I had a fun and privilege to visit to Norwich Farm at Union Square with a Heritageradionetwork’s personality Leiti Hsu to talk about Chinese cabbage, which we call it “hakusai” in Japan.
Not many people in the market are attracted by Chinese cabbage as I observe. A big simple-looking head of cabbage makes people to think twice – 1. What to do with it. 2. How to make a space in my refrigerator for that big head. Chinese cabbage’s healthfulness is also forgotten because of kale. Before the frosty weather really shut down Norwich Farm operation, you better try the Chinese cabbage NOW in the following dishes.
1) Cut the crisp and firm stem part of the cabbage into 1/4-inch slices crosswise. Toss them with pinch of salt in a bowl and leave for 10 minutes. In a saucepan bring the rice vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, salt and red pepper flakes to a simmer. Transfer the vinegar liquid to a glass jar. Rinse the salted cabbage slices and squeeze to remove excess water. Add the cabbage slices to the pickling liquid. When the liquid cools down, refrigerate the jar overnight. Enjoy the pickles next day.
2. Cut the whole part of the cabbage – white part and green part – into 1-inch thick slices crosswise. In a medium pot add a little sesame oil or canola oil. When the oil is hot add some julienned ginger and chopped bacon. After 20 seconds of cooking the ginger and bacon add the white part of the cabbage. Stir to coat the cabbage with the oil, ginger and bacon. Add the chicken stock or dashi stock to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Cook the cabbage for 20 minutes. Add the green tender part of the leaves and cook additional 5 to 10 minutes. That’s it. You can replace bacon with Italian style sausage
3. Cut the whole part of the cabbage – white and green – into fine julienne strips crosswise. Section the orange and cut each section into thin slices. Have some toasted and chopped walnuts. Toss all with your favorite salad dressing. Or, use my Hiroko’s American Kitchen dressing.
2 tablespoons spicy miso sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
Sea salt
By the way Chinese cabbage is rich in vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber. We eat Chinese cabbage because it is good for us. We eat Chinese cabbage because it tastes so good.