oriental and unsual veg to grow

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rowlandwells

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oriental and unsual veg to grow
« on: January 29, 2019, 11:37 »
looking through our seed catalogue as you do I was looking at oriental and unusual veg  like varieties of Chinese cabbage komatsuna   also known as mustard spinach and mizuna and so on


I've tried to grow pak choi  but never seem to succeed it always bolts and I'm not sure how to cook all these orientals  anyway so without burying my head in the sand its more like understanding how to grow and use this type of oriental veg  that could have more benefits  for  healthy eating
 





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DHM

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Re: oriental and unsual veg to grow
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2019, 12:43 »
Chinese greens like kotsuma and pak choi, I only ever stir fry, cut the stems into batons for cooking with the other veg, then finely shred the leaves and add near the end of cooking. Not very adventurous I know...

You could use some in making the filling in Gyoza Dumplings?
« Last Edit: January 29, 2019, 12:46 by DHM »

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New shoot

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Re: oriental and unsual veg to grow
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2019, 14:18 »
I grow some in spring and autumn\overwinter in the unheated greenhouse.  Hot weather and dryness makes them bolt.  They are fast to grow, so you are best sowing little and often.  If I had a poly tunnel, I would grow loads.

I currently have 4 decent sized pots on the go that were sown last autumn. They are going to seed now, so final harvest and dumping them into the compost is imminent.  I've been picking leaves most of the winter, so I have had my money's worth.  Once the worst of the weather is over, I'll re-sow for a catch crop in spring.

As for using them, well stir-fry as DHM says and I put them in noodle soups, but it depends if you like eating that sort of thing.  I love both and would happily eat them for lunch daily, but if you are more a 'meat and potatoes' kind of chap, the following might be easier as an intro.  You could put them as a side dish for  chicken, or fish or even a chop.

Version 1 - steam your veg for 5 minutes and dress.  Do a teaspoon each of soy sauce, oyster sauce and a bland oil for hot dressed veg.  1 teaspoon each of a mild vinegar (I use rice vinegar, but white white or cider vinegar would do), soy sauce and sesame oil (or olive as a sub) for a room temperature salad like dish.

Version 2 - stir fry onion\spring onion\garlic\ginger\chilli - the combination is your choice - add your veg, then you need some liquid to braise in, so add a splash of stock, some soy sauce and if you like, some oyster sauce.  Cook for a few minutes.

All the oriental veg cook very quickly and it is that tender, but still slightly crispy texture you are after. Over cooked is mush.  If I don't have oriental veg to hand, I do cook other stuff this way - broccoli, cauliflower, most types of greens, cabbage, green beans, peppers ... the list goes on.  You just cook a bit longer for the harder veggies.  You could invest in a couple of sauces and try to see if you like the flavours of this sort of cooking before dedicating growing space to the veg  :)

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Dev

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Re: oriental and unsual veg to grow
« Reply #3 on: January 30, 2019, 08:20 »
What's the chances of popping round for a short cookery course New Shoot? I sowed Mizuna, Mustard Red Frills,  lager leaved mustard rocket, and planted out in the unheated greenhouse last autumn. I've had a number of pickings of leaves since then, plus leaves of Winter Density lettuce and coriander. I have them in salads rather than cooking them as I find the peppery taste goes very well with griddled meat or tuna. Incidentally, I saved seed from Mizuna last year and got thousands which germinated very well. I'll try with one plant of each again this year and see what happens - might get a new cross!

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rowlandwells

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Re: oriental and unsual veg to grow
« Reply #4 on: January 30, 2019, 10:57 »
many thanks to all for those replies I've got more of understanding about growing and cooking these veg now very good  info  :D



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