Do you know your Bok Choy from your Choy Sum?
Spring is finally here and it’s the perfect time to enjoy young, tender Asian leafy greens. Here’s a deep dive into some of the varieties you’ll generally find in our Fresh Produce department at Hill Street, recipe suggestions included!
All members of the brassica family, Asian leafy greens are super-healthy for you, containing cancer-preventing glucosinolates, as well as fibre, vitamins and minerals. They’re a great way to add colour and nutrition to soups and stir-fries or as a side vegetable with just about anything.
Here’s a deep dive into some of the Asian leafy greens you’ll generally find at Hill Street, complete with recipe suggestions.
Bok (or Buk) Choy grows in a bunch and has tender dark green or yellow-green leaves and a mellow, peppery taste. Its stalks are generally greenish-white and crunchy. It comes into the stores as mature Bok Choy or Baby Bok Choy. It’s also known as Pak Choy when it has green stems, but it’s the same plant. Bok Choy is best for stir-fry, braising, steaming, sautéeing or wilting into soups.
We love this recipe for Bok Choy in Ginger Sauce from Nagi Maehashi of Recipe Tin Eats, or make these Bok Choy-filled Spinach Potstickers from Hill Street’s recipe collection.
Wombok is also known as Chinese cabbage. It’s the longer, white/pale yellow cabbage you see displayed with the other cabbages, and has a delicate, milder and slightly sweeter taste than green cabbage. It can be stir-fried, wilted into soups or hot pots, or used raw if shredded finely.
Here’s the recipe for what Nagi Maehashi suggests is Australia’s favourite salad, featuring Wombok, as well as a great Asian slaw accompanying this fish dish.
Chinese Broccoli is also known as Gai lan or Chinese kale. It has wide, flat, dark green leaves and firm pale green stalks. It’s great blanched, steamed, or stir-fried.
Here’s a classic way to prepare Chinese broccoli from Nagi Maehashi.
Choy Sum, also known as Chinese flowering cabbage or Yu Choy, is a green leafy vegetable. It doesn’t form one head like a cabbage does, and instead forms long, thick stalks and yellow flowers. It’s similar to Chinese broccoli but has thinner stems and a milder flavour. It’s great stir-fried or steamed, added to soups or eaten raw in salads.
Here's Nagi’s Chicken Stir Fry Chop Suey, featuring Choy Sum.
For more springtime inspiration have a look at our Season Guide for everything that’s fresh, tasty and new in spring, including recipes!