Vegetables
Napa cabbage
ハクサイ はくさい hakusai
Also known ashakusai
At its best in Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec
When it is at its best
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
In seasonAvailable
How to cook
Nabe (hot pot)
Soaks up the broth and turns sweet.
Tsukemono (Japanese pickles)
Salt-pickled or made into kimchi.
Happosai (stir-fried vegetables in thick sauce)
For stir-frying.
Simmered in cream sauce
Heat brings out the sweetness.
How to choose
Heavy in the hand and tightly packed, with a fresh white cut face. Small black spots do not affect quality.
Storage
Whole heads keep wrapped in newspaper standing upright somewhere cool and dark. Once cut it spoils from the cut face, so refrigerate.
Main areas
Good to know
Exposed to frost it stores sugar to avoid freezing, so the colder it gets the sweeter it becomes.
