Celtuce; Stem Lettuce

Lactuca sativa, var. asparagina is a variety of lettuce that has a thick stem (it resembles a broccoli stem) and a tuft of green leaves on top. Both stem and leaves are edible. The stem is usually peeled, cut into fine strips, and then simmered or stir-fried. Celtuce grows well in tough conditions and tolerates dry and cold better than most greens, so that people living in the hills of Shan State, Kachin State, and over the border in the hills of Yunnan and Thailand grow it as a winter vegetable.