Chinese cabbage
Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis
Similar veggies:
Bok choi, tatsoi
A quick introduction
Chinese cabbage is crunchy kind of cabbage with a high water percentage. It can be eaten raw although it is more commonly cooked and used in stir-fries. It grows in fall but needs to be harvested before the first frost.
Storage
Chinese cabbage stores for a week or 2 in the vegetable drawer of the fridge.
Season
Fall
Suggestions for preparation
Chinese cabbage is great in stir-fries and adds great texture (much like bok choi). We like to throw bigger chunks of Chinese cabbage into a very hot pan, sautée them for a minute or two, add finely chopped garlic and ginger and saute all together for a few more minutes. Add some soy sauce at the end and take off the fire. This way the stems remain crunchy and add a nice texture to stir-fries or noodle soups. Chinese cabbage can also be used as a raw ingredients in salads when chopped finely. We like to add a Caesar salad type dressing to it with anchovies.
Recipes
Here a great recipe for a lemongrass stir-fry by Nigel Slater that works will all kinds of different greens!
Stir fried cabbage with garlic and fish sauce (for a vegetarian version, kimchi juice can be used instead of fish sauce)
Time consuming to make but delicious: Japanese Pork and Cabbage Dumplings (Gyoza).
Vegan mushroom, udon & cabbage soup: (this soup can be made with lots of different vegetables, think turnips, mustard greens or pumpkin...
Pad Thai with whatever veggies you feel like!
Make kimchi and then use it to make these delicious pancakes (with or without pork)
A tip from one of our member: stir-fry vegetables with Korean gochujang chili paste. Quick and easy!