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Pak Nai is located in the western part of Yuen Long District, Hong Kong, facing Deep Bay and Shekou, Shenzhen. The coastline of Pak Nai consists of mudflats, some of which are oyster farms, producing the famous "Lau Fau Shan oysters." The two main villages are Sheung Pak Nai Village and Ha Pak Nai Village.
Spiny Amaranth (commonly known as 勒莧菜 or 刺莧 in Hong Kong and Guangdong), scientifically named Amaranthus spinosus, is an annual herbaceous plant in the Amaranthaceae family. Native to tropical America, it has naturalized widely in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including southern China, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and Hong Kong. It often grows as a weed in disturbed areas, roadsides, gardens, and fields.
The plant grows 20–150 cm tall with erect, branched stems. Leaves are diamond-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, usually green (sometimes reddish), with a distinctive pair of sharp spines at the base of each leaf petiole—giving it the name "spiny" or "prickly." Flowers form axillary or terminal spikes, greenish or reddish, producing small seeds.
The tender stems and leaves are edible, offering a soft, smooth texture with a mild sweet-savory flavor. They can be stir-fried, added to soups, made into porridge, blanched and dressed, or used as fillings. Nutritionally, it is rich in iron, calcium, vitamins A, C, K, and dietary fiber—particularly high in iron, supporting blood production and circulation. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is considered sweet in taste and cooling in nature, with benefits including clearing heat and toxins, cooling blood to stop bleeding, promoting diuresis and removing dampness, stopping dysentery, improving eyesight, and astringing to stop diarrhea. It is popularly used for conditions like damp-heat diarrhea, dysentery, urinary issues, skin eczema, and sore throat, and is sometimes regarded as a "longevity vegetable" for bone health and digestion support.
Wild Amaranth has a soft, smooth texture and a strong, slightly sweet flavor, making it suitable for stir-frying, soups, or blanching and then mixing with other dishes. Because it contains some oxalic acid, it's recommended to blanch it for 1-2 minutes before cooking to remove some of the oxalic acid, and carefully remove the thorns at the base of the petioles (you can trim or tear off the tough stems first).
1. The Simplest Daily Way to Eat It (Preserving its Heat-Clearing and Dampness-Removing Effects)
Blanched and Mixed: Wash and cut the lespedeza into sections. Blanch it for 1-2 minutes, then rinse it in cold water. Drain well and mix with minced garlic, sesame oil, and a little soy sauce or lemon juice.
Refreshing and appetizing, perfect for summer.
Wild Amaranth Tea/Boiling: Take a handful of tender leaves and stems, add water and boil for 10-15 minutes (you can add red dates or ginger slices for flavor). Drink 2-3 times a day.
Helps clear heat and detoxify, promote urination and remove dampness.
2. Simple Home-Style Recipe:
Stir-Fried Amaranth with Garlic (Classic Recipe) 蒜蓉炒勒莧菜（最經典做法）
Ingredients: A bunch of amaranth (about 300-400g), 4-6 cloves of garlic (minced or smashed), 2 tablespoons of oil, a pinch of salt (you can add a little water or oyster sauce).
Instructions:
Wash the amaranth, remove the tough stems and thorns, and cut into 5-7cm sections (you can peel off the outer skin of the tough stems).
Heat oil in a wok, sauté the minced garlic until golden brown.
Add the amaranth and stir-fry quickly over high heat for 1 minute, add a little water (about half a cup), cover and simmer for 1-2 minutes until softened.
Season with salt (you can thicken with a light cornstarch slurry if you prefer a smoother texture).
This dish is simple, quick, and goes perfectly with rice, while retaining its cooling properties.
Lean Pork and Amaranth Soup 勒莧菜肉片湯 / 瘦肉湯
Ingredients: A bunch of amaranth, 150g lean pork (sliced), 2 cloves garlic (crushed), ginger slices, about 1.5 liters of water or chicken broth, salt to taste.
Marinade: Light soy sauce, cornstarch, a little sugar.
Instructions:
Marinate the pork slices with the marinade.
Bring water/broth to a boil in a pot, add garlic, ginger slices, and pork slices, and cook until the pork is cooked through.
Add the washed and chopped amaranth and cook for 5-8 minutes (add the stems first, then the leaves), season with salt.
You can add tomatoes or winter melon for variations; the soup will have a beautiful color and good heat-clearing and dampness-removing effects.
Wild Amaranth and Century Egg Soup (Broth Version) 金銀蛋勒莧菜（上湯版）
Ingredients: A bunch of amaranth, 1-2 century eggs, 1-2 salted eggs, garlic, ginger slices, broth or water.
Instructions:
Peel and dice the century eggs and salted eggs.
Heat oil in a pan and sauté minced garlic and ginger slices until fragrant. Add stock and bring to a boil.
Add basil and cook until softened. Add egg pieces and cook for 2 minutes. Season to taste.
This dish is rich in egg flavor and goes perfectly with rice, suitable for the whole family.
Wild Amaranth and Egg Stir-fry 勒莧菜炒蛋
Ingredients: A handful of tender basil leaves, 2-3 eggs, minced garlic, oil, salt.
Instructions:
Wash and finely chop (or cut into sections) the basil.
Beaten the eggs with a pinch of salt.
Sauté minced garlic in a hot pan until fragrant. Add the basil and stir-fry quickly until softened. Pour in the beaten eggs and stir-fry until cooked.
Simple and nutritious, suitable for breakfast or bento boxes.
3. Other Variations
Wild Amaranth and Anchovy Stir-fry: Sauté minced garlic and dried anchovies, then add the basil and stir-fry together. This enhances the calcium content.
Wild Amaranth porridge: When white porridge reaches a thick consistency, add chopped lepidium amaranth and dried scallop strips, simmer for a few minutes. Suitable for the elderly or patients.
Vegetarian version: Simmer clear broth with shiitake mushrooms, winter melon, and ginger slices, then add lepidium amaranth at the end.
Western variation: Blanch and then toss with olive oil, lemon, and garlic. Use in salads or with pasta (blanching reduces oxalic acid).
Precautions:
Be careful of the thorns on the petioles when collecting or processing to avoid skin injury.
Contains a relatively high amount of oxalic acid; blanching before cooking is recommended. Those with weak spleen and stomach, pregnant women, or poor kidney function should consume in moderation.
Start with a small amount and observe your body's reaction.
Fresh, tender shoots are most effective; older stems can be peeled or cooked separately until soft.
Wild Amaranth is cooling in nature and has strong heat-clearing and dampness-removing properties, suitable for those with damp-heat constitution. It can be consumed alternately with wintergreen (which clears heat and detoxifies).
These recipes are mainly based on Hong Kong and Cantonese home-style cooking, simple to make, and easy to integrate into your daily diet. If you prefer a vegan diet, want to add specific ingredients (such as dried shrimp or tomatoes), or need a diabetes-friendly/low-oxalate version, let me know, and I can adjust the suggestions accordingly! Remember to maintain a balanced diet; leek is suitable as a supplementary health vegetable.
Precaution: Contains oxalates, so blanching before cooking is recommended to reduce them. Consume in moderation if you have weak digestion, cold constitution, or are pregnant. When harvesting wild plants, handle carefully due to the spines.
