Napa cabbage

Napa cabbage is a vegetable crop in the form of a cylindrical head of cabbage from yellowish or bright green leaves. The structure is wavy cabbage with serrated ends.

The history of Chinese cabbage
The historical homeland of Napa cabbage is China. There she appeared around the 5th century BC. Since ancient times, she was credited with healing properties: healers recommended cabbage for almost many ailments. But most often, when overweight. It was believed that cabbage removes toxins, burns up fat and excess water.

Later it became known: Napa cabbage has a “negative” calorie content. That is, in order for the body to digest the vegetable, it will need to spend more energy than in the cabbage itself. This discovery allowed physicians to use Chinese cabbage in a more targeted way.

Napa cabbage was not popular in Europe and America until the 1970s and was grown in limited quantities. When the vegetable took root in the open field, the cabbage boom began. The vegetable was brought to Russia.
The benefits of Chinese cabbage

Napa cabbage is rich in dietary fiber, which is difficult to digest. In the body, they become a kind of brush, cleansing the intestinal walls from mucus and unnecessary toxins. It finds more fibers in the white part of the leaves than in the green one.

The vegetable is rich in vitamin C, which fights disease-causing microbes and viruses. Boosts immunity. Therefore, Napa cabbage is especially useful in the off-season.

Napa cabbage also contains vitamins A and K, which produce a substance such as rhodopsin. He is responsible for vision in the dark, has a beneficial effect on blood clotting.
The rare citric acid found in vegetable salad is a natural antioxidant. It slows down the aging process, improves skin elasticity, and fights fine wrinkles.

Cabbage also normalizes bowel function, relieves constipation. Normalizes weight.

Caloric content per 100 grams 16 kcal
Protein 1.2 grams
Fat 0.2 grams
Carbohydrates 2.0 grams

Napa cabbage harm

Napa cabbage is contraindicated for people with diseases of the digestive tract. Especially if a person has high acidity of gastric juice, gastritis or stomach ulcer.

The use of Chinese cabbage in medicine

The high amount of fiber found in Chinese cabbage makes you feel full. It also removes excess cholesterol and prevents the formation of excess fat.

Cabbage contains vitamin K, potassium and a lot of liquid, moreover, very structured. It helps to get rid of edema. Cabbage contains a lot of vitamin C and bioflavonoids, which are substances that protect vitamin C from destruction. However, if the cabbage lies (stored) for a long time, they are destroyed by bioflavonoids.

Napa cabbage is best eaten in the form of salads. If you are not sure about the quality of the cabbage and suspect that it contains nitrates, put the vegetable in cold water for at least an hour before cooking. Of course, we will lose a number of vitamins, but, on the other hand, we partially neutralize harmful substances. B vitamins, vitamin PP, micro- and macroelements help speed up metabolism, so cabbage is useful for losing weight. Tartronic acid prevents the conversion of carbohydrates to fat.

Chinese cabbage is recommended for people suffering from overweight, cardiovascular diseases. Cabbage helps with atherosclerosis and diabetes. Its only contraindication – some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in the acute stage – an ulcer, colitis, pancreatitis.

Cooking applications

The taste of Napa cabbage is delicate, so it is added to various salads with fresh vegetables, baked chicken or crab meat. Very often, cabbage leaves are used to decorate dishes, when serving cold snacks. Cabbage is also used to make vegetable stews, cabbage rolls, soups and meat dishes.

Napa cabbage salad

An easy and economical salad. Preparing quickly and easily. The salad can be served as an appetizer or as a separate dish for a gala dinner.

• Napa cabbage – 1 head of cabbage
• Chicken eggs – 5 pieces
• Pork pork – 150 grams
• Mayonnaise – 200 grams
• Fresh dill, green onions – to taste

Boil the eggs and let them cool. Chop the pork, eggs, green onions and Chinese cabbage. We mix all the products. Season the salad with mayonnaise. Sprinkle with herbs.

Chinese cabbage soup

First course option for a summer lunch. Suitable for diet food. Napa cabbage goes well with meat, so the dish turns out to be delicious and colorful in summer.

• Napa cabbage – 200 grams
• Smoked brisket – 150 grams
• Butter – 30 grams
• onion – 1 piece
• Garlic – 4 cloves
• Potatoes – 3 pieces
• Broth – 1.5 liters
• Green peas (frozen) – 50 grams
• Bulgarian pepper – 1 piece
• Olive oil, salt, black pepper – to taste

Fry the chopped brisket with onion and garlic in olive oil. When the mixture is browned, add potatoes and peppers to the pan. Fry everything together. After – add the broth, a little later Beijing cabbage and peas. Cook the soup until tender, add seasonings to taste.

How to choose and store

When choosing Chinese cabbage, focus on its appearance. The head of cabbage should be quite dense and weighty. If a large head of cabbage is soft and light, then most likely, the cabbage has been stored for a long time and dried out. Or the rules for storing cabbage were not followed.

Also, make sure the head of cabbage leaves are not windy, blackened, or rotten. Such a product is clearly of poor quality, it is not worth buying.

Store Chinese cabbage in the refrigerator. The head of cabbage can be wrapped in a dry cloth or special paper. The shelf life is no more than seven days. Then the cabbage begins to dry out and lose its beneficial properties.