One of the things I like about visiting different parts of China is that you can always find new things to eat. Cao Tou, or edible clover, is one of the new wild vegetables I discovered during a recent visit to Shanghai. The clover has a sweet, slightly grassy flavor, cooks very quickly and is a popular restaurant vegetable dish called Jiǔ Xiāng Cǎo Tóu (酒香草头) which is literally translated as wine fragrant clover.
I remember when we were living in Beijing, we seldom came across edible clover, but in Shanghai, it is everywhere in markets and restaurants during the spring months. Cao Tou preparation is very specific and very simple, using a good amount of oil, salt, and Bai Jiu, a popular Chinese sorghum-based grain alcohol. Bai Jiu varies in strength, and many say that you must use a brand that is at least 46% alcohol!
In my opinion, the Bai Jiu is what makes the edible clover really delicious. After tasting the dish, my first thought was that it tasted like fermented bean curd. That’s when I realized that bai jiu wine is probably used to make fermented bean curd!
So if you really can’t find bai jiu, then use 1 teaspoon of fermented bean curd as a substitute. A small amount of light soy sauce is optional (some locals use only salt), but I prefer the dish with that splash of soy sauce.
We have more information about edible clover (cao tou) on our Chinese leafy green vegetables page, but if you’re visiting Shanghai in the spring or early summer months, be sure to look for it on the menu when you’re dining out.
While I realize that the ingredients in this recipe are not that accessible, I still wanted to share this unusual dish with you and give you a taste of Shanghai! The picture below was taken of a vegetable garden where a patch of edible clover was growing among other vegetables, so while clover mostly grows in the wild, it is also cultivated in China for the dinner table.
Recipe Instructions
Wash the cao tou (edible clover) three times in water, taking care to pick out any stray weeds or grass. Drain in a colander, and shake thoroughly to ensure that there is no standing water on the vegetables. This is an important step, because the clover will release quite a bit of liquid when stir-frying.
Have salt, soy sauce and bai jiu all within reach before turning on the stove, since the stir-frying process will be very fast. Heat the oil in a wok until it just starts to smoke, and add the vegetables.
Quickly stir-fry with a scooping motion for 10 seconds, so the clover does not get scalded or burned. The vegetables will absorb the oil and wilt quickly.
Add the salt and soy sauce, and continue to stir until the seasonings are mixed in and all of the clover is wilted. This will only take another 15 seconds. Turn off the heat and add the Bai Jiu, lightly tossing it into the cooked clover.
It is important to plate the dish immediately after tossing in the bai jiu or if left in the wok or on the heat too long, the bai jiu will become bitter and ruin your lovely cao tou clover dish!
Serve immediately.
Sautéed Edible Clover
Ingredients
Instructions
- Wash the clover three times in water, taking care to pick out any stray weeds or grass. Drain in a colander, and shake thoroughly to ensure that there is no standing water on the vegetables. This is an important step, because the clover will release quite a bit of liquid when stir-frying.
- Have salt, soy sauce and bai jiu all within reach before turning on the stove, since the stir-frying process will be very fast. Heat the oil in a wok until it just starts to smoke, and add the vegetables. Quickly stir-fry with a scooping motion for 10 seconds, so the clover does not get scalded or burned. The vegetables will absorb the oil and wilt quickly.
- Add the salt and soy sauce, and continue to stir until the seasonings are mixed in and all of the clover is wilted. This will only take another 15 seconds. Turn off the heat and add the bai jiu, lightly tossing it into the cooked clover. Serve immediately.
This is my beloved Chinese veggie dish. Can’t find it anywhere in the USA. Too bad. Foraging is a bit too complicated for me.
Hi Ken, that makes two of us :-|
I love Cao tou. It’s my favourite here in SH. I am really really going to miss it. Is there an edible clover, or substitute, in the USA that I can use when I get back? I know it will not be the same, but how can I grow, or get cao tou there? Can I use just regular clover?
Hi Karen, there is definitely edible clover in the US, and I have heard of people foraging for it, but I don’t think you can buy it anywhere. You should be able to grow it if you get the right variety.
Bill doesn’t know that farm stores sell giant seed packages of this same plant to plant fields for cattle to eat, and that it grows as a weed that here in California I frequently find in places like my garden or cracks in the sidewalk. Not a clover, it is Medicago polymorpha, please look it up on Wikipedia. I have a big patch growing out of the grass next to where someone dumped a bunch of fertilizer on my tomatoes and I cooked some last night, it was good.
