Pak choi

Pak choi Also known asBak Choy, Chinese cabbage..Pak choi or Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa subspecies, see below), also known as snow cabbage, is a Chinese leaf vegetable often used in Chinese cuisine. The vegetable is related to the Western cabbage, and is of the same species as the common turnip. It's commonly used in stir fry and spring rolls. Pak choi originally comes from China, but has become popular in European food, particularly in the UK, with the increase in popularity of Chinese cooking. Its structure looks like a squat celery, with either white or very pale green short, chunky stalks and glossy, deep green leaves. The texture of both leaves and stalks is crisp, and the flavour is somewhere between mild cabbage and spinach. If very young it can be eaten raw in salads, but is best when briefly cooked.Chopped pak choi- Wash the leaves and the stalk well. Place them on a chopping board and chop into small pieces with a chopping knife. Very young pak choy can be left whole, or halved or quartered.Chopped pak choi is usually used as a stir fry or in vegetable recipes.Shredded pak choi- Remove the leaves from the stalk and using a sharp knife, cut the leaves into long 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick shreds or slices.This is used to prepare coleslaw salads or as a garnish or to simply reduce the cooking time.Torn pak choi- This refers to tearing the pak choi by hand into small uneven pieces. This reduces the cooking time and also helps to retain the leafy structure, usually used for preparation that require blanching or in salads.Sliced pak choi- Cut the stems into wide strips and the leaves into finer strips to get sliced pak choi.