Napa Cabbage Recipes & Menu Ideas (2024)

FAQs

Do you eat the white part of napa cabbage? ›

Keep the white and the green parts separated. Cook the white part first before adding the greens, for the perfect cooked texture. (Optional) You can further slice or dice the white or green parts into smaller pieces, for example, long thin strips for making salad and coleslaw, or a small dice for dumpling filling.

napa cabbages

Napa cabbage has manganese, which has been shown to help prevent overly high blood sugar levels that can contribute to diabetes. Napa cabbage is also rich in Vitamin C, which helps to enhance our immunity.

Stored unwashed in the refrigerator, Napa is fresh up to a week. Wrapping in plastic wrap can help prevent wilting, and if a recipe calls for just part of a head, I would suggest just plucking the leaves from the outer layer instead of using a knife to chop it all at once.

If you want to serve cabbage wedges as a side dish with dinner (corned beef and cabbage, anyone?), heat a large pot of water on the stove on high heat. As it begins to steam, add the wedges. As it approaches the boiling point, the enzymes will be inactivated, so no more pungent, bitter compounds will form.

Cleaning and cooking.

Before using, discard any damaged or wilted outer leaves. Looser varieties, such as napa and bok choy, should also be rinsed to get rid of any dirt between leaves.

Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage can cause gas, bloating and diarrhea. It's best to slowly introduce these vegetables into your diet and gradually increase your intake. Individuals with sensitive digestive tracts might want to limit cabbage or talk to your doctor.

Both work well in salads and slaws, but it's not a good idea to substitute one for the other in cooked dishes. For example, napa's texture and flavor make it an ideal choice for quick stir-fries. Regular cabbage isn't as delicate as napa, so it's a better choice for slow-cooked recipes.

Both are excellent sources of important vitamins and minerals. Regular cabbage contains more calcium, zinc and potassium than napa, but napa cabbage contains higher levels of vitamins A, B3, iron and copper. Napa is also lower in sodium than regular cabbage.

If you're deciding between the two, cabbage is the more nutritious choice. However, in a situation in which only lettuce will do, try a more nutrient-dense variety like romaine or red leaf lettuce.

A significant reason for the rising price of cabbage is drought which makes it hard to grow the crop.

Can I freeze Napa cabbage? ›

The recommended methods of preserving green and Chinese cabbage are freezing or as a sauerkraut product. Frozen or dried green and Chinese cabbage are suitable only for use as cooked vegetables and used in dishes such as soups, stews and casseroles.

They should be light green/yellow and heavy for their size. Avoid those with black spots, bug holes, or other blemishes. Prepare Napa cabbage by discarding any outer leaves that are wilted. Remove leaves individually and wash to remove any dirt hidden between the leaves.

Once it's washed and cut up, cabbage can be frozen, but for longer-term storage, it's best to blanch it first. Blanched cabbage can be frozen for up to nine months, while unblanched cabbage will only keep for one to two months.

If you find yourself left with a partial head of cabbage, think twice before you toss it. While it won't last as long as a whole head, a partial head can still last up to three days after use. To store, tightly wrap the remaining cabbage in plastic wrap and refrigerate in the crisper drawer.

You can eat it raw, shredding it and adding it to tacos, salads or power bowls. Feel free to swap it in for any recipe that calls for green cabbage; its sweet flavor makes it particularly delicious in coleslaw recipes. You can also add it to salads or sandwiches to add crunch and depth of flavor.

You can regrow cabbage with almost the same methodology you use for lettuce: Place the base of the cabbage in a shallow bowl with a little water. Set near direct sunlight and, after three days, you'll start to see a few new leaves. The only difference is you'll want to mist a bit of water on the leaves.