KITCHEN REVIEW

The Essential Kitchen Review on Appliances and Ingredients

Found & Used in The Asian Kitchen

FRESH VEGETABLES IN THE KITCHEN - CHOI SUM & MUSTARD GREEN

How to choose, prepare, cook and store choi sum & mustard green

CHOI SUM

|  Mandarin: You Caixin |  Cantonese: Choi Sum  |

'Heart of the cabbage', is the meaning when you translate Choi Sum which is a member of the brassica family. It is related to the oilseed rape. It has bright green leaves and thin, pale green stalks that are slightly grooved. The bright yellow flowers at the center are responsible for its common name of Chinese flowering cabbage.

 aroma & flavor..

Choi sum has a pleasant aroma with a mild taste, and remains crisp and tender if correctly cooked.

 culinary uses..

A very popular green vegetable, choi sum is usually used for soups or stir-fries, either solo or with other ingredients.

 preparation & cooking techniques..

Little preparation is required, just wash and shake off the excess water before cutting the leaves to the required size. Most cooks would prefer to leave the stalk whole, simply blanching them in stock for a minute or two before draining them and serving with oyster sauce.

 storage..

Choi sum can be kept in the salad compartment of a fridge for three to four days of bought fresh and should ideally be used as quickly as possible.

MUSTARD GREEN

Mandarin: Gaicai  |  Cantonese: Gai choy  |

Mustard greens, unlike many oriental vegetables, which are relatively unknown outside their country of origin until recently, have long been cultivated in Europe. It is related to choi sum but it looks and taste completely different. The dark green, slightly puckered leaves were always thrown away; only the seeds were prized. It took the Chinese to introduce its delicious flavor. Mustard greens are most abundant during the winter and spring, especially from Asian supermarkets and farm shops.

 aroma & flavor..

Although mustard greens look a bit like lettuces, there the resemblance ends. The leaves have a robust, often fiery flavor and they can taste quite bitter.

 culinary uses..

Very young leaves can be eaten raw in salads while the mature leaves are best stir-fried or simmered in soups or salted and preserved like it it mostly done in China.

 preparation & cooking techniques..

The secret to some of the most delicious stir-fried mustard greens is to quickly blanch it in slightly salted boiling water or stock. This preserves the green color or the leaves and also gets rid of some of the bitter taste.

 storage..

Provided they are fresh when you buy them, mustard greens will keep for a few days if stored in the salad compartment of the refrigerator.

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Published by asianrecipesonline