Peking cabbage, also known as Chinese cabbage, has pale, light green tender leaves with crisp, broad white ribs, gathered in a taut, elongated head of cabbage. The taste of this cabbage is delicate, soft and slightly sweet, it is combined with meat, poultry, vegetables. Both hot and cold dishes are prepared from Chinese cabbage.
How to prepare Chinese cabbage for cooking
Take a head of Chinese cabbage and remove the top leaves, as well as get rid of yellowed or withered leaves. Cut the cabbage in half lengthwise. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
If you want to stuff it, cut only the bottom quarter and take the remaining head of cabbage apart into leaves. Otherwise, cut the top half in half again, but chop it lengthwise and finely. Cut the lower part lengthwise into quarters and cut the hard bottom obliquely. Remove stiff ribs and chop the leaves as well. The cabbage is ready to cook.
Choose fresh and firm, heavy cabbages, free of dead leaves and mold. Small black specks on the foliage are normal for Chinese cabbage.
What can be cooked from Chinese cabbage
Delicious fresh rolls are obtained from the delicate leaves of Chinese cabbage, you can also wrap the filling in them and cook like stuffed cabbage, stewed in tomato sauce.
In Korea, hot kimchi is made from shredded cabbage. For this, several cups of shredded leaves are poured with a tablespoon of hot sambal sauce, three tablespoons of rice vinegar, 3-4 chopped garlic cloves and a pinch of salt. The kimchi is stirred, left in the refrigerator overnight and then served.
You can store your Chinese cabbage for several weeks in the refrigerator if you wrap the unwashed cabbage in plastic and place it in the vegetable section.
You can cook Chinese cabbage in the same way as white cabbage - simmer, add to casseroles and soups, but significantly reduce the cooking time, since the leaves of Chinese cabbage are more tender. Add shredded cabbage to vegetable salads for a pleasantly juicy texture and crunch slightly on your teeth.
Peking cabbage can be frozen by blanching the leaves in boiling water.
Peking cabbage is a common ingredient in Chinese rolls and pancakes. It is placed in the filling along with shrimp or chicken pieces, rice noodles, and finely chopped carrots. If you put Chinese cabbage in lean chicken or meat broth and heat it slightly, you get a delicious low-calorie soup.
If you mix cabbage with boiled rice, chopped onions, crushed garlic, sesame oil and hot red pepper flakes, and then bake in an oven preheated to 170 ° C, you get a delicious vegetarian casserole.
