Name: Tatsoi, also called spoon mustard, rosette bok choy or ta cai (Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa) — a small, flat rosette of dark green, spoon-shaped, glossy leaves with a mild, slightly sweet, mustardy flavour.
Description
Tatsoi is native to China, where it has been grown for centuries, and is related to bok choy and turnips. It forms a flat rosette close to the ground, which makes it hardy in cold weather, and it is a favourite of winter gardeners and market growers. It became popular in Western salad mixes and restaurants in the 1990s.
The leaves are tender, with a flavour that sits between spinach and mustard, and a hint of sweetness, and they can be eaten raw or cooked. The stems are soft and the whole rosette can be used.
Main nutrition value
Tatsoi provides vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, folate and calcium, for very few calories.
How best to be consumed
Tatsoi is tender, and works both raw and cooked.
- Add young leaves to salads and sandwiches for a mild mustardy note.
- Stir-fry briefly with garlic, ginger and soy, or add to soups.
- Wilt into noodle dishes, omelettes and rice dishes.
- Cook the whole rosette in one piece for a pretty presentation.
- Rinse well, since the rosette traps grit between the leaves.
Overconsumption could cause…
Tatsoi is safe and healthy in food amounts.
- Possible effects on warfarin and similar blood-thinning medicines because of the high vitamin K content, so keep intake steady rather than avoiding them.
- Bloating and gas from the fibre and fermentable carbohydrates in brassica greens.
- 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.
- Foodborne illness from poorly washed leaves, so rinse well, especially bagged and ready-to-eat salad.
Wikipedia — Tatsoi, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatsoi
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