Garlic Chives
Allium Tuberosum
Try this delicious recipe for Chives and Garlic Dip!
Culinary uses
Similar
to chives, Garlic Chive foliage provides a mild garlic flavor and
aroma. Not extensively used in western cooking, found prominently in
Asian cuisine. Excellent in stir-fries, perfect in raw dishes where
normal garlic can be too overwhelming. Garlic chives can be used just
as you use regular chives. They can be combined into Parmesan cheese
and used as a topping for pizza or garlic bread. Gently sauté them in
butter and add shrimp for a nice pasta topping. Try adding them to your
potato cooking water when making mashed potatoes for a nice flavor too.
You can sprinkle a bunch that has been snipped into 1 inch pieces to
stir fry or cooked cabbage dishes before serving.
Tips
Yellow
garlic chives are from the same plant as standard Garlic Chives. A
slightly less nutritional value than normal Garlic Chive's; Through
they are prized in Chinese culinary for there tenderness and delicate
flavor.
Storage
Store
whole garlic chives in damp paper towels inside a plastic bag, then
refrigerator for up to a week. Like spring onions they don't keep well
once chopped. Best use with in a day if this the case.
Description
The
leaves have long, thin, flat stems, whereas the stalks with flowers are
round and resemble regular chives. Will grow to about 12 inches high.
Origin
A
relatively new vegetable in the English-speaking world but well-known
in Asian cuisine. It is believed that the Chinese have been cultivating
yellow garlic chives for more than three thousand years.
Cultivation
It's
important to harvest your garlic chives, by clipping them almost to the
ground. This keeps the plant producing fresh leaves. If you can't use
them all, at least clip them and add to the compost pile or give to a
friend. Garlic chives can be started from seed, but it does need to be
fresh to germinate properly, so be sure to buy seeds from a reputable
source or harvest your own. Full sun is preferred but they will grow in
light shade. Garlic chives grow in a clump that is closer together than
regular chives, and they grow much faster. To encourage germination the
seeds can be put in the refrigerator for a week before planting. The
plants do self seed and will pop up all over your garden if left to do
so. Using the blooms or shearing them off before they scatter is a good
way to control the self sowing. Plant them inside in pots or sow
outside as soon as you can work the ground in the spring. Chinese
gardeners will often "blanch" part of their garlic chive crop by
harvesting a plant to the ground, then covering with a layer of straw
or a paper tent. The chives will still grow but will be white in color.
They will then cook these as a vegetable. The flowers are also dried
and ground to use as a spice in Asian cooking.
Other Languages
China: jiu tsai, gau tsoi, gau choy fa
Indonesia: kucai
Japan: nira
Malaysia: kucai
Philippines: kutsay
Thailand: kui chaai
Vietnam: he
Recommend this article...
|
