Chinese Leaves (Brassicacae pekinensis)

Chinese leaves, also popularly known as Peking cabbage and Napa cabbage, are common throughout China. This cabbage comes fresh in various sizes from long, compact and bullet-shaped to fat and squat-looking. All types are tightly packed with firm, pale green (or in some cases slightly yellow), crinkled leaves. This versatile vegetable is used in China for soups or it is stir-fried with meats, absorbing flavours easily because of its sponge-like quality. Used raw or lightly cooked, the cabbage is a sweet, crunchy vegetable with a mild but distinctive taste that chefs like to match with foods with richer flavours. Store it as you would ordinary cabbage.