THE CHINESE HERB GARDEN - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 131

CULINARY USES
Garlic chives can be used exactly as you use common chives, if you allow for the
stronger garlic flavor:
• Mix with cottage cheese or yogurt.
• Mince for salads.
• Sprinkle as a garnish over stuffed eggs.
• Toss with bean sprouts for a quick high-protein salad.
IN COOKED DISHES . Garlic chives are a zesty addition to cooked dishes as well. Add
during the last few minutes of cooking, as they tend to get stringy when overcooked,
and lose much of their flavor. The Chinese often add garlic chives to recipes calling
for onions and garlic. They feel the chives enhance the flavor of these other alliums.
GARLIC CHIVE BULBS . The bulbs too can be eaten, like garlic or shallots. The flavor
is much more delicate than garlic, yet different from the mild shallot; experiment with
them boldly. Don't eat your entire crop; leave some bulbs for next year's crop or your
winter indoor garden. Here are some ideas:
• Crush and add to boiling vinegar, then set aside for a few days to mellow.
• Mince and braise with meat or sprinkle over fish before broiling.
• Heat in melted butter before scrambling eggs.
CHIVE BLOSSOMS . All chive blossoms are edible and can be eaten fresh or dried. I al-
ways keep a couple of dried bunches handy and find many unexpected uses for them.
They're much milder than either the leaves or the bulbs and make a very pretty gar-
nish.
• Separate into florets to float on top of a clear soup; add after the individual bowls
have been filled so that they come to the table fresh and still faintly fragrant.
• Give vichyssoise an exotic touch by adding chive blossoms along with the tradi-
tional chives.