It’s best to store tat soi in a plastic bag or a covered container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
Tat soi is a gorgeous fall green with spoon shaped dark green leaves and light green stems extending from the base. It is related to bok choi and has a mild mustard flavor. We reserve it for the very end of our season because it is more cold hardy and, in our opinion, the flavor is best after a bit of cold treatment! Nearly the entire plant, leaves and stems, is edible and you’ll find both to be tender enough to eat raw as well as cooked.
Prior to use, turn it over and use a paring knife to cut the stems away from the base. Wash the stems and leaves vigorously in a sink of cold water. If you’re using it to make a salad or stir-fry, make sure you pat the leaves dry or dry them in a salad spinner. If you’re using them in a soup or just wilting them, just shake a little water off of them.
As mentioned above, tat soi may be eaten both raw and cooked. It is very similar to spinach and bok choi, so consider using it in recipes or preparations where you may use greens such as these. In its raw form, I like to use tat soi in tasty salads with lots of fall vegetables such as winter radishes (daikon or beauty heart), carrots, cabbage, etc. and a simple, light vinaigrette. Turn it into a meal itself by adding nuts, seeds and/or meat such as grilled steak, roasted chicken or seared salmon.
Tat soi is one of nature’s fast foods, as are most greens, and it can be stir-fried, steamed and sauteed in just a few minutes. The stems may need a slightly longer cooking time, so it’s best to add those to the pan first. The leaves cook very quickly and need just a few minutes to become silky and tender.
I tend to use tat soi in dishes with some Asian influences, and rightfully so as it pairs well with ginger, miso, soy, sesame, etc. But it also pairs well with other ingredients including lemon, beans, grains, pasta, winter root vegetables, etc. Of course you may also choose to incorporate it into casseroles, hot dishes, egg preparations such as quiche and scrambled eggs, pasta dishes, etc.
Growing Information: While tat soi can take some cold weather and frosty nights, repeated cold exposure can result in frost damage. Each fall we take a little extra time to put wire hoops in the field to support a large cover that drapes over the crop, anchored with lots of sandbags to keep it in place. The tat soi may still freeze under the cover if the temperatures are cold enough, but it isn’t as hard of a freeze and thus it recovers more favorably. You may notice some discoloration on the tips of some of the leaves. This is from a little bit of frost damage, typically where the cover may have been resting on the plant. It can sometimes be tricky to harvest it as you have to time the harvest to coincide with a warm afternoon when the tat soi have thawed!
