Asian Greens

Confused by the huge array of green vegetables to be found at your Asian greengrocer? Don’t be daunted! Read on for our who’s who guide to your Asian greens.

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Nutritional Information

Most Asian greens come from the Brassica family of vegetables, which are typically rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium and can provide calcium and magnesium.

In Season

Summer	Autumn/Fall	Winter	Spring
AA Choy	Amaranth	Bok Choy	AA Choy
Amaranth	Chinese/Oriental Celery	Pak Choy	Amaranth
Chinese/Oriental Celery	Choy Sum	Gai Lan	Chinese/Oriental Celery
Choy Sum	Chrysanthemum Greens	Mustard Greens	Choy Sum
Shiso	Shiso	Tatsoi	Chrysanthemum Greens
Tatsoi	Tatsoi		Tatsoi

Selection & Storage

When choosing Asian greens, look for crisp stalks with bright green, glossy leaves. Flowering varieties are best when in bud, rather than full bloom.
Store Asian greens as you would store other greens but for best flavour, use within three days of purchase. In most cases, both the leaves and stalks can be eaten, but be sure to trim the stalks to remove any fibrous outer husk.

Preparation

Cut off the base of the stalks, remove any wilted, yellowed or damaged leaves.
Wash under cold running water taking care to remove any dirt between the leaves and stalks, then drain.
Chop according to your recipe.