Friends from Hubei Don't Know How Sichuan Locals Eat 'Er Cai'? Full Recipe and Nutritional Value

Baby greens are also known as ‘chong sheng cai, Nanchong cai (Yibin), doll’s leaf, child’s leaf (Sichuan)’”, “Blossom Sprout”, a type of mustard green. The thick roots are surrounded by many green buds, like countless children holding hands in the middle. One mother and many children, hence the name ‘child’s leaf’.

Child’s leaf has the fragrance of mustard greens, but its texture is much better, sweet and without bitterness, crisp and not tough, without residue. It is colorful, with green outer leaves and white inner leaves. When cut into slices, the green and white are beautiful. When stir-fried, decorated with red chili, it’s very attractive.

It is recommended to cook baby greens with a light boil, directly put into water, preserving the original juice and original taste. If dipped in chili water, it’s a good dish to accompany rice. Making chili dipping water is a bit complicated, chili powder should be fried in a pot first, then pour some soy sauce into a bowl, then sprinkle some scallion and add some salt. This way, it’s more effective in reducing oiliness.

Baby greens stir-fried with pork belly is also a good dish. Pork belly is cut into thin slices, first stir-fried in oil, then add fermented bean curd. Fermented bean curd releases fragrance, and pork belly also drains oil. Some oil is poured out, then cut baby greens are added and stir-fried over high heat. If you like spicy food, add two spoonfuls of Hunan chopped chili peppers. The atmosphere in the pot becomes lively. It’s shiny and oily, and a little soy sauce is drizzled out at the end. Salt can be added or not, depending on personal preference.

Baby greens stir-fried and baby greens sautéed are a kind of home-cooked Sichuan dish. Stir-frying only needs oil, flavor, salt, and you can add garlic slices to sauté, which releases a natural aroma. Sautéing needs dried chili segments, hot oil quickly stir-fried, then add garlic slices and baby greens slices, for two minutes to cook, which is a typical Sichuan flavor.

Baby greens pickled and fermented is delicious. It’s sour and crisp, a good accompaniment to scrambled eggs with pork, and pickled baby greens can also be used as a component of Sichuan cuisine ‘sour carp’.

Baby greens can be pickled and squeezed in Sichuan, commonly known as ‘float’ (the sound of ‘lu shan hua’ in Leshan dialect), the method is the same as that of large head cabbage, but the flavor is more refreshing. In rural areas, to solve the problem of overproduction and transportation difficulties, it provided a solution.

Nutritional value of baby greens

1. Detoxification and edema, anti-cancer:

Baby greens are rich in dietary fiber, which can promote intestinal peristalsis, shorten the time feces stay in the intestines, dilute toxins, reduce the concentration of carcinogenic factors, and thus play a role in prevention and anti-cancer, which can be used to prevent colon cancer, breast cancer, and liver cancer.

2. Clear away heat and relieve symptoms:

Large head cabbage contains a substance called glucuronic acid, which can produce volatile mustard oil after hydrolysis, which has the effect of promoting gastrointestinal digestion and absorption. In addition, large head cabbage also has a special fragrant aroma, which can increase appetite and help digestion.

3. Diuretic and dehumidification:

Baby greens contain calcium, phosphorus, iron and other trace elements, which are absorbed by the human body and can promote diuresis and dehumidification; it can promote the balance of water and electrolytes in the body, and can be used to treat symptoms such as painful urination and overflow of urine.