Is a Chinese lettuce the same as a Chinese cabbage?
Many people assume that since cabbage and lettuce look the same, they taste the same. Cabbage and lettuce are both green vegetables that have many layers of leaves. However, cabbage is tougher and contains less water than lettuce does. Cabbage is typically boiled or steamed or used in coleslaw.
How to cook and eat Chinese cabbage?
Steps
- Take the outer leaves off of the cabbage. This may have already been done for you depending on where you bought your cabbage.
- Cut the cabbage into halves or quarters and place in a bowl of water to wash them.
- Dip the cabbage in and out of the water a few times, before straining it.
- Cut out the core of the cabbage.
Can I eat Chinese cabbage raw?
What is Chinese cabbage good for? In addition to its health benefits, Chinese cabbage can be used in a variety of different dishes. You can eat it raw, shredding it and adding it to tacos, salads or power bowls. Feel free to swap it in for any recipe that calls for green cabbage; its sweet flavor makes it particularly delicious in coleslaw recipes.
How do you grow Chinese cabbage?
Where to Plant Chinese Cabbage
- Grow Chinese cabbage in full sun in cool regions and in partial shade in warm regions.
- Plant Chinese cabbage in well-worked, well-drained but moisture-retentive soil rich in organic matter.
- Add aged compost to planting beds before planting and side dress crops with compost again at midseason.
Is there another name for Chinese cabbage?
rapa var. pekinensis) Chinese cabbage is also known as napa, napa cabbage, pe-tsai, wongbok, or chihli.
What is the difference between Chinese cabbage and napa cabbage?
Napa cabbage is a type of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa var. pekinensis) with an oval head of light green leaves. Its common names include Chinese white cabbage, Peking cabbage, or celery cabbage (due to its white stalks). The word “napa” comes from the Japanese word for leaves, but in Japan, it's called hakusai.
How do you eat Chinese cabbage?
Chinese cabbage can be steamed, boiled, quickly stir-fried, or eaten raw. Cooked leaves and stalks add flavor to soups, stews, pasta dishes, and stir-fries. Use succulent central ribs raw: slice or coarsely shred for salads or slaws, or cut into strips for raw-vegetable platters.
What cabbage is closest to Chinese cabbage?
Napa cabbage is an Asian-style cabbage with long, ruffled edges. Napa cabbage is great in stir-fries, salads, and noodle dishes, among other things. As a result, most well-stocked supermarkets carry napa cabbage, which has become a popular vegetable in the United States.
Is Chinese cabbage and cabbage the same?
Regular cabbage grows into a round sphere, its leaves curling inward until they form a tight ball. Chinese cabbage, on the other hand, grows into an oblong shape, its leaves frilling out towards the edges. It's light green with yellow tints, and has a sweeter flavor than its round cousins.
Is bok choy and Chinese cabbage the same thing?
DID YOU KNOW? Turnips, Chinese cabbage, and bok choy are all the same plant species. THE CHINESE CABBAGE AND BOK CHOY PLANTS Chinese cabbage leaves are in a “head” and bok choy leaves are loosely joined together. The heads of Chinese cabbage can have different shapes.
Can Chinese cabbage be eaten raw?
Halfway between green lettuce and white cabbage, Chinese cabbage has an elongated head of large bright green leaves on thick white stalks. With its delicate flavour, this cruciferous vegetable can be eaten raw or cooked.
What are the benefits of Chinese cabbage?
Helps build strong bones. New bone materials alongside Vitamin K and Calcium in Chinese cabbage play an important role of keeping the teeth and bones strong. ... Fights fatigue and anemia. ... Helps regulate blood pressure. ... Cardiovascular health. ... Weight loss. ... Strengthen the immune system. ... Eye health. ... Digestive health.More items...
How do you cut Chinese cabbage?
0:000:23Cooking Tips : How to Slice Napa Cabbage - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipTo slice your napa cabbage take 1/2 of your cleaned cabbage and flip it over this will make itMoreTo slice your napa cabbage take 1/2 of your cleaned cabbage and flip it over this will make it easier to slice next with your knife. Kind of make slices. Through your cabbage.
Is Chinese cabbage lettuce?
What is Chinese Leaf – is it a cabbage or a lettuce? Chinese Leaf is a type of brassica. Its botanical name is Brassica Rapa – Pekinensis group. It's also known as Chinese, napa, or celery cabbage, or wombok.
What's the difference between napa cabbage and green cabbage?
Green cabbage is the most common and best-known variety of cabbage. It is a tightly wrapped and ball-shaped cabbage, while napa cabbage looks more like leafy lettuce. The shape of the head is not the only difference between green and napa cabbage. The leaves of green cabbage are thicker and almost rubbery.
