Tatsoi

Tatsoi
Tatsoi
Chinese	塌菜
Literal meaning	drooping vegetable
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	tācài
IPA	[tʰá.tsʰâɪ]
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	taap3 coi3
IPA	[tʰāːp.tsʰɔ̄ːy]
Wu Chinese name
Chinese	塌棵菜
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	tākēcài
Wu
Romanization	thaq-khu-tshe
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	taap3 fo2 coi3
Yangtze Mandarin Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	烏塌菜
Simplified Chinese	乌塌菜
Literal meaning	dark drooping vegetable
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	wūtācài
Wu
Romanization	wu-thaq-tshe

Tatsoi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Brassicaceae
Genus:	Brassica
Species:	B. rapa
Subspecies:	B. r. subsp. narinosa
Trinomial name
	Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa ; (L.H.Bailey) Hanelt

Tatsoi (Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa^[1] or Brassica rapa var. rosularis^[2]) is an Asian variety of Brassica rapa grown for greens. Also called tat choy, it is closely related to the more familiar bok choy. This plant has become popular in North American cuisine as well, and is now grown throughout the world.

Naming

The name comes from Cantonese taap3 coi3 ('drooping vegetable'), often rendered tat soi or tat choy. However, its natural habitat is not where Cantonese is spoken but alongside the Yangtze River, where it is called thaq-khu-tshe (塌棵菜) or wūtācài (乌塌菜, 'dark drooping veggie'). Mandarin borrowed the former name as tākēcài. It is also called "Chinese flat cabbage", "rosette bok choy", "broadbeaked mustard",^[3] "spoon mustard",^[2] or "spinach mustard".

Description

The plant has dark green spoon-shaped leaves which form a thick rosette. It has a soft creamy texture and has a subtle yet distinctive flavour.

Planting

It can be grown to harvestable size in 45–50 days, and can withstand temperatures down to –10 °C (15 °F). Tatsoi can even be harvested from under snow.

Days to Maturity: 45
When to Sow
- Outside: As early as the soil can be worked. Sow again in late summer or fall.
- Inside: Sow directly outdoors.
Seed Depth: 1/4" to 1/2"
Seed Spacing: 6"
Row Spacing: 18"
Days to Emerge: 5 - 15
Thinning: When 4" tall, thin to 6" apart.

Nutritional value

Tatsoi contains high levels of vitamin C, carotenoids, folic acid, calcium and potassium.^[4]

Cooking

Tatsoi is used for pesto, salads, stir frys and garnishing soup. According to Food52, "Tatsoi is a very versatile green, equally suited to being served raw or lightly cooked. To make it easy, just use tatsoi anywhere you’d use spinach. Lightly steam or sauté it, wilt the leaves with a warm dressing, or add them to a soup at the end of cooking."^[5]

The leaves are similar to romaine, while the stalks taste a little like cucumber, with a mild bitterness. The leaves and inner stalk are tender; the outer stalk is typically discarded. Typical cooking is to stir-fry the leaves and the stalks. They also can be pickled. ^[6]