Pak Choi Salad With Sweet And Sour Dressing

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Pak choi (Brassica campestris L.) is a member of the cabbage family. It is known by many different names, including bok choy, horse's ear, Chinese celery cabbage and white mustard cabbage. The texture of both leaves and stalks is rather crisp; the flavor falls somewhere between mild cabbage and spinach. Very young pak choi can be eaten raw, older specimen taste better when briefly sauteed.


Pak choi is rich in beta carotene, calcium, and the vitamins C and K. Like any member of the cabbage family, this mild Asian cabbage contains anti-oxidant compounds  such as thiocyanates, indole-3-carbinol, lutein, zeaxanthin, sulforaphane and isothiocyanates. These compounds can help to protect against certain cancers including breast, colon, and the prostate cancer. They can also help lower the "bad" (LDL) cholesterol levels in blood.  

Young Pak Choi

Ingredients:  

for the salad
  • pak choi
  • 4 plums
  • 2 spring onions 

 Sweet and sour plum and ginger dressing

for the dressing
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup virgin olive oil
  • 2 ripe plums
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 small hot red chili pepper (add more if you prefer)
  • 1 inch ginger root
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 tsp pink Himalaya salt


Method:
  • Clean and wash pak choi. Separate individual leaves from each head and dry thoroughly. 
  • Cut off the white part of each pak choi leaf and chop it as you would chop the celery rib. Toss into a bowl.
  • Wash the plums, cut in halves and remove the stones. Chop each plum into small chunks and mix with the chopped pak choi. 
  • Clean and wash the spring onions. Chop and mix with the other salad ingredients. 
  • Using a blender whiz a dressing using all the dressing ingredients. Adjust the taste to your personal liking. Depending on the size of your lime and the ripeness of your plums you may need more lime juice. If the dressing is too sour you may add a bit of raw honey. If the dressing is too thick, add a little purified water.
  • Pour dressing over the salad and mix well.
  • Arrange green pak choi leaves on a platter and add the dressed salad. Garnish with chopped spring onions and chili pepper. Enjoy in good company!

In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique


Dominique Allmon©2014