Thanks for sharing that Adrienne!
Could shaoxing wine be used instead of the bai jiu?
Hi Vivian, you could use Shaoxing wine, but try to find some baijiu, because it really has a unique flavor and is the way everyone cooks it in Shanghai ;-)
This vegetable is so delicious! Now I know what the recipe is. We lived in Shanghai a few years ago and at Din Tai Fung restaurant in the Xin Tiandi shopping area this was on the menu as a chef’s special. I was there for lunch with my Mandarin teacher and asked what it was. She described it to me as her father said “it was what cow’s eat”. So at that point, I figured it was clover. Wow – it is! She also said it was very difficult to cook since you can easily overcook it. I also was curious if it had some sort of alcohol in it and the recipe states Bai Jiu. This adds a wonderful fragrance and taste! Thanks for sharing this recipe if I can ever find this green vegetable in an Asian market here in the US.
I know, Mei, I love this vegetable too. We blogged this recipe while we were in Shanghai (during Springtime) a few years ago. I regret to say, I’ve not seen it anywhere in the US as of yet.
This looks amazing! Do you know if this is a very specific type of clover, or do you think I would be able to forage for clover for this recipe? I’m always looking for new vegetables to forage, and in the early spring my whole yard is clover that looks exactly like this. It would be awesome if I could utilize it. Thanks!
Hi Megan, I have seen many varieties of clover both in China and the US and not all of them may be edible but if you decide to forage, I would do some research on how to forage for clover or check on Amazon for books on foraging for wild vegetables.
Clover is edible it can be dutch white clover or the more comon with pink flowers. if it has the 3 leaves and like white chevron you are good to go. It actually has more protien than spinach and was a comon famien food.
It’s Medicago polymorpha, you can get seeds for it in the USA quite easily and it grows everywhere from my garden to the cracks in the sidewalk in my town in California. Did “Bill” not research this? It isn’t even a “clover” it’s a totally unrelated plant. But you can eat real “clovers” and also sorrel varieties that look like clovers, I recommend Wikipedia and YouTube videos about how to identify plants.
Yes yes yes!!! This dish screams Shanghai! Give me this, hong shao rou, and a bowl of cai fan and I will be one happy man! Sichuanese and Cantonese cookbooks abound, but it is so difficult to find resources on Shanghainese cooking, so I love it when you guys post a good Shanghainese recipe. Other regions of China give Shanghainese food a bad rap, it’s either too sweet or too oily, but to me Benbang Cai is where it’s at! Thanks for another winner, you guys are the best! P.S. May I humbly request another Shanghainese recipe? cong kao huangyu (Fried yellow croaker on a bed of scallions). I recently had it at a restaurant in the old French concession and it was absolutely to die for!
Thanks Matt, Great to hear from a Shanghainese foodie! I will pass your request on to Judy who is the real expert on Shanghai cooking ;-)
Btw, what was the name of the restaurant where you had this dish?
It was at a tiny place called Jianguo 328. I’ve also had a version at Jesse Restaurant (老吉士) which was also fantastic, but that version was made with fish head.
gotcha – thanks Matt!
can you recommend a good wok to purchase.
Hi Esther, Check out our cooking tools page HERE for some Amazon links. I am in the process of checking some other sources as well and will post something when I find it!
JE SUIS EN FRANCE et je vous remercie pour toutes vos recettes. je pense qu’elles sont les meilleures que j’ai pu lire et faire. encore merci amitiés de france.
Je ne parle pas français mais je peux utiliser google translate! Bienvenue sur notre site et heureux d’entendre que vous pouvez Reead notre site Web en anglais!
Is there a type of clover that is not edible? (Says she who ate the ordinary field clover you get in the US, both red and white, both leaves and flowers, routinely as a child.)
Hi Sara, I actually thought all clover was edible too, but I had some doubts after searching online. It sounds like you have experience and my guess is that you might be right for varieties in the US. Please share if you have more information!
Looks good — I will keep my eyes open – it may show up at Ranch 99 or Uwajimaya here in Seattle. Otherwise we may be able to locate a source for seeds!
I’d love to know about the seeds Bill. Since clover is a nitrogen fixing plant, it is great to plant for a fall/early spring crop and will add nutrients back into your soil.
Hi Tom,
I could only find these seeds on Amazon, but let’s see if the other Bill can come up with something better! Certified Organic Red Clover Sprouting Seeds
Hi Bill,
I could only find these seeds on amazon so do let us know if you have a better source! Certified Organic Red Clover Sprouting Seeds