9 Recipes with Napa Cabbage (2024)

FAQs

What dishes can be made from napa cabbage? ›

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.

You can store the head of the Napa cabbage wrapped in an airtight container or plastic in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can use it raw, like you would with lettuce or cabbage. Or you can use it in cooked dishes like you would green 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.

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.

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

“Freezing raw cabbage helps retain its nutritional value, but it may affect its texture, making it more suitable for use in cooked dishes like soups and stir-fries,” says Best. For taste. If you want to maintain that flavor and texture, cooked cabbage may be the better way to go.

With that in mind, if you take the color of both bok choy and napa cabbage into consideration, bok choy comes out deeper on the green spectrum. It is substantially higher in folate, vitamin C, vitamin A, and calcium than its cruciferous cousin napa cabbage.

Try to minimize any bruising of your cabbages. Any kind of cell damage makes the cabbage go by more quickly and degrades the vitamin C content. If cabbage is properly stored, it can last from 3 weeks to up to 2 months in your refrigerator.

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.

Can you eat too much napa cabbage? ›

Consuming cabbage in excess can result in abdominal discomfort, diarrhoea and flatulence. It can also result in ingesting toxic chemicals like goitrin, thiocyanates and benzyl cyanide.

“Additionally, cruciferous vegetables—like cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts—contain raffinose, an indigestible sugar. As it's fermented by bacteria in the gut, gas is produced, which is why you may experience flatulence and discomfort after eating these foods.

Raw napa cabbage works well in coleslaw, salads, or as a wrap. Use cooked napa cabbage in soups, stews, kimchi, or stir-fries. Foods commonly paired with napa cabbage include pork, shrimp, and mushrooms.

Remove leaves individually and wash to remove any dirt hidden between the leaves. Use the leaves whole or shredded, depending on your recipe. Store unwashed in the refrigerator in a plastic bag. Eat Napa cabbage raw in salads, wraps, and slaws, or cooked in stir fries, soups, casseroles, or stews.

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.

Napa cabbage is like a regular tightly packed cabbage but oblong-shaped. On the other hand, bok choy has a bulbous stem with loose oval leaves. When it comes to the flavor profile, napa cabbage is slightly sweet with a hint of peppery taste. Bok choy also has a mild and sweet taste but with a slight bitterness.