Spinach

Spinach is popular in China. The Western varieties of spinach are quite different from those used in China, nevertheless they make satisfactory substitutes for the Chinese variety. Spinach is most commonly stir-fried, so frozen spinach is obviously unsuitable. Chinese water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) is what’s most frequently cooked in China and is available in Chinese markets in the West. It has hollow stems and delicate, green, pointed leaves, lighter in colour than common spinach and with a milder taste. It should be cooked when it is very fresh, preferably on the day on which it is bought.