Sprigs of spring

Baby spinach

You see them everywhere now, as China's farmers learn all about growing vegetables in green houses.

The baby spinach is good in soups, stir-fries or wilted for salad. Give the spinach a good rinse, as it is grown in sandy soil and grit tends to hide under the stems. Choose bunches that are uniformly dark green, with bits of purple at the root ends.

Toon sprouts

Popular over the last few years, these little sprouts are grown from the little black winged seeds of the toon tree. They can be bought in trays, and benefit from a severe trimming of the roots, which tend to be tangled.

Rinse them in water and skim off the black seed husks. Buy sprouts that are bright green and not yellow. They should be eaten the same day, as they keep growing and get very lanky. Lanky sprouts loose their crispness and become stringy. Use in salads for an unusual flavor. A lemon juice and olive oil dressing works best.

Brussels sprouts

These are new to the traditional Chinese market, and I must say the Brussels sprouts I have seen here are tender and green and not at all bitter or sulphurous. They are smaller than the big European sprouts and I have cooked them in stir-fries flavored with just a bit of chopped ham and a crystal glaze. Best to halve them so they cook faster. Blanch them lightly, and serve with fresh, scrubbed cherry radishes in a warm salad.

Pea shoots

There are two types of pea shoots or sprouts that you can buy.

The sprouts have tender white stems and are great for stir-frying over high heat, or added to soup noodles at the last minute. They come in bunches and are raised in seedbeds from the peas.

The other type of pea shoots, more common in the south, are the tender tips of the plant itself, usually the last pair of leaves, with tendrils attached.

Both are best cooked, as the pea sprouts or shoots have a strong green taste.

Baby cucumbers

These lovely cucumber shoots are babies that are culled off the vine so those left on the plant will grow fat and full. These are excellent just rinsed in slightly salted water, to get rid of hidden visitors in the flowers, and then eaten raw. Lightly salt and then rinse the baby cucumbers to draw out extra moisture. That makes them extra crisp.

Contact the writer at paulined@chinadaily.com.cn.