Papaya

HOW TO PICK FRESH PAPAYA 

LOOK FOR THESE:

• A green and fresh stem end (It is also good if the flesh around the stem end has a yellow tin to it.)
• Has a yellow/orange shade evenly throughout partially (This characteristic means the fresh papaya is ripen or partially ripen to some degree while on the tree before picked. Their flesh are more flavorful.) 
• With a more slender shape (These are the male papayas. They have less seeds and more meat.)
• Heavy for size

AVOID THESE:

• A wilting, browning or soft stem end
• With soft or brown spots

HOW TO STORE FRESH PAPAYA

I never refrigerate a fresh papaya. The refrigeration process tend to remove its natural flavor and texture. 

IN ROOM TEMPERATURE: When fully ripe, fresh papaya should be consume within a day or two once brought home. However, a partially ripen papaya can stay fresh for about 4-5 days, depends on how ripe it is. TRY NOT put anything heavy on top, a bruised papaya can spoil fast.

HOW TO PREPARE FRESH PAPAYA
Wash the papaya, then cut it in half lengthwise. The seeds in the core can be easily removed with a spoon. Do not be stingy when scraping the seeds off the core of a fresh papaya, because the thin whitish layer of flesh can be bitter sometimes. It's good to make sure to remove it completely.

CUT INTO SLICES (MORE CONVENIENT FOR EATING): Now you can cut them into slices as you would with a melon. The skin of a papaya is very thin and taste a bit bitter. So, just enjoy the flesh and discard the skin.

CUT INTO CUBES (GREAT FOR SOUP OR FRUIT SALADS): Peel off the skin with a knife or a vegetable peeler. Then cut into cubes.

FUN TO KNOW ABOUT PAPAYA
Papaya, when translated in Chinese, it is 木瓜. 木 means wood. 瓜 means squash or melon.

Green, unripe papayas (check out the photo on the right) do not taste very sweet. However, they are awesome for papaya soup. 

Lotus Roots

HOW TO PICK FRESH LOTUS ROOTS

Depends on what you are planning on doing with your lotus roots, there are different sections of lotus roots to choose from. The more elongated section of the lotus roots: They are crunchy when cooked, and are best for sauté or stir fry.

• The shorter, rounder section of the lotus roots: They are softer in texture when cooked. They are best for soup or stew. (When see these different sections from the same root, you can simply break off the section you desire.)

LOOK FOR THESE:

• Fresh looking beige skin throughout, with as little imperfection as possible (Fresh lotus roots bruise easily. Once bruised, that part of the skin turns darker beige or even black. You can test the flesh underneath that part of the skin by digging your fingernail under those bruised spots, to reveal the flesh color underneath. If the flesh underneath is the fresh looking beige color, then the lotus root is still fresh to buy.)
• Beige color meat underneath the darker beige skin (When in doubt, you can always use your finger to dig into the skin of the lotus to check the color of the meat underneath.)
• Beige color meat in the tubular structure and the cross section (You can simply break the section of the root you want apart from the root to double check that.)

AVOID THESE:

• Dried up deeper brown color skin
• With too many of deep cuts and brown patches
• Brownish or even black meat underneath the skin
• Mud or brown color meat in the tubular structure or the cross sections between sections of the root (The mud in these tubular structure will greatly comprise the flavor of these lotus roots.)

HOW TO STORE FRESH LOTUS ROOTS

IN THE FRIDGE: Unwashed fresh lotus roots, when wrapped in paper towels, can last for up to 10 days in the crisper drawer. Breaking up the the lotus root into sections can make it easier for storage.

IN THE FREEZER: Once the skin is peeled off with a vegetable peeler, the fresh lotus roots can be cut into any forms, and be frozen for up to 1 month. Make sure you soak the chopped lotus roots in water until they are all cut up.

HOW TO PREPARE FRESH LOTUS ROOTS

Once chopped, lotus roots can turn color pretty quickly, a sort of bluish tint, unless you submerge them in a bowl of water until use. The water will keep them looking nice and white. 

FUN TO KNOW ABOUT LOTUS ROOTS

Lotus roots, when translated in Chinese, it is 蓮藕. 蓮 means lotus. 藕 means lotus roots. 

Lotus, in Asian culture, it has been a symbol of purity. It is because lotus grow from the mud in the bottom of a pond or lake, but the it grows tall, straight and unstained. In Chinese, it is 出淤泥而不染. 出淤 means came from. 泥 means mud. 而不染 means yet unstained. 

藕断丝连, you might hear this saying sometimes if you spent any time watching Chinese television shows or stayed in China. 藕断 means broken lotus root. 丝连 means silk still connected. The phrase means Lingering connections. 

煲老藕 is one of my favorite soup with mature lotus roots in them. In slangs thought, it means that young people who like to dating people who are a lot older than them, and I mean a lot older.

In Chinese New Year, when I was a kid, one of my favorite snacks is the candied lotus root slices, along side of candied lotus seeds and candied winter melon bits. Check out the photo below:

Pomelo

Pomelo looks like a giant grapefruit with a thick rind. Their thick rind usually ranges from light yellow to light green. Inside, pomelo flesh smells, looks and even taste a bit a grapefruit, but much much sweeter. The big seeds inside should be discarded as you encounter them. 
Check out the photos below:
 

An Opened Pomelo

Tasty Flesh Inside a Fresh Pomelo

HOW TO PICK FRESH POMELO

LOOK FOR THESE:

• Heavy for its size
• Still with a stem end attached (See picture on the right)

AVOID THESE:

• Light for its size 
• Stem ends that's dried up and turning brown 

HOW TO STORE FRESH POMELO

IN THE REFRIGERATOR: A Fresh pomelo can last about 1 month in the fridge.
IN ROOM TEMPERATURE: A Fresh pomelo can last about 2 weeks.

HOW TO PREPARE/EAT A FRESH POMELO
Peeling off the thick rind of a fresh pomelo is very similar to peeling off the rind of a grape fruit or an orange, except that the rind of a fresh pomelo is a lot thicker. One the rind is peeled off, you can enjoy the juicy, sweet flesh with a hint of tanginess. Check out the video below:

FUN TO KNOW ABOUT POMELO
Pomelo, when translated in Chinese, it is 柚子.

Do you know that the thick rind of pomelo is edible? They can be cooked in stews or soup once cleaned up. I have tried these dishes a few times in the past. Once cooked, they are soft like a sponge which soaks up all the wonderful flavors in the dish. Yum!

Ya Pear/Ya Li

HOW TO PICK FRESH YA PEAR

LOOK FOR THESE:

• A fresh looking stem end  
• Feel firm when gently squeezed
• Heavy for its size and has a nice green throughout
• The best to still have a green stem attached
• With smooth skin

AVOID THESE:

• With soft or brown spots
• Stem end wilting, turned brown or turned soft
• Liquid/Moisture coming off the stem end

HOW TO STORE FRESH YA PEAR

IN THE FRIDGE: When wrapped in paper towels, ya pears can stay fresh for 8-10 days in the crisper drawer. