Japanese cabbage (mizuna)

Contents

Description and varieties of Japanese cabbage
Cultivation and care
Useful properties and contraindications
The use of mizuna in cooking
- Japanese beef with daikon and mizuna
- Japanese cabbage
Instead of conclusions

Mizuna Japanese kale, or Mitsuna salad as it is also called, is still considered something extraordinary in our country. Although such a plant is gaining more and more supporters every day. It is often called cabbage for the lazy, because it does not require much care and can be grown even at home in a pot. This plant has a pleasant spicy taste, besides, it is incredibly beautiful and healthy, for which it is valued in its homeland in Japan.

Description and varieties of Japanese cabbage

Japanese cabbage, as the name suggests, came to us from Japan, but some sources call China its homeland. Be that as it may, in the East it has been grown since the beginning of the sixteenth century, and reached Europe only by the twentieth century. In North America, it has been called “Japanese Green Salad” and “Green Mustard”.

In our latitudes, mizuna is more perceived not as a cabbage, but as a salad. In appearance, it most resembles arugula and looks like lettuce leaves of emerald green or dirty red color.

This is one of the subspecies of kale, that is, it does not form a head. The carved lace leaves of such a plant are a luxurious flower, so it is often used for decorative purposes to decorate gardens and vegetable gardens.

The yellowish flowers are quite small, and its taste is not like other vegetable crops. For all its spiciness and pungency, it is quite mild, as mizuna contains less mustard oil than other similar subspecies.

Such cabbage is characterized by precocity and thirty-five to forty days after planting it is completely edible.

There are several varieties of mizuna. Most often you can find red mizuna and green mizuna. Also in demand are the Emerald pattern, the Little Mermaid and the Dude.

The Little Mermaid is a variety of medium ripeness. It got its name due to the bizarre shape of the leaves, somewhat reminiscent of a mermaid’s tail.

Dude is one of the early maturing varieties, and it is famous for the fact that after cutting, new leaves grow much faster than in other species.

Cultivation and care

Growing mizuna does not require a significant investment of time and effort. This plant is unpretentious to the soil and to the temperature regime, survives even in frost conditions. You can grow Japanese cabbage both in open ground and in greenhouse conditions.

For the correct planting of such a plant and obtaining a quality product, there are a few simple recommendations:

it is best to plant lettuce in the spring, preferably in April;
can be planted with seeds or seedlings;
cabbage has small seeds, somewhat similar to poppy seeds, which must be planted in rows, keeping a distance of thirty centimeters between them;
after the appearance of the first shoots, the seedlings must be thinned out;
for better growth after sowing, cover the seedlings with a film;
the best temperature for landing is 14-20 degrees Celsius;
after germination of seedlings, the film should be removed;
it is better not to use mineral fertilizers for feeding, and you should not add a lot of organic fertilizers, since cabbage is able to accumulate all this in its leaves.

Mizuna is unpretentious in care. Timely and regular watering is important. At the same time, cabbage leaves cannot be poured, as it will begin to rot. You can cut fresh leaves several times a year, new ones immediately grow in their place.

Herbal decoctions, tobacco dust and ash are used to control pests. It is also necessary to periodically inspect the plant for pests. An infected mizuna begins to wither and rot.

Weeding the plant is also important, but timely mulching eliminates the need for this process.

Useful properties and contraindications

Speaking about the beneficial properties of cabbage, one cannot help but recall its valuable chemical composition, which is in many ways similar to Beijing cabbage. Some even consider mizuna healthier than seaweed.

The plant is rich in vitamin A – beta-carotene, which is very good for people with vision problems. It is also useful for the skin, contributes to its elasticity and softness, prevents the appearance of acne.

Mizuna contains strong antioxidants that neutralize the harmful effects of free radicals, increase immunity and strengthen the body’s natural defenses against environmental factors.

Mitsuna salad contains substances and minerals that prevent the occurrence of malignant neoplasms and slow down the growth of old ones. Such cabbage is considered an effective antitumor agent.

The leaves of the plant contain phosphorus, potassium, calcium and iron. Potassium deficiency greatly harms the body, as it helps prevent heart disease. Hypokalemia often manifests itself in convulsive syndrome, arrhythmias, and increased fatigue. Regular consumption of Japanese cabbage reduces the risk of occurrence and development of such a disease.

With all this, mizuna is a low-calorie product, which also has high nutritional properties. Due to this, it is valued in nutrition and is included in the diet of various diet programs. It can also be used in the menu of the Japanese diet.

The use of such a salad in food allows you to normalize the level of cholesterol in the body and removes harmful toxins, slags and salts of heavy metals from it. The content of plant fiber in mizuna significantly improves digestion.

In Japan, the medicinal properties of such cabbage have long been valued. It contributes to the normalization of water and electrolyte balance, accelerates metabolic processes. The vitamins included in its composition significantly strengthen the walls of blood vessels and prevent the formation of cholesterol plaques in them. That is, such a plant must be eaten for the prevention of thrombosis and atherosclerosis.

Traditional medicine recommends taking Japanese cabbage leaves for beriberi, anemia, and also for oncological diseases. It is an effective tool in the fight against problems of the heart and blood vessels.

But even such a plant has its own contraindications for use:

increased individual sensitivity to the components included in its composition;
excessive and uncontrolled consumption of the product.

The use of mizuna in cooking

Japanese cabbage has a mild spicy taste, slightly reminiscent of freshly ground pepper or mustard. Some say that they are very similar to arugula. Basically, this salad is used in Japanese dishes, but if you wish, you can cook absolutely any dish with it.

Most often, Japanese cabbage is consumed fresh, since heat treatment takes away a significant part of its beneficial properties. But there are also exceptions. For example, boiled mizuna cabbage leaves are often used as seaweed in sushi making.

On New Year’s Eve in Japan, nabemono is often prepared, the main ingredient of which is Mitsuna salad. It is served with sake, beer or green tea.

Lacy beautiful lettuce leaves are successfully used not only for cooking, but also for decorating dishes.

You can store mizuna in the refrigerator for up to a week, but it is best to consume it immediately after purchase.

Japanese beef with daikon and mizuna

To prepare this delicious salad you will need:

beef tenderloin – 700 grams;
mirin – 2 tablespoons;
soy sauce – 1 tablespoon;
daikon – 300-400 grams;
cucumbers – 2 pieces;
mizuna or arugula – 100-150 grams.

For refueling, you need to take:

rice vinegar and mirin – one tablespoon each;
soy sauce – three tablespoons;
sesame oil – one and a half tablespoons.

Cut the beef into two parts, pierce on different sides, add soy sauce and mirin and marinate for twenty minutes. Put the meat in an oven preheated to two hundred degrees and cook for about twenty minutes too. Remove, cover with foil and leave for XNUMX minutes.

Cut the finished meat into thin slices, put in a bowl, add cucumbers and Japanese cabbage, pour over the dressing and mix.

Put the daikon, cut into ribbons, on the plates, add the salad on top. Drizzle with a little dressing before serving.