What is the best tasting cabbage?
Green cabbage is the most popular and widely used. Think of it as your basic white tee ― it works in any season and tastes great with anything. Its leaves are sturdy, crisp and peppery; it's wonderful in coleslaws and salads, as well as sautéed or even grilled.
Is napa cabbage the same as Chinese leaf?
Chinese Leaf is a type of brassica. Its botanical name is Brassica Rapa – Pekinensis group. It's also known as Chinese, napa, or celery cabbage, or wombok.
What is Chinese napa cabbage?
Napa cabbage, also known as celery cabbage and wong bok, is a vegetable with pale green outer leaves and a yellow center. Along with bok choy, napa cabbage is one of the most popular types of Chinese cabbage. Napa cabbage originated in northern China and has a mild, sweet flavor.
Are bok choy and Napa cabbage the same thing?
Napa cabbage resembles the Romaine lettuce as well as the Swiss chard. Bok choy, on the other hand, resembles just Swiss chard and resembles it more than napa cabbage due to its dark green leaves and pale green stalks. They also have different textures.
Which is healthier cabbage or napa cabbage?
Cabbage has more thiamin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6. Cabbage has signficantly more Vitamin K than napa cabbage. Cabbage is a great source of dietary fiber. Cabbage is an excellent source of Vitamin C.
Buying, Cooking, and Recipes
Rhonda Parkinson is a freelance writer who has authored many cookbooks, including two Everything guides to Chinese cooking.
What Is Chinese Cabbage?
The scientific name for Chinese cabbage is Brassica rapa. Napa cabbage, the most common variety, is the subspecies pekinensis. The name is most likely derived from the Japanese word nappa —meaning leafy green—rather than a location, which is why it's not capitalized.
How to Cook With Chinese Cabbage
Napa cabbage can be eaten raw in salads. It has high water content and takes on a sweet and juicy flavor when cooked, picking up other flavors from the food it's cooked with. Since it softens as well, it's frequently added to stir-fries and soups in the last stages of cooking.
What Does It Taste Like?
Raw napa cabbage has a thin, crisp texture and a mild taste, and when cooked, it softens and gets sweeter.
Chinese Cabbage Recipes
Napa cabbage is often featured in Chinese noodle dishes, spring rolls, potstickers, and pork buns, as well as stir-fries .
Where to Buy
Due to its increased popularity, it is getting easier to find napa cabbage in grocery stores, where it's often sold by the pound. If you don't have luck there, it's regularly available in Asian markets. When selecting napa cabbage, look for a head with firm green leaves that are not wilted or look like they have been eaten by bugs.
Storage
Store napa cabbage in plastic wrap because you'll rarely find a head that fits in plastic storage bags. It will keep well in the crisper section of the refrigerator for about three days. If you plan on cooking it, you may be able to get away with a longer period of time. The cabbage has gone bad when you notice spots on the leaves.
It has a distinctive flavor
Chinese cabbage is available in several forms, such as napa cabbage — that types name probably derives from the Japanese word nappa, rather than the location in California, says The Spruce Eats. According to The Kitchn, its sweeter taste works especially well in dishes like salads.
It's packed with nutrients
Chinese cabbage offers several health perks to those who consume it regularly. According to Healthline, Chinese cabbage is a great low-calorie option and convenient to add to your regular diet with a few tweaks. What's more, one cup only has around 22 calories, one gram of protein, and two grams of fiber.
You can experiment with it
If you're considering introducing Chinese cabbage into your meals, you'll be happy to know that you don't need to feel restricted to a few options. Feel free to experiment a little. According to Taste of Home, coleslaw is especially tasty when made with Chinese cabbage. Or go ahead and add the vegetable to your sandwiches to make them crunchier.
Choosing and Buying
Napa cabbage is a very versatile ingredient to cook with. It can be eaten raw, quickly cooked like in a stir-fry, or cooked for a long time in a rich stew. Like tofu, Napa cabbage absorbs the flavors of the foods around it. That’s why a lot of Chinese people like to add Napa cabbage in their soups or cook in a hot pot.
Cooking
Napa cabbage is so versatile and quite popular in Chinese cuisine. It's a key ingredient in Chinese creamed cabbage. This is a rare type of recipe. Dairy products were rarely used in China, partly because of the high incidence of lactose intolerance among the East Asian population.
History
The Chinese cabbage was principally grown in the Yangtze River Delta region, but the Ming Dynasty naturalist Li Shizhen popularized it by bringing attention to its medicinal qualities. The variant cultivated in Zhejiang around the 14th century was brought north and the northern harvest of napa cabbage soon exceeded the southern one.
