10 Asian Veggies to Explore

Let's face it, traditional American cooking, with repetitions of salt, pepper, butter, just don't do veggies justice. Thankfully, we can embrace the fact that we're a melting pot and enjoy all the unique ingredients other cultures have to offer. When I first lived in China as a student, I discovered a new world of delicious healthy vegetables. I learned that stir-frying leafy green veggies with garlic was so much tastier, and the garlic added an extra immune boost. Here are 10 Asian veggies you should consider trying:

1. Japanese eggplant is long and slender. Try steaming it, peeling it, and marinating it with Bragg' Aminos, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

2. Bitter melon. Let me give fair warning: It is very bitter. The Chinese use it to lower blood sugar. There is a larger Chinese version which is easier to juice and slightly less bitter, and an Indian version, which I personally prefer. To cook with it slice it, sprinkle salt on it and let it sit, then squeeze out some of the juice (this makes it less bitter). Stir fry it with chicken or pork. If you just want the health benefit juice it and chug a shot!

3. Chinese water spinach/morning glory. This is my favorite vegetable in all of China. Stir fry it with salt and garlic...it's delicious.

4. Bok choy. This is one most people know about. It is so versatile and can go in soups, stir fry, clay pot "casseroles", on top of noodles, and of course with just salt and garlic.

5. Beet greens. They are a little sweet, and my kids aren't crazy about them, however they're still a nice option for making stir fry a little more creative.

6. Chinese broccoli. Long stems and small florets. You can flash boil them prior to stir frying them. This is a common veggie served at Dim Sum.

7. Chinese celery. It has thinner stems and stronger flavor, making it tastier for stir fry.

8. Shitake mushrooms. You typically buy them dried so they need to be soaked in water prior to cooking with them. They can be stir fried, and can also go in soups and slow cooked casseroles.

9. Daikon. It resembles a large white carrot. In China they are stir fried and slow cooked, while in Japan and Korea they are pickled.

10. Flowering chives. In China I almost always saw these stir-fried with scrambled egg. My kids really like them.