Learn Your Vegetables : If you don’t know your mizuna from your mung bean sprout, you’re missing out.

The scene is all too familiar to an Asian-cooking teacher: A shopper is at the market, picks up a mysterious vegetable, looks at it--then puts it back.

Rosa Lo San Ross has come to the rescue of those who suffer such vegetable xenophobia. As a kind of culinary tour guide, she is on a mission to educate people about Asian produce: jicama, mung bean sprouts, tamarind, horned water chestnuts, to name a few.

Ross is a New York-based cooking instructor who often takes her classes through Chinatown. Having grown up in Macao and Hong Kong, she is in a good position to interpret her way through the food markets. In one exercise, Ross instructs her students to “pick out a vegetable you don’t know, and we’ll learn how to cook it.”

Americans’ exposure to Asian food has mushroomed in the last 10 to 20 years. Much of the credit goes to Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and Korean restaurants, as well as to Western chefs who have taken a fancy to fusion food and featured the likes of mizuna, bok choy and lotus root in their dishes.

Although consumers may have come to know certain dishes by name, vegetables are still somewhat mysterious, Ross contends.

Part of it, Ross says, has to do with the simple concept of recognition. “If you can’t name it, you’re not going to cook with it,” she says. With more mainstream markets carrying more Asian vegetables than ever, this is prime time to learn. Enter this chef’s new book: “Beyond Bok Choy: A Cook’s Guide to Asian Vegetables.”

Not only does Ross identify various familiar and not-so-familiar vegetables, she also includes buying, storing and growing tips and, most important, recipes.

The crisp photos leave no question as to how these vegetables look in their raw state, from the leafy greens, squashes and roots to sprouts, peas and herbs.

On the pages’ margins are the Chinese characters, so shoppers can go to Chinatown and point to the characters if they are looking for a particular vegetable and the shop owner doesn’t know it by the English name.

Ross has studied with several master chefs, including Marcella Hazan and James Beard. Many of her recipes stem from classic Chinese ones, but she also includes “fusion” dishes and such Western delights as salads and shiso risotto.

Ross notes that being adventurous is not risky in the world of Asian vegetables. “Most of the vegetables’ flavor is delicate,” she says, except perhaps the strong-tasting bitter melon.

And you don’t need to make just Chinese meals or stir-fry, she notes. “You can always incorporate.”

* Recipes adapted from “Beyond Bok Choy: A Cook’s Guide to Asian Vegetables, with 70 Recipes,” by Rosa Lo San Ross (Artisan; 1996, $25).

SOYBEAN SPROUTS WITH PORK AND BLACK BEANS

In Chinatown, you will see mounds of soybean sprouts alongside the more common mung bean sprouts. Although you can use either in this recipe, the larger soybean yellow heads are crunchier and stand up well to stir-frying. You can also substitute beef flank tips for the pork, if you prefer.

1 pound soybean sprouts

1/2 pound pork tenderloin or beef tips

4 teaspoons light soy sauce

4 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons fermented black beans

2 cloves garlic, mashed

1 tablespoon oil

1/3 cup chicken stock or water

Wash and spin-dry sprouts in salad spinner or with towel. Set aside.

Cut pork into thin strips and mix with 2 teaspoons soy sauce and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Let stand 10 minutes.

Rinse black beans to remove excess salt. In small bowl, lightly mash beans with garlic. Add oil and mix well.

Combine remaining 2 teaspoons soy sauce, chicken stock and remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch in bowl. Set sauce aside.

Heat wok over high heat. Add black bean mixture and pork and stir-fry, tossing frequently, until pork loses its pink color, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add reserved sprouts, toss once or twice, then add reserved sauce, making sure cornstarch is mixed in well.

Continue to toss and stir-fry until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

254 calories; 563 mg sodium; 28 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 25 grams protein; 2.75 grams fiber.

SNOW PEA SOUP WITH GINGER-THYME CREAM

Snow peas are common, but here they are used in a slightly different way. Select tender young pods for this lovely soup. Rosa Lo San Ross drizzles a small bit of infused ginger-thyme cream over the soup at the last minute.

GINGER-THYME CREAM

1 pint heavy cream

6 slices ginger root, cut into matchsticks

6 lemon thyme sprigs or thyme sprigs

Combine cream, ginger and thyme sprigs in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand 10 minutes. Strain and reserve.

SNOW PEAS

2 pounds tender young snow peas

1/4 cup butter

1 onion, minced

1 quart chicken stock

Salt, pepper

While cream cooks, string snow peas, if necessary, and pinch off ends. Wash and drain.

Melt butter in deep saucepan over medium heat and saute onion until soft, stirring often so as not to burn it. Add snow peas and stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until peas are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Strain peas, reserving stock. Puree snow peas in food processor or blender. Return puree and reserved stock to pan, season to taste with salt and pepper and heat. Drizzle bit of Ginger-Thyme Cream on each serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

435 calories; 681 mg sodium; 130 mg cholesterol; 38 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams protein; 3.67 grams fiber.

MEATBALLS BRAISED IN CHINESE CABBAGE

This is a variation on the traditional giant Chinese meatballs called lions’ heads. The smaller size makes them easier to serve. It is best to make this dish in a covered casserole that can be brought to the table so the cabbage “lid” is not disturbed before eating.

1 head Chinese cabbage (about 2 pounds)

4 dried shiitake mushrooms

2 tablespoons dried tree ears (wan yee)

Water

1 pound ground pork

1/2 cup diced jicama or fresh water chestnuts

1 teaspoon minced ginger root

2 green onions, including tops, minced

1 teaspoon orange peel

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

4 teaspoons cornstarch

Salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 egg

1 1/2 cups chicken stock or water

1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns

1 (2-inch) piece orange peel

2 tablespoons oil

Steamed rice, optional

Rinse cabbage, cut off base and remove 16 whole leaves. Shred remaining cabbage and reserve.

Soak mushrooms and tree ears in separate small bowls of warm water to cover until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain mushrooms, reserving soaking liquid. Cut off stems and discard. Coarsely chop mushrooms. Drain tree ears and coarsely chop.

Combine mushrooms, tree ears, pork, jicama, ginger, green onions, orange peel, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, salt to taste, sugar, pepper and egg in large bowl. Mix well to combine. Form mixture into 16 to 18 meatballs, about the size of golf balls.

Combine mushroom liquid with remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, stock, Sichuan peppercorns and piece of orange peel in small bowl. Set sauce aside.

Using 8 cabbage leaves, line heavy cast-iron casserole with 2 layers of leaves.

Heat oil in large skillet and brown meatballs, a few at a time, transferring them to cabbage-lined casserole as they are done. Pour reserved sauce over meatballs, cover with shredded cabbage, then use the remaining 8 whole leaves to cover in double layer. Place lid on casserole, bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until cabbage is tender and meatballs are thoroughly cooked and firm to the touch, 40 to 45 minutes.

Stir together remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch and 1 tablespoon cold water. Add to sauce. Return to a boil and simmer until the sauce thickens.

Bring casserole to table and serve meatballs and cabbage over steamed white rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving, without rice, contains about:

312 calories; 383 mg sodium; 109 mg cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 21 grams carbohydrates; 25 grams protein; 2.39 grams fiber.