Malabar Spinach

original: 落葵, luòkuí; Basella alba. Also known as vine spinach or creeping spinach. It is a leafy vine popular in Asian cuisine.

Malabar Spinach is listed in the "Lower Category" of the Miscellaneous Records original: 別錄, Biélù; referring to the Miscellaneous Records of Famous Physicians, an ancient Chinese pharmacological text. The Erya the oldest surviving Chinese dictionary refers to it as Zhongkui. A commentary in the Luxuriant Dew original: 繁露, Fánlù; likely referring to the Chunqiu Fanlu explains that its name means "Dew Receiver."

The plant has large stems and small leaves. Its flowers are a mixture of purple and yellow. This is the "Rouge Bean" original: 胭脂豆, yānzhidòu; named for the red/purple juice of its berries, which was historically used as a cosmetic dye. In Hunan, there is a variety with white stems and green leaves called the "Wood Ear Vegetable" original: 木耳菜, mù’ěrcài; this variety is especially slippery referring to the succulent, mucilaginous texture typical of cooked Malabar spinach, similar to okra or wood-ear fungus.