Chinese cabbage yields tasty, interesting slaw

Carol Stein grows it

I ordered the Asian salad because it had grilled shrimp. I paid little attention to the Chinese cabbage slaw the shrimp were sitting on.

After a bite or two, I pushed the shrimp aside. It was nothing but a garnish compared with the unusual slaw, which used a vegetable uncommon in backyard gardens.
Like other cabbages and greens, Chinese cabbage is a cool-season vegetable. It's shaped more like a football than the common green globe cabbage.

Planting seeds between mid-March and the first week of April will produce mature plants before really hot weather arrives. Or wait until the first two weeks of August to sow seed for a fall crop. I plan to do both.

For best results in Southern gardens, look for the varieties Pak Choi, Mei Ching, Jade Pagoda or China Pride. Start the cabbage from seed rather than bedding plants, and plant the seeds where they'll remain. Chinese cabbage seedlings don't transplant well.

Start six to eight seeds per family member in an area that receives partial shade. Garden soil should be rich in organic matter and well-drained. If you have sandy or heavy clay soil, work in leaf mold or organic compost, and add another layer of compost about a week after seedlings appear.

To grow Chinese cabbage in containers, use a pot at least 8 inches across for each plant, and allow 10 inches between plants. When the weather heats up, move the containers to a cool, shady spot to extend the growing season.

Potting soil containing water-retention crystals is perfect for growing Chinese cabbage. The crystals promote evenly moist soil, which helps the plants grow faster and remain tender until maturity.

Cut the heads at soil level when they're still compact and firm. If you wait too long, they may bolt (go to seed) and become tough.

Debbie Moose cooks it

It's bad enough that Carol gets a long winter beach vacation, but she comes back raving about this Chinese cabbage slaw.

Using some greens in a raw state can be tricky. And the term "Chinese cabbage" can be confusing: Some recipes use that term for bok choy. But the leaves of Chinese cabbage are larger than bok choy and more veined. Depending on the variety, Chinese cabbage leaves may be pale green with darker green tips, or entirely dark green.

The leaves are thin, crisp and mild in flavor. They taste a bit more "cabbagey" than bok choy, with a little sweetness and no peppery flavor. However, as Carol warns, heads allowed to get too large or go to seed are tough and have a stronger flavor.

Chinese cabbage, chopped or shredded, is great in stir-fries, but try my version of the Asian slaw recipe that Carol ate at Crystalite Cafe in Surfside Beach, S.C. It's not as good as a trip to the beach, but it's pretty tasty.

You can substitute all bok choy for the Chinese cabbage, if necessary. Wasabi mayonnaise is widely available in supermarkets. The original dish was topped with crunchy chow mein noodles, but I like chopped cashews. Do not let the mixture sit in the dressing or it will become soggy quickly --in that sense, the dish is more like a salad than a slaw, so I'm going to call it that.