Chinese and western celery 芹菜, pronounced qín cài in Mandarin and “kun choy” in Cantonese both have the same name even though they are quite different. Chinese celery is longer and thinner than regular celery and has a very strong celery flavor. Even the most tender batch of Chinese celery can be a little tough and pack a ton of fiber and celery flavor. Similar to the western variety, the stalks are mostly consumed since the leaves are usually way too bitter. Chinese cooks use this celery mostly for stir-fries, and it does produce a great flavor.
We have one dish in our collection that is an oldie but a goody: Jen’s Tofu Stir-fry. Although the recipe calls for common celery, we usually use Chinese celery.
