Snow Cabbage

Similar to collard greens, this green, leafy vegetable is a favorite in Shanghai. It is called snow cabbage these days, but in earlier times it was called “red in snow, ” because it was said to grow best, and was ideally harvested, with the first snowfall. It is never eaten uncooked. Most often, it is water-blanched and salted and then cut up for use in soups, with noodles, in stir-fries with meats, or in dumplings. Most famously, it is stir-fried with so-called hairy beans, which are immature (green) soybeans—a Shanghai classic usually served as an appetizer. Snow cabbage comes in small cans labeled “snow cabbage, ” “Shanghai cabbage, ” or “pickled cabbage.” It is even sometimes still labeled “red in snow, ” so carry your Chinese calligraphy when shopping.