Wo Sun Salad {Quick Tasty Celtuce Stems}

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Wo Sun salad {Ban Wo Sun 拌莴笋} made of crunchy celtuce stems and sesame oil is appetizingly tasty. A perfect way to enjoy this superfood.

What is Wo Sun {莴笋}?

Wo Ju Sun {莴苣笋}, often short for Wo Sun in Mandarin, is also known as celtuce or stem lettuce. They are native to China’s Yangtze River area.

Growing up in Suzhou, in the heart of the Yangtze River Delta area, I surely had my fair share of them. The Suzhou dialect typically says it in its full name, which is Wo Ju Sun.

My grandmother used to grow Wo Sun in her front yard. I also remember often spotting them at the farmer’s market starting late Spring till Fall.

Celtuce has a straight stem covered with a thick layer of light green skin. Greenish, sometimes reddish-brown, long, narrow, ruffled, and pointy leaves growing all over the stems, but in an orderly way.

Although both the stems and the leaves are edible, the stems are definitely the favored part. It has a super refreshing and almost neutral taste with a hint of nuttiness; coupled with a crunchy texture. I’ll show you how to make a quick salad out of the stems here.

People often peel most leaves off the stems to stimulate the growth of stems. This leaves brownish marks around the stems.

Wo Sun’ leaves have a strong and not-so-pleasant flavor and taste, which is slightly bitter too. Because of this, people rarely eat the leaves. I recall in old times, people would chop the leaves into small pieces and feed them to chicks.

However, in recent years I noticed a version that was specifically cultivated to eat the leaves.

Why is Celtuce Wo Sun good for you?

Wo Sun is a superfood full of nutrients that are extremely beneficial for us. Rich in multiple vitamins and minerals; and low in calories but high in antioxidants, just to name a few health benefits.

They are also highly effective natural detoxing food because they are rich in fiber and other healthy substances. This makes Wo Sun also perfect for weight loss.

How to make Celtuce Stems Salad quick, easy, tasty way?

Wo Sun stems are naturally yummy. We only need a little sesame oil and salt to go with it.

Remove the leaves and peel the skins

Celtuce stems have a thick skin. You will need a more powerful peeler with teeth.

Cut the peeled stems either into diamond shape or slices and mix it with salt and sesame oil

I usually just quickly cut the stem into a diamond shape. Not only it is quick and easy but also allows me to enjoy the full bite of crunchiness, LOL.

What goes well with this Wo Sun Salad?

This Celtuce Stem Salad is quite versatile and can almost go with any meat and poultry, especially those that are a little heavy. Its refreshing taste will provide a pleasant contrast to dishes such as Red Braised Pork Belly or Braised Duck.

It makes tasty rice bowl. Tonight we are having pan fried shrimp and wo sun salad. Check out here for the Pan Fried Shrimp Recipe.