Status: 19.09.2022 13:37
With its fine aroma, Pak Choi is ideal for Asian cuisine. The vegetable is related to Chinese cabbage and is also known as mustard cabbage.
Visually, Pak Choi somewhat resembles Swiss chard, but its taste is completely different. The white stalks have a very mild spiciness, which is especially effective in Asian dishes. Pak choi is therefore very popular as an ingredient in wok-fried dishes. But fine cabbage also tastes great as an ingredient in vegetable soup, roasted in the oven or raw in a salad.
Prepare the pak choi properly
Pak choi pairs well with noodles, such as in an Asian-inspired vegetable soup.
Before processing, first cut off the woody stem and possibly the outer leaves. Wash well and chop the leaves and stems separately. The stems take significantly longer to cook than the leaves, so always fry or boil the stems first, they take about four minutes – this way the vegetables stay al dente. Add the leaves at the very end. They only need to be folded briefly and are ready in just one or two minutes.
Pak Choi is often prepared in a wok or pan. Simply fry in oil and season with Asian flavors, such as coriander, ginger, lemongrass and soy sauce. For a vegetable soup or a specialty Japanese ramen noodle soup, stir-fry the pak choi first. Then add the soup and season as desired.
Pak Choi as a side dish or salad
Raw Pak Choi goes well with olives, tomatoes or avocado.
Alternatively, Pak Choi can be prepared in a similar way to spinach or Swiss chard, for example as a side dish to poultry or lamb. To do this, briefly sauté the cabbage or stew it with a few diced onions. Kale can also be processed well, for example with potatoes and minced meat in a casserole that is baked with cheese in the oven.
Pak choi also tastes good raw as a crisp salad: cut the leaves and stems into small pieces and use as a leafy salad, combine with other vegetables as desired. Marinate with classic oil and vinegar vinaigrette.
Buying and storing pak choi
Although Pak Choi originally comes from Asia, the vegetable is available here all year round. The goods often come from Dutch greenhouse cultivation. Outdoor Pak Choi comes from June to November. When you buy cabbage, it should be crisp and firm, with no wilted parts or brown spots. Consume pak choi as soon as possible. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, best wrapped in a damp cloth.
Grow your own pak choi
If Pak Choi is sown only in late summer, the plants develop densely and compactly.
If you have a garden, you can easily grow Asian cabbage yourself. Pak Choi is quite insensitive, needs a sunny to semi-shady location and can be transplanted or sown directly outdoors. Since Pak Choi belongs to the so-called short-day plants, the ideal time for sowing is relatively late (from mid-July to early August). If there is too much light and heat, otherwise it cracks very quickly.
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