Tatsoi ( Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa
Naming
The name comes from Cantonese
taap3 coi3 ('drooping vegetable'), often rendered
tat soi or
tat choy. However, its natural habitat is not where Cantonese is spoken but alongside the
Yangtze, where it is called
thaq-khu-tshe (塌棵菜) or
wūtācài (乌塌菜, 'dark drooping veggie'). Mandarin borrowed the former name as
tākēcài. It is also called "Chinese flat cabbage", "rosette
bok choy", "broadbeaked mustard",
"spoon mustard",
or "spinach mustard".
Description
The plant has dark green spoon-shaped leaves which form a thick rosette. It has a soft creamy texture and a subtle yet distinctive flavour.
Planting
It can be grown to harvestable size in 45–50 days, and can withstand temperatures down to –10 °C (15 °F). Tatsoi can even be harvested from under snow.
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Days to Maturity: 45
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When to Sow
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Outside: As early as the soil can be worked. Sow again in late summer or fall.
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Inside: Sow directly outdoors.
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Seed Depth: 1/4" to 1/2"
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Seed Spacing: 6"
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Row Spacing: 18"
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Days to Emerge: 5 - 15
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Thinning: When 4" tall, thin to 6" apart.
Nutritional value
Tatsoi contains high levels of
vitamin C,
carotenoids,
folic acid,
calcium and
potassium.
Cooking
Tatsoi is used for pesto, salads, stir fry, and garnishing soup. According to Food52, "Tatsoi is a very versatile green, equally suited to being served raw or lightly cooked. To make it easy, just use tatsoi anywhere you’d use spinach. Lightly steam or sauté it, wilt the leaves with a warm dressing, or add them to a soup at the end of cooking."
[Hard, Lindsay-Jean, " Tatsoi Is the New Spinach (Haven't You Heard?)", Food52, January 28, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.]
The leaves are similar to romaine, while the stalks taste a little like cucumber, with a mild bitterness. The leaves and inner stalk are tender; the outer stalk is typically discarded. Typical cooking is to stir-fry the leaves and the stalks. They also can be pickled. [Jay, Ben, " The Serious Eats Field Guide to Asian Greens", Serious Eats, May 15, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2020.]
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