frisée lettuce
苦菊菜· ku ju cai
Taste & Role
In Chinese home cooking, frisée is most often served raw in cold-tossed salads, dressed with vinegar, garlic, and a touch of soy or sesame oil. Its airy crunch and bitterness balance rich, savory, or spicy dishes, and it can also be used as a fresh garnish or lightly wilted into stir-fries.
What it is
Frisée lettuce, known in Chinese as kujú cài, is a variety of curly endive with finely frilled, lacy leaves that range from pale yellow-green at the heart to deeper green at the tips. It belongs to the chicory family and is prized for its crisp texture and mildly bitter flavor. Despite the name, it is technically an endive rather than a true lettuce.
Nutrition
per 100 g- Calories
- 17 kcal
- Protein
- 1.23 g
- Total fat
- 0.3 g
- Carbs
- 3.29 g
- Fiber
- 2.1 g
- Sodium
- 8 mg
USDA FoodData Central (closest standard match)
Substitutes
No registered substitutes — this one is usually easy to find.
Recipes using it
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