Like me, you’ve probably noticed tatsoi before in supermarkets. This member of the Brassica family looks somewhat like a squashed head of lettuce, with dark green leaves radiating from the center. It’s known in Chinese as tacai (塌菜), takecai (塌棵菜), or wutacai (乌塌菜), and in English as spinach mustard, spoon mustard, or rosette bok choy. The hardy tatsoi can withstand temperatures as low as -10°C, making it an excellent winter alternative to leafy greens like spinach. It’s best stir-fried, sautéed, steamed, or used raw.
Asian Miso Sesame Soba Stew with Tatsoi
This simple vegetarian recipe from the Daily Meal is tangy and light, with tatsoi stirred in right at the very end for a shot of color and nutrition.
Ginger Beef Stir-Fry with Tatsoi and Jasmine Rice
This Blue Apron recipe makes heavy use of hoisin sauce and Thai basil for an easy, aromatic stir-fry.
Tatsoi Salad with Warm Maple Dressing
Yes, you can use tatsoi raw in salads. Lady Locavore (VPN needed) has a version with toasted pecans, red onion, mixed salad greens, cucumber slices, and crumbled goat or feta cheese with a dressing made of maple syrup and apple cider vinegar.
Tatsoi with Avocado and Egg
Short on time for breakfast? The Sweet Beet has you covered. Just throw together some avocado, a fried egg, a handful of sautéed tatsoi, and a slice of rye bread for a quick and delicious start to your day.
Tatsoi Stir-Fried with Mushrooms, Carrot, and Bamboo Shoots
It doesn’t get much simpler than this Douguo recipe (Chinese-only). Add some oil to a wok; throw in chopped mushrooms, carrot, bamboo shoots, and tatsoi; lightly salt; and stir-fry for a few minutes until cooked through.
Photo: baldeaglebluff (Flickr)
