Napa Cabbage / Chinese Cabbage

Also known asNapa Cabbage · Wombok · Chinese Leaf · Celery Cabbage · Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis · 大白菜 · 白菜

Name: Napa cabbage, also called Chinese cabbage or wombok (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis) — an oblong head of pale green, crinkled leaves with thick white ribs, with a mild, sweet, delicate flavour. A separate Leafy Green Vegetables page covers it from a leafy-green angle.

Description

Napa cabbage was developed in northern China, probably from a cross between turnip and bok choy relatives, and has been grown for over a thousand years in the Beijing region. It is a staple in Chinese, Korean and Japanese cooking, and is the main ingredient in Korean kimchi. “Napa” comes from a Japanese word for the leaves.

Napa cabbage is more tender and sweeter than western green cabbage, and cooks quickly, with leaves that soften while the ribs stay juicy and crisp. It is used in soups, stir-fries, hot pots, dumplings and salads.

Main nutrition value

Napa cabbage provides vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and fibre, and is very low in calories, with a high water content.

How best to be consumed

Napa cabbage is mild, and absorbs the flavour of what it is cooked with.

1. Make kimchi, by salting the leaves and coating them with chilli, garlic and ginger paste.
2. Add to hot pots, noodle soups and stews in the last few minutes.
3. Stir-fry or use as a dumpling filling.
4. Shred raw for slaws and salads.
5. Store whole in the fridge, where it keeps for a couple of weeks.

Overconsumption could cause…

Napa cabbage is safe and healthy in food amounts.

1. Bloating and gas, since cruciferous vegetables contain raffinose and other fermentable carbohydrates.
2. Possible effects on warfarin and similar blood-thinning medicines because of the high vitamin K content, so keep intake steady rather than avoiding them.
3. Possible effects on thyroid function in people with an underactive thyroid or iodine deficiency if very large amounts are eaten raw, since brassicas contain goitrogens; normal cooked servings are fine.
4. A lot of salt and sodium if eaten mostly as kimchi or pickled cabbage.

GroupsCruciferous VegetablesLeafy Green VegetablesCruciferous (cabbage family)Low sodiumChineseFresh

Related foodsBok Choy / Pak ChoyGai Lan / Chinese BroccoliCollard GreensKaleMustard GreensRocket / Arugula

Wikipedia — Napa cabbage, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napa_cabbage