 WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? Tatsoi, a green with foreign roots, is a versatile Asian vegetable. New ethnic vegetables enter the culinary scene all the time, and the best become multicultural. Tatsoi, for instance, may not be a household word yet in most kitchens, but it refers to an Asian green, international in scope. Tatsoi is the Japanese name for a type of pac choi (Chinese cabbage) that spreads out in a wide rosette more than a foot across. Its names in Mandarin, according to Joy Larkcom's Oriental Vegetables, translate as "black lying flat vegetable," "very ancient vegetable" and "gourd ladle vegetable," apt descriptions all. The leaves, a nutrient-proclaiming deep green, are shaped like the porcelain spoons that come with Chinese soup. WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE? As with most Asian greens, tatsoi is bold, but mild and deliciously sweet. A stir-fry is the most obvious way to use tatsoi, added at the last minute so that the leaves barely wilt and the tender stems stay crisp. They're just as good raw, even when mature. WHEN IS IT AVAILABLE? Primarily during winter months WHAT DO I DO WITH IT? Tatsoi can be either direct-sown or set out as transplants, 10 inches apart, three rows to a 30-inch bed, in a soil enriched with compost. Planting between Oct. 15 and Nov. 15 should ensure a productive winter crop. As the weather gets colder the plants seem to hunker down as if to embrace the earth's warmth. You can also grow tatsoi for baby leaf salads, sown an inch apart in the row. It's this type of versatility that makes folks grow the plant every year and keep it in the garden as long as weather permits. Someday it may be as common as tomatoes and corn, which our European forebears once considered novelty vegetables from those exotic little colonies on the western side of the pond. The most popular two types are: One simply called Tatsoi; the other a very dark crinkled type called Yukina Savoy. Both show warrior-like fortitude despite the winter's chill. NUTRITION FACTS I have been unable to find exact nutrition analysis for Tatsoi; howeverk, since it is in the leafy vegetable category, and since it is quite a dark green vegetable, I am assuming the nutrition values to resemble those of green cabbage and other dark green leafy vegetables. WHERE CAN I GET IT IF MY GROCER DOESN'T HAVE IT? Some major web sites are: - Buy Fresh Tatsoi at speciality grocers; possibly Oriental markets. No on-line source that I know of. - Buy Tatsoi Seeds at Johnny's Selected Seeds - Tatsoi Growing Information at Dave's Garden - A Forum
Epicurious has six wonderfully fresh recipes for using Tatsoi: You can find them at Epicurious Recipe Archives
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