Carol wrote:

>>>> Is this your "asian vegetable with stems like broccoli"?
>>>> http://www.foodsnherbs.com/choi_sum.JPG (choy sum)
>>>> or maybe this?
>>>> http://www.marketmanila.com/images/aaagai1.JPG (gai lan)
>>>
>>> First one though it seems a version of second and I get both commonly.
>>
>> They're quite similar, but I prefer the one with little flowers on it.
>> Just a texture thing; they taste just about the same.
>
> Yeah and the bewildering different names from so many asian cultures,
> makes them fairly nameless to me. I just get'em and eat'em without
> worrying about what this particular asian store wants to call them.
>
> In Japan, we got one like the Choy Sum as well as one called 'Kang Koon'
> or 'Kangkong' (depends on area). Asian hollow stem spinach. Leaves like
> Choy Sum but on thin hollow spindle stalks. Tastes like spinach.

I've only seen that called water spinach; I'd never seen the other names
until I just googled. Apparently it's also called "ong choy." It's not my
favorite, but I can handle it if it showed up in a CSA box.

Bob