UTILIZATION AND COMPOSITION OF ORIENTAL VEGETABLES 55 
small variety is marketed in bunches of 4 to G roots, and the larger 
variety in bunches of 1 to 4, depending upon size of each root. 
To cool- with miso sauce (Japanese style). — Peel and slice root 
crosswise in 1-inch lengths; wash roots and boil until they are tender. 
Add miso sauce while they are still hot. The miso sauce is prepared 
by grinding miso in a bowl and adding grated ginger, soup stock, 
and sugar gradually, mixing thoroughly. The Chinese prepare the 
oriental radish by peeling, washing, and slicing thinly as directed 
for arrowhead. 
Turnip (Brass ica rapa). (Fig. 49B) 
Chinese name: Mu-clring 
Japanese name : Kabura 
Shape: Root, flattened to globular. 
Size: One and three-fourths to two and one-fourth inches high; 2 to 3 inches 
in diameter. 
Color: White or traced with purple. 
The turnip is somewhat like the Japanese radish in appearance, 
and bears only a few thin rootlets on the slender taproot. Very often 
turnips for market are sold in bunches from which the taproots have 
been trimmed off. The leaves are narrow, 8 to 12 inches long, soft, 
and somewhat pubescent. The young turnips with tops attached 
are marketed also as greens. The turnip is prepared for the table 
like Japanese radish and arrowhead. 
Water Chestnut (Scirpus tuoerosus) . (Fig. 50) 
Chinese name : Ma-tai 
Japanese name : Kuro-Kuwai 
Shape: Corms, spherical or globular with flattened base and rounded top; 
firm and turgid. 
Size: Seven-eighths to one inch by l 1 ^ to l x /- 2 inches in diameter. 
Color: Dull to glossy brown or ebony skin ; white flesh. 
Taste: Flat, starchy. 
Water chestnuts are seasonal roots which are found on the local 
markets from about July until late September. They usually are 
kept in mat-woven bags or bamboo baskets alongside vegetable 
stands. Water chestnuts are also imported into Hawaii from China. 
These are like the locally grown product except that they are sweet. 
and partly wrinkled from the loss of moisture. The water chestnut 
is a favorite ingredient in numerous Chinese dishes (^, p. 15). The 
chestnuts are pared, and sliced thinly and mixed with sliced bamboo 
shoots or with edible-podded peas, and the like. 
Yam {Dioseorca oatatas). (Fig. 51) 
Chinese name : Tai-sue 
Japanese name : Naga-imo 
Shape: Roots, cylindrical, oblong, straight, or irregular. 
Size: Six to eighteen inches in length; 2 to 6 indies in diameter. 
Color: Skin gray to dark without and purple within; flesh white. 
The yam, also known as "Chinese yam," "Chinese potato.'* and 
u cinnamon-vine," is commonly grown by the oriental farmers. It is 
