Chilli-Labor/atory

Spring (?, chun) comes, and with it “toon,” which means to say ?, chun – if you look at the character, “the
tree of spring.”

And yes, if you think it looks like something cut off of a tree, that’s what it is – which makes it rather special even amongst the, already impressive, diversity of leafy green vegetables in China. Their aroma and taste is pretty noticeable, quite strong, and rather pleasant.

“Recipes”

Toon Omelette:
Cut some of the leaves (with stalks) small, put in a bowl, add 1-2 eggs and mix. Salt lightly.
Heat quite some oil in a pan (wok) until rather hot, pour in the egg-toon mixture, fry on both sides until done.

Spicy Toon with Pork:

Cut some of the leaves (with stalks), pork, and chillies.
Fry pork until lightly done, add chillies, add toon pieces, fry all until pork is browned. Enjoy.
[Note of caution: This is rather typical Hunan cooking - Xiang cuisine. Frying chillies, it's recommendable to... well, get used to it. And don't do it in a communal kitchen with people who are really sensitive around. The sneezing fits are normal...]