菜心 (càixīn) · choy sum, Chinese flowering cabbage

Meanings

1 choy sum
2 Chinese flowering cabbage
3 heart of a vegetable

About the ingredient

蔬菜 Vegetables

Slender green stalks with soft leaves and small yellow flowers, sweet and tender all the way through. Cooked whole and briefly: stir-fried, blanched and topped with oyster sauce, or added to soups.

Used in 3 dishes

叉烧饭 chāshāofàn

福建炒饭 Fújiàn chǎofàn

口袋豆腐 kǒudai dòufu

Characters

Examples

HSK 6

晚饭我炒了一盘菜心。

Wǎnfàn wǒ chǎo le yì pán càixīn.

For dinner I stir-fried a plate of choy sum.

HSK 7-9

去掉外面的老叶子，只留下嫩嫩的菜心。

Qùdiào wàimiàn de lǎo yèzi, zhǐ liúxià nènnèn de càixīn.

Take off the tough outer leaves and keep only the tender heart.

Tips

culture

A staple green of Cantonese cooking; the English name choy sum comes from its Cantonese pronunciation. The classic dish is 白灼菜心: the greens are blanched and dressed with soy sauce or oyster sauce.