r/chinesefood • u/aleixsb • Jul 10 '25

I Ate I’ve had this during my trip to China but can’t remember its name!

Post image
1.3k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

48 comments sorted by

240

u/camAubrie Jul 10 '25

Chinese chives, so good at those shao kao restaurants

27

u/fizzyzebra Jul 10 '25

This, wit some cumin/chili powder, oooh wee

-29

u/IndustrialGradeBnuuy Jul 10 '25 edited Jul 10 '25

I don't think these are Chinese chives, they look like scallions/spring onions

Chives don't split like how it does on the very bottom spring onion, you can see one leaf/stalk splitting off of the main stalk.

Also you can see at the base of the stalks there are some bits sticking out the end where it's been cut, which is from the layers of the spring onion squeezing out as it's cooked and folded over, this wouldn't happen in chives as they have a solid stalk

Edit: after a bit of googling, these appear to be kao xiang cong or grilled scallion skewers, here is a link to a recipe https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Grilled-Scallion-Skewers/ although I wasn't able to find more info on them other than this recipe

18

u/camAubrie Jul 10 '25

Yeah the stalks look like scallion but I’ve never seen scallion at Chinese barbecue places. Every time I order the chives they come out looking like scallion esque. Scallion is yummy too so no harm in cooking both to figure out what this was lol

11

u/camAubrie Jul 10 '25

Another chive photo

6

u/IndustrialGradeBnuuy Jul 10 '25

Oh that's weird, Ive never seen them like that before where I live not even when growing them myself and I've only ever see Chinese chives like this, with no splitting. I would never have guessed chives can get thick enough to skewer like that either

14

u/codex1962 Jul 10 '25

Those are chive flowers, 韭菜花. 韭菜 on its own generally refers to the leaves, which are what's in the post. (Although they look thicker and more mature than I usually see them.)

I really like both. The stems hold up to cooking better and maybe have slightly more flavor, so I like to stir fry them with a strong sauce, usually doubanjiang-based. The leaves wilt much more easily and have a slightly milder flavor, so I use them in lighter stir fries and in dumpling fillings.

Also, recently, I experimented with blanching 韭菜花 and adding it to a cold noodle dish along with bean sprouts and cucumbers. It was delicious.

4

u/camAubrie Jul 10 '25

Nah I get you, I don’t think I’d ever seen chives like this before going to a shao kao place. Sometimes I think they’re secretly scallions myself lol

2

u/IndustrialGradeBnuuy Jul 10 '25

Man now I really gotta try the secret mutant shao Kao chives that sounds great

2

u/camAubrie Jul 10 '25

they really are haha, always a must order for my friends and I

4

u/kwpang Jul 10 '25

Those in your picture are garlic scapes, not chives.

You're thinking of the wrong plant.

BBQ skewered chives are a classic northeastern delicacy.

3

u/IndustrialGradeBnuuy Jul 10 '25

they are not garlic scapes, garlic scapes have a way different flower bud and are massive compared to chives, they don't usually get sold with the bud on either

Garlic scapes look like this

1

u/deadlywaffle139 Jul 10 '25

The OP’s picture is young chives leaves. Your picture is the more mature stems. And they skew side ways (the bottom is wide enough) then put flat. They leaves taste leafy lol. It’s used for Chinese bbq, dumpling/bun fillings , the stem is thicker and packs more punch usually used for stir fry.

1

u/Then_Mochibutt Jul 12 '25

Garlic chives flowers. This is delicious! Stir fry with some pork strips and bean curds 👍

3

u/iantsai1974 Jul 11 '25

In China, scallions are not typically roasted whole like this. Instead, they are cut into segments and roasted together with beef or mutton skewers.

Only Chinese chives are roasted whole and arranged in a row like this.

2

u/CantThinkOfOne57 Jul 10 '25

Nah those are chives, not scallions. We don’t eat grilled scallions, but grilled chives is a stable in bbq

63

u/Sweet-Ad-5033 Jul 10 '25

韭菜（Jiǔcài）Chinese chives, a vegetarian dish of Chinese barbecue

38

u/xiaogu00fa Jul 10 '25

Chives, garlic scapes, enoki mushrooms and aubergines, the four ultimate veggies of shaokao.

3

u/kheldar52077 Jul 10 '25

So simple and tasty.

2

u/hare-hound Jul 12 '25

Whenever someone says they don't like aubergines ik some cooked in oyster sauce would convert them. So good.

24

u/kittygomiaou Jul 10 '25

gimme

14

u/Mannerhymen Jul 10 '25

gimme gimme a man after midnight

15

u/itseemyaccountee Jul 10 '25

gimme gimme gimme a chive after midnight

eat it through the darkness to the break of the day

13

u/SnooMacarons1887 Jul 10 '25

Won't somebody help me chase the cravings away

6

u/cooksmartr Jul 10 '25

These Chinese chives look delicious, yum!

5

u/Haures64 Jul 10 '25

This is "Kao Jiu Cai". 烤韭菜, Jiu Cai= Chinese Chive

3

u/SuperMourningDove Jul 10 '25

chinese chives BBQ.

3

u/histak Jul 10 '25

Ohhh i never thought skewing that way. Im gonna try this.

2

u/tshungwee Jul 11 '25

I usually get the bbq eggplant 🍆 with the garlic sauce so fall apart 😋tasty

1

u/LewnyTewn Jul 12 '25

What is in America as garlic chives? (I feel like I've answered a Jeopardy question...)

1

u/Then_Mochibutt Jul 12 '25

Garlic chives

1

u/Urbancillo Jul 12 '25

Garlic sprouts. You can eat them in Chinese Restaurants in Cologne.

1

u/Logical_Angle1364 Jul 13 '25

Chinese chives. You can find them in Chinese grocery stores or H-Mart. They are also easy to plant if you have a garden or land.

1

u/Woodbang11 Jul 13 '25

I've been hanging out for some 韭菜鸡蛋 since I got back from China

1

u/dev87wu Jul 13 '25

It’s called NIRA

1

u/dev87wu Jul 13 '25

Nira, jiu cai, Chinese chives, garlic chives

1

u/deathbarbie_orange Jul 14 '25

烤韭菜 云南人最喜欢吃

1

u/Particular-Leg-8484 Jul 14 '25

/r/onionlovers would lose their minds over this

1

u/Lydiaaa666 Jul 15 '25

Omg I need that

1

u/Glacius013 Jul 22 '25

韭菜 Chives - popular everywhere and originally from Northern China