I mentioned in this post that I thought it would make a good resolution for somebody, maybe even me, to regularly test-drive a new kind of vegetable when selecting produce. In spite of that, I have to admit that I haven't deviated much from my usual rotation of frequently-eaten vegetables. However, recently I was tempted by this pretty Napa cabbage, and I decided to try it.
I almost never buy cabbages in the summer or fall, because I went through one winter where I was really doing my best to eat locally and I ended up eating cabbage many times a week in February and March, I think. Since then, I tend to eat just about anything else while I can get it. Still, when I was a regular cabbage buyer, I grew to appreciate that it is incredibly hardy: even after you slice into it, it can just sit in your refrigerator for a month or so (I don't know if I ever tried neglecting one for longer) and is very little the worse for wear. Which is ideal for solo meals - you just cut off what you need and put the rest back for later, and feel pleased with yourself for being a good girl (or boy) and getting your cruciferous vegetables in the winter. I'd buy both red and green, and often include the cabbage in a spicy soup, and it did become rather comforting.
I was lured into buying this one, in spite of the season, because of its pretty looks, and I convinced myself that it was kind of, sort of a new vegetable, because I've never owned a cabbage that looks like this one before. I bought it at the D & J stand in union square, which also sells Kimchi (apparently made from these), without noticing that you pay for it by the pound and that this cabbage was quite large. So here you can admire a glamour-shot of the most expensive cabbage I've bought in my life. For fear that my readers will be outraged I'll keep the price to myself - let's just say that it cost over $5.
However, true to its cabbage nature, this cabbage has been lasting on and on, so it's almost covering its rent in my fridge (not that i normally try to charge my produce for lodgings). According to wikipedia, the reliable source of comprehensive and well-vetted information:
Napa cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis), also known as celery cabbage, is a type of Chinese cabbage originating near the Beijing region of China, and is widely used in East Asian cuisine.[1] In much of the world, this is the vegetable referred to as "Chinese cabbage". It is also called akusay in some countries. Napa cabbage is lighter in color than other Chinese cabbages such as bok choy, which is also sometimes called Chinese cabbage.
In Korean cuisine, it is the main ingredient of baechu kimchi, the most common type of kimchi, but is also eaten raw as a wrap for pork or oysters, dipped in gochujang. The outer, tougher leaves are used in soups.
Napa cabbage is widely used in China, Japan, and Korea. Because of immigrants from these nations, it is also readily found in many North American, European and Australian cities.
The flavor has been described by some as delicate compared to bok choy or cabbage, and it can be used in stir-fry with other ingredients such as tofu, mushroom or zucchini.
I actually don't find the flavor to be very much different from regular green cabbage, except that perhaps it is very slightly milder (which does not prevent it from emitting that strong cabbage smell when you cook it). So far I've used some of it in a soupy stew (before it started to be 90 degrees in the city again), and I've used other parts of it just to sautee and eat with lunch. So I haven't been terribly experimental, but I am enjoying it, and I have just less than half left, so who knows what inspiration may strike...
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