Exotic, delicious and healthy: how to grow and cook with Asian greens

Mizuna, gai lan, tat soi, bok choy — just the names of Asian greens are exotic and transporting. These leafy greens are fast and easy to grow, flourish almost all year round and are delicious and healthy. What more could you ask for?

What are they?

Hardy Asian greens come in a wide selection of colours and textures. Most are from the cabbage family and do better during cooler weather. They can be grown all year round, but expect them to go to seed more quickly during hotter months. Unlike lettuce, which turns bitter when it bolts, leaves of Asian greens are still edible when flowering, although they become more pungent and are better eaten cooked than raw. Some varieties produce tasty miniature broccoli-like buds. All parts are edible, including the flowers and seeds.

How to grow

Seedlings of many varieties are available but they are easily grown from seed. Leafier varieties do well when different types are mixed together and planted in a group. Bok choy and Chinese cabbage need a bit more space and should be planted separately. The “cut and come again” method is a practical way of growing and harvesting Asian greens, where individual leaves are plucked from a selection of plants grown close together.

Cooking tips

• Every stage of their growth provides food for the table: raw young leaves brighten up a salad; older, more pungent leaves are delicious steamed or stir fried (but don’t overcook them); young buds and flowers can be scattered on salads or added to soups; and seeds can be ground to make a spicy rub.
• They team well with Asian condiments such as soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, teriyaki, hoisin, ginger, chilli and garlic.
• When preparing for a stir fry make sure they are dried well.
• They are rich in vitamins, minerals and fibre and contain high levels of vitamin A and C as well as iron, calcium, potassium and beta-carotene.

Varieties

• Bok Choy (also known as pak choi) has white stems and spoon-shaped green leaves.
• Red and green mustard have varying leaf shapes, from flat and pointed to bright green and frilly. The reds are hotter tasting than the green varieties.
• Gai lan, aka Chinese broccoli, bears succulent buds on long, edible stalks. Keep cutting the buds to provide a longer harvest.
• Tat soi has flavoursome dark green leaves and grows in a flat rosette shape.
• Mizuna has a mild peppery flavour, with spiky green or purple leaves.
• Chinese cabbage forms a dense head with overlapping pale green and white leaves. It needs regular water and forms better heads in colder weather.

• Sourced from: Jane's Delicious A-Z of Vegetables. Jane Griffiths. Published by Sunbird Publishers.