Hakusai napa cabbage

Brassica rapa var. pekinensis

Also called nappa cabbage, hakusai has oblong yellowish-green leaves with white firm ends toward the bottom. Inner layer leaves are yellower and taste sweeter than outer green layers, and the sweet taste becomes more prominent in winter – the best season for this vegetable -- and when cooked. In broth, for example, hakusai makes the broth mellower and milder. Along with shungiku garland chrysanthemum, hakusai is the standard leafy green in a number of nabe hot pots. In addition to use in simmered, sauteed and steamed dishes, hakusai is also often used as a pickle. For Japanese pickles, hakusai can simply be salted and pressed to extract the water, while kombu seaweed or citrus peel provides flavor and aroma variations. Kimchi and la bai cai with sweet and spicy vinegar are quite common in Japan, too.

Hakusai ranks third, following daikon radish and cabbage, in volume among vegetables grown in Japan. While it seems that hakusai has been used in Japanese cooking forever based on today’s penetration, the current type of firm head hakusai became part of the everyday Japanese diet only in the 20th century. The vegetable itself arrived in Japan before the 16th century, but for hundreds of years growers repeatedly failed to bring out a consistent form and quality due to its tendency to cross-pollination.

Hakusai's mild taste and high water content (95%) make it seem to be not nutritious. However, hakusai contains isothiocyanate (the substance that gives a spicy taste to daikon radish and kabu Japanese turnip), which is known to promote digestion and prevent blood clots and cancer. Hakusai also contains dithiol thionin, which generates an enzyme that detoxifies carcinogenic substances. Moreover, hakusai is rich in potassium (220 mg/100 g), calcium (43 mg), Vitamin C (19 mg) and  fiber (1.3 g in total; 1.0 g  soluble & 0.3 g non-soluble).  All in all, hakusai is effective for relieving constipation, promoting diuretic activity and beautiful skin as well as preventing colds, arteriosclerosis and cancers.

When buying hakusai, select ones that feel firm and tight in your hand. As hakusai becomes more widely available in the US, I see more with loose heads with greener outer leaves, which make it taste similar to green-leaf lettuce – perhaps as part of adaptation to the local diet, where raw salad seems to be the dominant way of eating leafy greens. Asian grocery stores usually carry hakusai with tight, firm heads.

14 kcal/100 g; 95.2% water, 0.8% protein, 0.1% fat, 3.2% carbohydrate, 0.6% ash

Recipes with hakusai

• Gomoku ankake udon / wheat noodles with thickened soup and assorted ingredients
• Kyabetsu to hakusai no sakura ebi iri ohitashi / cabbage and napa cabbage in light broth with dried shrimp
• Suigyoza no chige-fu nabe / jjigae-style hotpot with shui jiao dumplings
  
• Asazuke hakusai kimuchi / quick napa cabbage kimchi
  
• Hakusai no biitsu-amazu-zuke / napa cabbage marinated in beet sweetened vinegar
  
• Kaisen chukadon / Chinese-style seafood saute over steamed rice 
• Hakusai to tamago no okakaitame / stir-fried napa cabbage and egg with bonito flakes
• Papurika no surinagashi / miso soup with red bell pepper
• Hakusai to satsumaage no nibitashi / napa cabbage and deep-fried fishcakes in light broth
• Hoshi-kaibashira to hakusai no misoshiru / miso soup with dried scallops and napa cabbage
  
• Hakusai to radisshu no gomaabura-ae / napa cabbage and radish with sesame oil 
• Yosenabe / hot pot with assorted ingredients
• Chirimushi / steamed fish, tofu, vegetables and mushrooms, with citrus-flavored soy sauce
  
• Chuukadon / Chinese-style saute with sauce over steamed rice
• Sake no chanchanyaki / salmon and vegetable saute with miso sauce
• Hakusai to kani no chanpuruu / Okinawan-style saute with crab, tofu and napa cabbage 
• Kaki no dote-nabe / hot pot with oysters, broiled tofu and vegetables with miso
• Shiromizakana to hakusai no misoitame / white-fleshed fish and Chinese cabbage saute with miso
• Hakusai to asari no nibitashi / napa cabbage and clams in light broth
• Gyoza no pirikara-nabe / mildly spicy hot pot with jiaozi dumplings and kimchi
• Hakusai to age no nibitashi / napa cabbage and thin deep-fried tofu in light broth
• Atsuage to hakusai no misoni / deep-fried tofu and napa cabbage simmered in miso-flavored broth
• Hakusai to kinoko no shogayaki / napa cabbage and mushroom ginger saute
• Hakusai to shami no nikomi / napa cabbage stewed with dried shrimp
• Hakusai no amazuzuke / la bai cai / napa cabbage in sweet and spicy vinegar
• Hakusai to sakana no tochimushi / napa cabbage and fish steamed with black bean paste
• Hakusai to kaibashira no nikomi / napa cabbage stewed with dried scallops
• Ganmodoki to hakusai no nimono / deep-fried tofu patties and napa cabbage in broth

Try hakusai in the following recipes

• Tosho chaamen / dao xiao chao mian / fried hand-shaven noodles
  
• Tonyu miso nikomi udon / hot-pot udon wheat noodles in red miso and soy milk broth 
  
• Sakana no oisutaasoosu-ni, howajao-iri / simmered fish in oyster sauce-flavored broth with Sichuan peppers
• Tonyu nabe / hot pot with soy milk broth
• Kiriboshi-daikon to saishin no misoshiru / miso soup with dried julienned daikon radish and yu choy sum
• Sake to tofu no komatsuna suigyoza / shuijiao boiled dumplings with salmon and tofu in komatsuna wrappers
  
• Atsuage to chingensai no kurozuan itame / deep-fried tofu and baby bok choy saute with thickened brown rice vinegar sauce
  
• Harusame to komatsuna no itameni / saute-simmered mung bean vermicelli and komatsuna
• Sakana to tofu, kimuchi no sattoni / quick-simmered fish, tofu and kimchi
• Yasai chuka yakisoba / Chinese stir-fried noodles with vegetables
• Sakana to yasai no sotee gaarikku remon soosu / fish and vegetable saute with garlic lemon sauce
• Atsuage to komatsuna no champuruu / Okinawan-style stir-fry with deep-fried tofu and komatsuna
• Ebi ankake yakisoba / fried noodles with prawns and vegetables sauce 
• Chingensai no gomaae / baby bok choi in sesame dressing
• Mizuna to horenso no ohitashi / mizuna and spinach in light broth

(Last updated: April 27, 2019)