China South of the Clouds

Celtus (also called stem lettuce or celery lettuce) is a common Chinese vegetable that is essentially the thick stalk of a head of lettuce that has been allowed to grow very tall as the bottom leaves are removed. The vegetable’s English name comes from the fact that the ingredient has a flavor similar to celery’s. It has a lovely tender but crunchy texture that is perfect in this variation on green papaya salad from Xishuangbanna.

1 thick, 15-inch long piece of celetus (or two shorter pieces equalling approximately the same length)
1-3 xiaomi la chiles or Thai or bird’s eye chiles (traditionally cooks use about three chiles, but the result is very spicy)
2-3 sprigs cilantro
2 tbsp lime juice
salt

1. Remove the leaves from the celetus stem and use a vegetable peeler to remove all of the fibrous outer peel. Using a mandoline, grate the celetus into thin strips (angle the stem at about 45 degrees to the grater so that the strips are as long as possible). Put the strips in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

2. Thinly slice the chiles and add them to the celetus with their seeds. Roughly chop the leaves of the cilantro and add them to the mix, discarding the stems.

3. Add 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice and approximately 3/4 tsp salt and mix all the ingredients together. Taste the mixture and add the remaining lime juice and/or more salt if necessary. (The mix should be quite tart and salty.) Allow the ingredients to sit and blend for a few minutes before serving.

Photo: Georgia Freedman