Chinese cabbage is a vegetable of the Brassica genus. such as broccoli, cauliflower, turnips or cabbage. It is native to China but its cultivation and consumption have spread throughout the world. Here we call it «Chinese cabbage», in Japan, hakusai; in Korea, baechu; in China «dàbáicài» or siu choy; in Australia, wombok; in the Philippines, petsay; in Russia, pekinskaya kapusta, etc.

Although cabbages in general were already known in Europe around 1000 BC, Chinese cabbages did not arrive until the 16th century, and It was during the 20th century that they became popular.

Discover in the following video the properties of these 6 cabbages:

You can find bok choy in any supermarket. and in many greengrocers, markets and flea markets. They are elongated, like romaine lettuces, but pale in color, with leaves with very wide stalks. They are brown, like cabbage, and are in season from late summer to late winter.

Properties of Chinese cabbage

Chinese cabbage contains good amounts of thiamine, riboflavin, magnesium and phosphorus, and is a good source of fiber, vitamins A, C, K, B6, K, folic acid, calcium, potassium and manganese, making it a very interesting vegetable to vary our meals.

These are the Chinese cabbage characteristics:

• Although the leaves have large white stalks, larger than those of chard, They are not fibrous or hard. They break easily and They are crunchy, similar to lettuce.
• The inner leaves have more yellow and whitish colors because they do not get the sun when they grow, just like what happens with endives for example.
• When we cut it we see that They are a lot of layers of very tight leaves, crispy, smooth and slightly curly.
• Its flavor is very smooth and slightly sweet. It does not have the characteristic odors of cabbages and cabbages.
• It can be eaten raw, cooked, pickled or fermented. In Asia, in general, it is widely used and It is used in every possible way.

Choose, buy and preserve Chinese cabbage

• When you buy Chinese cabbage make sure it’s tight, that the leaves are smooth and without spots. That it feels heavy for its size.
• Many times they come in bags to prevent them from opening during handling and placement. Don’t remove the bag, It will be good for you to store them.
• Chinese cabbages They last a long time as long as we keep them in the refrigerator a little protected. If they come in a bag, leave it on. It will last 2-3 weeks fresh, during which you can pick leaves to use in your dishes.
• Chinese cabbage does not turn out very well frozen, in fact lThe grace is to consume it fresh, whether raw or cooked, both for its flavor and its textures. If you freeze it, it will be too soft when defrosted.

raw bok choy

You can take loose sheets or cut the cabbage into pieces or thin strips from the tip to the root.

• Always wash it well before using it.
• You can put it in salads, both with fresh leaves and with sauces (like coleslaw).
• It goes very well with tahini sauces, peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce or rice vinegar.
• You can also serve it in wedges (cut each half into 4 pieces) with a simple dressing.

Steamed Chinese cabbage

You can steam your bok choy as a side dish or complementary dish. Wash it, cut it into medium-large pieces and put it in your steam basket for 3-5 minutes. You can leave it as long as you want, but in 3-5 minutes it will be al dente (tender but with texture).

• Serve it with soy sauce and rice vinegar, or with garlic sauces.
• If you prefer and your steamer is large, You can cut the whole cabbage in half lengthwise and steam it. Before putting it in the steamer, put a little salt between the leaves. It will take 15-20 minutes, depending on the size. Halfway through cooking, turn it over so that the outer leaves, which are thicker, cook well.
• Serve it as is with a sauce based on soy sauce, garlic, rice vinegar, shallots, etc.
• Steaming is not as tasty as with other cooking methods, but It will be very good.

Stir-fried Chinese cabbage

It is one of the most common ways to cook bok choy. It is made quickly, is juicy and tasty and allows us to make quick vegetable dishes.

• You can cut the cabbage however you want, in thin strips or medium pieces.
• Add it to the pan when the rest of the ingredients are almost done, because it will be done quickly. Put the pieces of the stalks first and then the leaves. You can let it brown for a little while or quickly sauté it for a couple of minutes until it’s tender.
• It goes very well with all kinds of ingredients, But I recommend that you try tofu, spring onion, sesame seeds, carrots, fine green beans, snow peas, peas, bean sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, rice and noodles.

Blanched Chinese cabbage

It consists of putting the cabbage in boiling water for a very short time and then cooling it quickly by transferring it to a bowl of very cold water. In this way we tenderize it but without cooking it completely.
With this technique you can use the leaves as roll wafers and fill them with whatever you want without them breaking.

• The leaves outdoors need 2-3 minutes, while the interior ones only 1-2 minutes, depending on the hardness.
• Fill your Chinese cabbage leaves with chopped legumes and vegetablesfilled with spring rolls, tofu, textured soy, tempeh, croquette dough… whatever you want.
• To close them well you can use toothpicks or tie them with chives.
• Once your rolls are formed You can serve them as is or steam them a little more. or grilled for an extra touch of flavor.

boiled chinese cabbage

Chinese cabbage is added to soups, broths and stews.and let it boil with the rest of the ingredients, or it is added at the end if we want it to preserve the texture.

• You can cut it however you want, depending on the dish you are going to prepare. For example, in thin strips for miso soups and in medium pieces for stews and minestrone.
• Chinese cabbage boiled alone does not have much flavor and the texture is soft. If we cook it with more ingredients it will be much better, in addition to taking the opportunity to include this cabbage in any of those dishes.

pickled bok choy

One of the most popular ways to serve bok choy in East Asian countries is pickled.

• You can make a quick pickle with rice vinegar and other ingredients, leaving it in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours, or, for more flavor and better texture, leaving it for at least 3 days.
• In Korea, in addition to traditional kimchi, they also make other quick pickles, such as baechu-geotjeori. It is made with the same ingredients as kimchi, but instead of putting the mixture of spices and spices between the leaves, the cabbage is cut into medium pieces, mixed with the other ingredients and served immediately.

Fermented Chinese cabbage

The best known fermented with Chinese cabbage is kimchi. At the end of summer and in autumn, when the bok choy is harvested, a good amount of kimchi is made, which is stored in large ceramic vats and left to ferment. It is consumed throughout the year.

• Kimchi is not difficult to make, but it is laborious and requires special ingredients, such as glutinous rice flour, buchu (kow choi or nira, similar to garlic garlic, usually sold in Asian supermarkets), gochugaru, etc.
• Use a traditional Korean kimchi recipe and adapt it with all the ingredients you can find. Also remember to have containers available both to prepare it and to store it, because it will begin to ferment in 24-48 hours but will need a few more days to mature the flavor.

Chinese cabbage for filling

Chinese cabbage can be chopped finely or in strips to use as a filling for spring rolls, dumplings or Chinese dough, pancakes and stuffed breads, dumplings and empanadas, etc.

• In general It looks very good in masses, It does not release water, it is made in its own juice and provides a very good flavor.
• It is not necessary to cook it Before using it for these purposes, just wash it and chop it finely before mixing with the rest of the ingredients.