Cabbage (Fresh)

Ingredient Name: Cabbage, white cabbage

Chinese Name: 捲心菜 (juǎn xīn cài)

A very versatile ingredient which I love to put in soups, stews and fried dishes.  It’s high in fiber and easily absorbs the flavor of whatever ingredients you put into the dish.  I especially love it when the cabbages becomes soft and you eat it like a meal (in soups).   Definitely one of my stock vegetables to have in the fridge and they actually last for awhile if you forget about it!  HAHA….

What is this?
  • A leafy vegetable that is often greenish-white in color.  There is also a purple variety that is produced for consumption.
  • It is a layered vegetable with a short stem
  • A popular good common to Central and Eastern Europe
  • It is grown as a “head” and therefore looks like a head
  • It has quite a substantial weight for its size as the vegetable is quite dense
  • There are various types of cabbage (long, short, various colors) and most of them are grown in China

How do I prepare it?

  • Peel each leaf and rinse in cold water
  • Usually the outer leaves are not used if they are floppy or unhealthy looking
  • Cut in edible pieces if necessary (see picture below)

Where can I buy this?

  • Available in fresh marts in Hong Kong
  • Also available fresh in supermarkets

What is the cost?

  • 1 cabbage as pictured above cost $6 HKD

Any benefits?

  • Excellent source of Vitamin C
  • Contains significant amount of an amino acid that has anti-inflammatory properties
  • Cabbage is known to slow down the growth of cancerous cells

Any precautions?

  • Cabbages are known to have infestation of various insects and pests so be sure to peel each leaf and rinse thorough in cold water

Any substitutes?

  • In soups and stews, can be replaced with zucchini or cauliflower and other relatively “dry” vegetables (unlike lettuce that when fried, emits water)