You should at least consider trying Napa Cabbage… It’s absolutely packed with good stuff. Aficiona-dos say it tastes better, has a more-interesting texture, a more tender bite, and may even be better suited to salads than trendy Romaine Lettuce!
Chunky Napa Cabbage Salad with Parmesan and Pistachios…
I’ll bet you thought Napa Cabbage was just for Asian dishes. Ad all that stuff we’ve been hearing about Kimchi lately might have turned you off if you’re not a fan of spicy or fermented foods. But there’s much more to it than that…
A veggie apart
In fact, for purposes of comparison with other leafy greens, it really not fair to think of Napa Cabbage as ‘cabbage’, per se. It’s worlds away from the hard, tightly packed green, white and red cabbage we’re used to in North America and Europe.
Packed with goodness…
For a start, get a load of the nutrition profile of Napa Cabbage compared to conventional Red and Green Cabbage. All cabbage is good for you, but Napa Cabbage is even higher in beneficial nutrients and lower in Calories and total carbs!
| Nutrient | XRedX | iGreeni | xNapax |
| Calories (kcal/gm) | 31 | 25 | 13 |
| Protein (gm) | 1.43 | 1.28 | 1.5 |
| Total fat (gm) | 0.16 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| Carbohydrate (gm) | 7.37 | 5.8 | 2.18 |
| Dietary Fiber (gm) | 2.1 | 2.5 | 1.0 |
| Calcium (mg) | 45 | 40 | 105 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 57 | 35.6 | 45 |
| Magnesium (mg) | 12 | 16 | 19 |
| Potassium (mg) | 170 | 243 | 252 |
| Vit. A (IU) | 1116 | 98 | 4468 |
| Vit. K (mcg) | 38.2 | 76 | 45.5 |
| Folate (mcg) | 18 | 43 | 66 |
(Source: BotaPedia.com – Botanical Encyclopedia by Hesham A. Gawad, PhD)
All that and more!
On top of the basic nutrients, Napa Cabbage is high in cabbage is high in fiber and antioxidants, polyphenols and antocyanins. As such, it may boost heart health, fight chronic inflammation and help digestion. All that B6 and folate are great for your metabolism!
This wonder-veggie may also help control ‘bad’ cholesterol and lower blood pressure. And it’s also believed to lower the risk of some types of cancer.
Ultra-versatile
Napa Cabbage has another advantage over regular cabbage in that its texture and milder, sweeter flavour make it a great alternative to regular lettuces – particularly currently popular Romaine. Also, it stands up to cooking well (especially the lighter-coloured leaves).
So… You can consider using it raw in salads (with appropriate complementary flavour adjustments to the dressings), and as a substitute for the ‘stronger’ leafy greens, such as Kale or spinach.
And one of the best things about Napa Cabbage is the price. Today, it’s about $1.50 cheaper per head than regular green cabbage, and $2.70 less than red cabbage!
My take
As a bonus, you’ll use almost all of every head of Napa Cabbage. There are usually only one or two outer leaves to remove and discard from the head as it comes from the store. You don’t pay a ‘premi-um’ such as you do for Romaine ‘hearts’. And you’ll waste a lot less food than you might with Romaine or Savoy Cabbage.
The more you play with Napa Cabbage, the more ways you’ll find to use it. And it’s a natural ‘gateway’ into the amazing world of Asian and ‘veggie’ cuisine in general…
~ Maggie J.