I propose a delicious Chinese cabbage salad, actually no… two salads. 😉
Have you ever tried Chinese cabbage?
It is also called napa cabbage and in fact, like napa cabbage, it has slightly curled leaves. Similar in flavor to white cabbage, perhaps a little more delicate, it has elongated leaves, in heads that resemble romaine lettuce.
It lends itself very well to being used raw in salads, or stir-fried.
Here at my home, cabbages, in all existing varieties, are not viewed favorably (or rather, not favorably smelled) because the odor, let’s call it that, they develop during cooking is decidedly unpleasant to more than one member of my family (I won’t name names!!).
For this reason, I have gotten into the habit for years of:
– asking my mom to cook them for me,
– cooking the cabbages in the absence of the aforementioned family members, preferring quick cooking methods (broccoli and Chinese cabbage turn out great stir-fried) and strictly with wide open windows,
– eating raw cabbages, a decidedly favored option, welcomed by all without complaints, and the method I personally prefer because it’s practical and quick.
And then, let’s face it, everything consumed raw retains its nutritional properties, primarily vitamins, unaltered.
With my Chinese cabbage salad that I had for lunch today, I know I loaded up on vitamins and minerals. Chinese cabbage, like other varieties of cabbage, contains vitamin A, B1, B2, B9 (folic acid), PP, C, K, U, phosphorus, calcium, iron, sulfur, potassium, copper, magnesium, iodine (at the end of the recipe, under the section ‘Salt-free tips,’ there’s more information).
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Although I always try to respect the tastes of the rest of the family, I don’t lightly give up on my beloved cabbages. 😉 I have a number of published recipes, if you’d like to try them… here they are! 👇
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients
- Chinese cabbage
- extra virgin olive oil
- pepper
- white wine vinegar
- Chinese cabbage
- red chicory (from Chioggia)
- onion (yellow or red)
- extra virgin olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
Steps
Wash the Chinese cabbage and cut it into strips, more or less thin depending on personal taste.
Simply dress with oil and vinegar (but I also like it with lemon) and a generous sprinkle of pepper.
For the version with red chicory and onion:
Wash and thinly slice the Chinese cabbage and the red chicory.
Peel and slice the onion. Wash it and possibly soak it for about ten minutes (if you find it too strong).
Dress with oil and balsamic cream.
Mix and enjoy.
Sure, this Chinese cabbage salad is a simple salad, simply dressed with oil and vinegar. But it’s not a trivial salad. It’s tasty, fresh, crunchy, and flavorful.
I dressed it simply, but it can be enriched with walnuts, pine nuts, sesame or toasted flax seeds, and in both versions try adding some croutons, just like I did in this radicchio salad (do you remember it? 😊).
Salt-free tips
All vegetables are great without salt, especially vegetables with strong flavors like onion, red chicory, and cabbage.
In particular, cruciferous vegetables are naturally flavorful, so keep that in mind if you’re following a low-sodium diet. 😉
Try dressing this Chinese cabbage salad without using salt, you’ll see that thanks to the balsamic vinegar and some crunchy additions like walnuts and bread croutons, you won’t feel the need to cover the flavors with salt.
And if you really can’t do it… then try replacing salt with gomasio, it’s perfect in salads!
If you’re interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Reduce salt gradually, the palate needs to get used to it slowly and shouldn’t notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili pepper, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid cooking in water, prefer methods that don’t disperse flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Occasionally allow yourself a break from the rule. It’s good for the mood and helps with perseverance.
If you don’t want, or can’t, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes salting according to your habits.
For the properties and other useful information about cruciferous vegetables, I consulted this article.
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