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Brassica juncea subsp. tsatsai
Zha cai is a mustard stem (a subspecies of Brassica juncea) that is salted, pressed and pickled, a Chinese staple from Chongqing and Sichuan. It is grown for its swollen stem, which is harvested and processed rather than eaten fresh.
Zha cai ([ʈʂâ tsʰâɪ]; 榨菜) is a type of pickled mustard plant stem originating in Chongqing, China. The name may also be written in English as cha tsai, tsa tsai, jar choy, jar choi, ja choi, ja choy, or cha tsoi. In English, it is commonly known as Sichuan vegetable, Szechwan vegetable, or Chinese pickled vegetable, although all of these terms may also refer to any of a number of other Chinese pickles.
Originating in Sichuan and believed to be one of the world's oldest types of pickles, zha cai is used in many of the various cuisines of China such as in Sichuan dan dan noodles, in soups with ground pork and mifen, and as a condiment for rice congee. It is generally sliced into thin strips and used in small amounts due to its extreme saltiness, although this saltiness can be tempered somewhat by soaking the strips in water prior to use.
Abyssinian mustard · Mustard · India mustard · Rutabaga · Rapeseed · Tatsoi · Rhamphospermum nigrum · Gai lan · Cauliflower · Cabbage · Brussels sprout · Kohlrabi
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Zha cai by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
