Pak Choi
Known as “pak choi”, “bok choy” or a type of Chinese cabbage, this cabbage green is lighter, fresher and sweeter than many leafy greens.
Nutrition
Pak choi like other leafy greens is a great source of vitamin C and other antioxidants like zinc and beta-carotene which help to repair cell damage in our bodies.
Shopping Guide
Look for a vibrant green colour with firm stalks that are unblemished.
Storage
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days to a week.
Serving Suggestion
Cook it briefly to treat it best, but remember that the stems cook slower than the leaves, so separate them and slice the stems, adding them to the pan before the leaves for a couple of minutes. They are even delicious halved and roasted tossed in soy sauce over rice.
Seasonality
Buying veg in season is not only great for the planet, it can be good for your wallet, too! Seasonal veg are often cheaper and frequently taste better, so can be a better time to try with a child as the often sweeter, riper taste is more enjoyable.
At Its Best:
January - December
Engage
Here are some of our favourite ways to engage kids with pak choi:
Arts & Crafts
Start simple with some non-food based engagement. This is especially helpful for a fussier child or those with sensitivities around food.
For pak choi, why not try making an edible sea scene on a plate or tray using pak choi for seaweed and other veggies for fish, crabs, sand or waves? Or try drawing a close up pak choi by observing it under a magnifying glass to get the white veins, lines and leaves just right!
Sensory
Sensory exploration can be a wonderful introduction to physically interacting with veg. Turn it into a positive, pressure-free experience by starting off with the golden rules of “You don’t need to try and you don’t need to like.” Reassuring a child that, while they have a chance to taste a veg, they don’t have to, and are not expected to like it if they do, can make them more happy to engage with it.
Try exploring a whole pak choi and then breaking off individual leaves. What does it look like? How does it feel? Does it remind you of anything? Does it have a smell? Try biting through the leaves and stems separately, or snapping them by your ear if not up to trying them, and see if the leaves or stems sound crunchier.
Kids in the Kitchen
Children who help to prep and cook veg are more likely to eat it. If you feel your child is ready to help and could benefit from it, keep the stress and mess to a minimum by choosing one simple task for them to do as part of the prep, meaning they can be involved and feel like the recipe is in part ‘theirs’, but also not make the process too much longer or more complicated.
For a younger child, why not get them to wash the pak choi by separating out the leaves and giving them a good wash and dry. If they want to do more, can they help tear the leaves?
For an older child, it could be a great opportunity to practise some essential knife skills using the claw grip to separate the leaves and stems, then slice the stems thinly and roughly chop the leaves.
DOWNLOADS:
Use our Kitchen Ninja chart and videos to find simple ways for kids to help in the kitchen.
Your Food
Find your go-to meals in our family favourites section and see what veggies work best with them.
Find out how to add more veg to your suppers here.
Recipes
Serving
The moments before food is offered can be a perfect opportunity for engagement that can help make it more likely a child will eat it!
The first thing to do is remove the pressure. If the veg doesn’t get eaten, it’s not the end of the world. There will be other days, other dinners, other chances. Fun is key here – try not to worry about mess, perfect table manners, or playing with food. Instead, focus on making the process of getting the food to the plates, readying the table, and the actual eating relaxed.
The best principles for success here are the Three Rs (role modelling, rewarding, re-offering) which you can read about here.
But there is one more way you can serve for success, and that is giving your child a role. You don’t have to do this every time, just encourage them in their strengths through it when you can.
Here are some of our favourite ideas:
Design a menu
Come up with a silly name or story for a dish
Help with making a meal plan and choosing veg for dinners or snacks
Help to serve up the meal on dishes, lay the table or create a centrepiece to be involved in the physical ‘serving up’ process
The Wonderful World of Veg
Check out our vegepedia. When to buy in-season. How to store them to keep for longer. How to engage children with each veg, and simple ideas of how to prepare and cook them for maximum taste and minimum waste. Select a veg…