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Chinese Amaranth
- Soft oval or broad leaves
- Tender stems normally solid rather than hollow
- Green and red-veined varieties both occur
Vegetables
Chinese Amaranth
A tender Hong Kong leafy vegetable with soft oval leaves and usually solid stems; varieties may be green or red-veined.
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3 identity clues
- Soft oval or broad leaves
- Tender stems normally solid rather than hollow
- Green and red-veined varieties both occur
Names in other languages
- 繁體中文
- 莧菜
- English
- Chinese Amaranth
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Bayam / Chinese Amaranth (莧菜)
- Tagalog
- Chinese Amaranth (莧菜)
Name in Cantonese (Jyutping): jin6 coi3 No Cantonese voice on this device
What is it?
莧菜 is listed by FEHD as Chinese spinach. This guide uses Chinese amaranth to distinguish it from ordinary spinach.
How to identify it
Look for soft oval leaves, clear veins and tender solid stems. Varieties may be green or red-purple, so colour alone is not reliable.
Common confusion
Compare
Water Spinach
- Long stems with a hollow tube
- Pointed or arrow-shaped leaves
- Visible nodes where leaf stalks emerge
Compare
Spinach
- Tender spinach with slender stems and smooth deep-green leaves.
- Look for thin stems and smooth oval-to-arrow-shaped leaves; do not substitute red-stemmed amaranth.
- Spinach has tender smooth leaves; Chinese amaranth often has stouter stems and coloured veins.
How to identify it
Chinese amaranth has soft broad leaves and solid stems; water spinach has long hollow stems and more pointed leaves.
Common Hong Kong household uses
Commonly stir-fried with garlic or cooked in soup.
Choosing & preparing
Remove tough stems and yellow leaves, wash leaf by leaf under running water and drain.
Storage
Keep unwashed and dry in the refrigerator and use soon.
Helper tip
Water spinach has long clearly hollow stems and narrower pointed leaves; Chinese amaranth normally has solid stems.
What Ma’am or Sir may say
今晚蒜蓉炒莧菜。The employer wants Chinese amaranth stir-fried with garlic, not water spinach or ordinary spinach.
Useful market phrase
唔該要一斤嫩莧菜。Meaning: One catty (斤) of tender Chinese Amaranth, please.
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