Images Nai Pak Choy (Extra Dwarf Chinese Cabbage)

Nai Pak Choy (Extra Dwarf Chinese Cabbage)

Nai Pak Choy in English is regularly referred to as the Extra Dwarf Chinese Cabbage. Other names it is known by locally - Fairlady or Sawi Susu in Malay.

Nai Pak Choy  is a smaller variety of Pak Choy / Bok Choy. Its distinctive trait is its short wide white petioles with dark green crumpled leaves held together by a stem in a rounded head.

The ones I purchased here were grown in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.

Buying and Storing
Look for fresh colours - the stems should be white and firm. The greens should be a lovely dark, glossy shade and not wilted. In short, they should look crunchy.

Leave it unwashed until ready for use. I left mine in its original plastic packaging for four days in the refrigerator. There were no signs of discoloration or wilting.

Cooking
Before cooking, wash thoroughly. Either dip it in water and swish it around or separate the stems and wash it individually. Dirt is usually lodged in between the stems so that's where you should really focus on.

There are several ways to eat this. I've read that you can have it raw but that's something I've never done so I can't comment on it. I prefer mine cooked in quick stir fries, boiled in soup or with some sort of gravy. I find it really delicious done this way.

Here's a simple recipe on Nai Pak Choy that you can try out : Nai Pak Choy with Pork in Egg Gravy

Nai Pak Choy - Lovely white stems

Nai Pak Choy - Crumpled greens

Images Nai Pak Choy (Extra Dwarf Chinese Cabbage) with Pork in Egg Gravy

Extra Dwarf Chinese Cabbage (Fairlady) in an Eggy Gravy

Extra dwarf chinese cabbage..mmm. Ok, that's a weird translation for"nai pak choy" but it was the closest description I could find on the internet. That, and Fairlady - something I connect only to Nissan..

Nai Pak Choy - it's fresh, it's so fresh!

It has a distinctive thick white stem with dark green scrunched-up leaves. This particular head that I'm holding up for the camera has also been in my fridge for four days but looks as fresh as when it was popped into my shopping cart.

I've often included this vegetable into soups. Soups are a must-have on our dinner table. It's almost a daily affair and I'm surprised I haven't resorted to pulling my hair out yet thinking what to put on the table everyday. When I'm short of time, the nai pak choy comes in handy for making a quick bowl of soup. I'd toss it into a hot pot of boiling water with just garlic, some seasoning and voila! Sneaky, I know.

Today, I wanted to try out an eggy gravy that I so often see served in Chinese restaurants.  It gives the otherwise plain stir-fry green vegetables dish more appeal and more "slurp".

It's a simple recipe but requires some quick work, so I would prepare everything before I even think of lighting up my pan and I would keep things close.

Ingredients:
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 200g / 7 heads nai pak choy (cut stemmed leafy parts away from main stem)
- 1 tbsp dried wolfberries (soaked for 10 minutes)
- 50g boneless pork meat - loin (sliced thin)
- Two small eggs
- 1-2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1-2 cups water
- 1 tbsp corn flour (diluted in 2 tbsp water)
- Salt and pepper to taste

How-to:
1) Heat oil in pan. Add garlic, fry until lightly fragrant. Add pork slices, stir it about.

2) Add 1 cup water or more (just enough to make the sauce). Once it boils, add wolfberries, vegetables and season with salt and pepper.

3) When the vegetables are almost cooked, stir in the corn flour and lift the pan off the fire.

4) Crack one or two eggs in, immediately stirring it but lightly. Quickly serve it out onto a plate before the egg cooks further.

The result? You can taste the juice from the pork, mixed with a mildly salted egg sauce. Along with it, is a tinge of sweetness when you bite into a wolfberry.

The ingredients - Nai Pak, Wolfberries, Pork, Egg and Garlic

Toss the vegs in once the water boils

Nai Pak Choy (Extra Dwarf Chinese Cabbage) in an Egg Gravy