My mother called it "san choy" or "slimy vegetable". Now it's just plain "red vegetable", according to the information on the plastic bag in which it is packed. Maybe the change in name is because the vegetable is less slimy now than I remember it to have been in my childhood.
Whatever the name, the vegetable is just as good in a soup like my mother used to make. It's not quite the same yet close enough to recall a taste of what used to be.
Put some water in a pot, add a handful of wolfberries and dried silver fish and a slice of ginger. Let the stock simmer while you clean the vegetables. Add the stalks to the pot; allow them to soften. Then add the leaves. After a minute or so, beat an egg and add to the soup. Swirl the egg around to make clumps. Turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper and a few drops of sesame oil.
My mother used to cook this with a salted egg instead. If you use that, add the yolk earlier to allow it to cook properly. Lay off the salt or the soup would be too salty.
