苋菜 (xiàncài) · amaranth greens, Chinese spinach

Measure Word

一把苋菜 bǎ

Meanings

1 amaranth greens
2 Chinese spinach

About the ingredient

蔬菜 Vegetables · In season: summer

Soft, oval leaves, either plain green or green with a purple-red centre, cooked much like spinach. Stir-fried with garlic, or cooked in broth with century and salted eggs in Cantonese cooking.

Also called 苋

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

夏天我们家常常吃苋菜。

Xiàtiān wǒmen jiā chángcháng chī xiàncài.

In summer our family often eats amaranth greens.

HSK 7-9

红苋菜一下锅，汤汁就变成了紫红色。

Hóng xiàncài yí xiàguō, tāngzhī jiù biànchéng le zǐhóngsè.

As soon as red amaranth goes into the pan, the juice turns purplish red.

Tips

culture

苋菜 is a summer vegetable across southern China, usually stir-fried with garlic. The red kind turns the cooking juice, and the rice it is served on, bright magenta; the green kind is milder.