Can you identify the vegetable on the top of this photo? Up to a couple of weeks ago, I could not even imagine what it possibly is. Most of us are familiar with the ubiquitous lettuce. This mystery vegetable is in fact a lettuce stem. Perhaps, like me, you’re not a gardener either. I didn’t even know lettuce sprouts from a long stem above ground. Apparently, lettuce stem is edible and is an ingredient found in Asian grocery stores.
I am not a fan of lettuce. They always taste too bland and the crispy leaves scream rabbit food to me. The stem, on the other hand, is quite flavourful as I found out. All I need to do is trim away the tough outer layer to reveal a pale green core that tastes crunchy, juicy, and offers a dose of concentrated lettuce flavour. It is similar in texture to broccoli stem but without that raw edge. Whether you slice them thin or chop into bite-size chunks, the lettuce stem is a great addition to any salad.
It saddens me a little that this perfectly edible and delicious part of the plant is ignored because it doesn’t fit the norm of the modern Western diet. It is a reflection of how far we’re removed from poverty as a society that we can afford to harvest only a small portion of our produce. Nose to tail is an old-fashioned cooking philosophy that’s becoming trendy again for the last few years. Yet we don’t see this same principal gaining as much popularity for its vegetable counterpart. Perhaps it is time for a change.
Salad Of Lettuce Stem & Bamboo Shoot
Cooked bamboo shoots and raw lettuce stems are tossed together with green onion-infused sesame oil, red chili pepper, and roasted sesame seeds for a light vegetarian dish.
serves 4 as an appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 lettuce stem
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 stalks of green onion, finely chopped
- 1 large ready-to-eat bamboo shoot, rinsed and chop into bite-size pieces
- 1 small red chili pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds
Method
- Trim away the tough outer layer of lettuce stem until only the tender green core remains. Chop into bite-size pieces and toss with 1/2 tsp salt. Marinate for 10 minutes. Rinse and drain.
- In a large frying pan, heat vegetable oil and sesame oil at high heat until hot. Remove pan from heat and add the green onion to release their flavour.
- Add all the remaining ingredients to the frying pan and coat evenly with the green onion-infused oil.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.
