $2 per basket and the pitted fruits still look great at $2 per pound. And here’s a great tip from NPR’s “Good Food” for picking ripe peaches: Take your thumbs and push them softly on the stem end of the peach. If it’s real soft, the peach is ready to eat today or tomorrow. If it’s not soft, take the peaches home and put them in a paper bag and keep them there for two to three days and keep feeling the stem end.

Harbor Area Farmers Market (Long Beach Southeast). Alamitos Bay Marina, on East Marina Drive, one-quarter mile south of East Second Street, just west of Pacific Coast Highway. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. (though some vendors are ready to sell at 7 a.m.). www.goodveg.org.