Pak Choi: Intolerance & Allergy

Pak choi is a relative of Chinese cabbage. It forms loose heads with medium-sized, dark green leaves and is native to Asia, but also thrives in Europe.

Here’s what you should know about pak choi

Pak choi is a relative of Chinese cabbage. It forms loose heads with medium sized, dark green leaves. As the name suggests, pak choi is native to the Asian region. The cabbage, which is related to Chinese cabbage, thrives particularly well in the warm, humid regions of Asia, but can also be grown well in temperate areas of Europe. Then it usually grows in greenhouses. Pak choi is also known as paksoi, bok choy, or pok choi, and is found as baby pak choi, with small heads of cabbage, and as Shanghai pak choi, whose leaf panicles are green instead of white. Pak choi grows to harvestable size within 6 to 8 weeks and is therefore considered a fast growing cabbage. While it is still largely grown year-round in Asia, since 2004 there have also been economically relevant growing areas in the Netherlands that also produce pak choi year-round. The rather loose cabbage head forms dark green leaves that visually resemble chard. Towards the root they turn white. Pak choi is prepared whole or chopped as a vegetable, depending on its size. It can be used similarly to spinach, savoy cabbage or other cabbage and leafy vegetables. It is popular mainly in Asian dishes, but is also used in pasta. Pak Choi contains vitamins and minerals as well as secondary plant compounds and is therefore often prepared as gently as possible to preserve these ingredients.

Importance for health

Pak Choi enjoys great popularity as a green vegetable due to its valuable ingredients. In larger quantities, it contains potassium, calcium, vitamin C and several B vitamins. Furthermore, carotene appears in relevant quantities in pak choi. Secondary plant compounds in which pak choi is rich include flavonoids, mustard oils (glucosinulates) and phenolic acid. The secondary plant compounds have an antioxidant effect and prevent the development of various diseases. Furthermore, they are said to have an antibacterial, germicidal effect, but this is currently still being researched. As with almost all plant foods, most of the ingredients of pak choi remain in the leaves if they are prepared as gently as possible. Short sautéing, steaming and cooking are therefore the most common forms of preparation.

Ingredients and nutritional values

As a plant, pak choi contains very little fat, but fiber, carbohydrates and some protein. However, the protein content is so low that it cannot replace the missing meat in vegetarian diets, for example. Pak Choi is at the same time very low in calories. Potassium, calcium, sodium and folic acid are present in the greatest quantity on the side of minerals. The vitamin C content is almost enough to cover the daily requirement. Furthermore, many B vitamins, vitamin A (carotene) is also vitamin K found in pak choi. Also worth mentioning are the secondary plant compounds, which serve Pak Choi as a natural defense against predators, but for humans are associated with various protective properties against diseases.

Intolerances and allergies

Pak Choi has not been eaten in this country for too long, yet it has already been able to establish itself as a food for allergy sufferers. It is considered to be relatively well tolerated and very rarely triggers a reaction. If an allergic reaction to pak choi occurs, it is often in connection with an already known allergy to various types of cabbage. Pak choi is often used in baby food as a substitute for spinach – babies may still be sensitive to it. However, this is usually not due to an allergy, but to the fact that the vegetable is new and unfamiliar to the young, immature metabolism. Pak choi can be offered to the baby again after some time and will probably be better tolerated, as the young metabolism had to get used to it first.

Shopping and kitchen tips

Since pak choi is either imported from Asia or cultivated in greenhouses in this country, it hardly has a clearly defined season. Almost year-round, pak choi can be grown in Asia, and in greenhouses it can also be cultivated year-round. When buying, look for uninjured, dark green leaves with a color similar to arugula or spinach. Hanging, discolored or very thin and flabby cabbage leaves, on the other hand, tend to signal that the pak choi is no longer fresh. At most, this would not be a problem with sautéed dishes, as it would wilt anyway. However, pak choi is most pleasant when fresh. It can usually be stored for a few days after purchase, but should be consumed rather quickly. It can be stored for up to two weeks wrapped in a damp cloth at cool temperatures. It is accustomed to this humidity from its Asian homeland and then stays fresh a little longer. Room temperature does not bother the pak choi much, but then it does not last as long. Since it is possible that pak choi came into contact with insect repellents during cultivation, it should always be washed thoroughly before use. There is also nothing against blanching – especially for salads, this way of preparing the cabbage is recommended.

Preparation tips

Raw or blanched, pak choi is eaten as a salad vegetable. It can either be left whole leaf or coarsely chopped. Chopping does not bother him, so the salad can also be well prepared. In its Asian homeland, pak choi is often used for stir-fry dishes. It is coarsely chopped for this purpose, whereby the whole cabbage can be used – including its white components. It is sautéed in the wok for only a few minutes. This method of preparation has also proven successful for other dishes prepared with pak choi. In Western cuisine, the cabbage is used for variety instead of other types of cabbage, spinach, arugula or similar green leafy vegetables. It is also well suited for the preparation of pasta sauces, which are often newly created. In any case, it is prepared as gently as possible, i.e. either eaten raw, very briefly sautéed or gently cooked. Pak choi wilts after only a few minutes of exposure to heat, softening the white part of the cabbage head and making the leaves even more flavorful. When creating your own dishes, you should take into account the intense flavor of the pak choi, which does not weaken with gentle cooking. To preserve the valuable ingredients as much as possible, pak choi should never be heated too high.