Cultivar groups
There are two distinctly different groups of Brassica rapa used as leaf vegetables in China, and a wide range of cultivars within these two groups. The binomial name B. campestris is also used.
Pekinensis Group
This group is the more common of the two, especially outside Asia; names such as napa cabbage, dà báicài (Chinese: 大白菜, "large white vegetable"); Baguio petsay or petsay wombok ( Tagalog ); Chinese white cabbage; "wong a pak" (Hokkien, Fujianese); baechu ( Korean : 배추 ), wongbok and hakusai ( Japanese: 白菜 or ハクサイ) usually refer to members of this group.
Nutrition
Napa cabbage is an extremely low- calorie vegetable. One cup of cooked napa (109 g) is only 13 calories, with 2.4 grams of carbohydrates, according to the USDA FoodData Central. It is rich in vitamin K and vitamin C. It also contains manganese, calcium, folate, and magnesium. [3]
Buy & Store
When buying napa cabbage, select one that has bright white ribs and firm green leaves. It should also feel heavy. It is best to use the Chinese leaves in the first two or three days to enjoy its crispness. However, it can stay in the refrigerator for longer if you cover it with cling wrap.
How to Cook Napa Cabbage?
If you are wondering what to do with napa cabbage, here are some of the easiest ways to use it.
How to Sow
Sow seeds from spring to early summer in the North, again in midsummer for a fall crop. In the South and other frost-free areas, sow from fall to spring.
How to Grow
Protect spring plantings with floating row covers to keep flea beetles away.
Harvest and Preserving Tips
Harvest heads when they become firm. Cut stems at soil level and remove outer leaves.
Common Disease Problems
Bacterial Leaf Spot: This causes brown water soaked spots on the foliage which eventually makes the foliage turn yellow. It thrives in cooler temperatures. Burpee Recommends: Remove infected plants. Rotate crops with plants in a different family. Avoid overhead watering. Do not work around plants when they are wet.
Common Pest and Cultural Problems
Aphids: Greenish, red, black or peach colored sucking insects can spread disease as they feed on the undersides of leaves. They leave a sticky residue on foliage that attracts ants. Burpee Recommends: Introduce or attract natural predators into your garden such as lady beetles and wasps which feed on aphids.
Chinese cabbage FAQs
My Chinese cabbage is forming small flower buds that look like broccoli. What is this? It sounds like your Chinese cabbage is bolting. This can happen when it is exposed to low temperatures for extended periods. Plants can also bolt when the temperatures are too warm in spring.
History
Characteristics
- The more common of the two groups, this cabbage is most often referred to as Napa cabbage, but you may also see it labeled as Chinese white cabbage, Peking cabbage, or celery cabbage. This oblong shaped, large-headed cabbage has firmly packed, crinkly, pale green, thickly veined leaves and a white stalk (hence the alternative name). More healthful ...
Diet
- When selecting Napa cabbage, look for firm green leaves that are not wilted or look like they have been eaten by bugs. Store the cabbage in a plastic bag in the crisper section of the refrigerator for up to three days. If you notice any spots have developed on the leaves, it means the cabbage has gone bad and turned bitter and should not be eaten.
Varieties
- Although most often labeled as bok choy, this type of Chinese cabbage is also known as bok choi, pok choy, white mustard cabbage, andto add confusionChinese white cabbage. Instead of forming a cabbage head, bok choy develops a cluster of leaves that are smooth and dark green, creating a structure similar to celery. This type of Chinese cabbage is prevalent in Southeast Asi…
Appearance
- Bok choy is commonly found in supermarkets, and you will see both smaller \"baby bok choy\" as well as the mature larger variety. Baby bok choy is light green in color, distinguishing itself from the mature bok choy's dark green leaves growing from the white stems.
Cuisine
- Napa cabbage and bok choy are both eaten raw in salads and can be cooked similarly. Napa cabbage has a high water content and thus, when cooked, takes on a sweet and juicy taste. It is often featured in Chinese noodle dishes, spring rolls, potstickers, and pork buns, as well as stir-fries, such as a spicy stir-fried Chinese cabbage dish. Chinese pork dumplings include Napa cab…
Variations
- In addition to incorporating into traditional Chinese recipes, you can also use Napa cabbage to line a bamboo steamer to help prevent food from sticking to the bottom when cooking.
Preparation
- Before cooking with bok choy, you need to remove any dirt from inside the leaves. To clean, quarter the baby bok choy or chop mature bok choy and place in a bowl of cold water; move the leaves around a bit to release the dirt and then transfer to a bowl lined with paper towel.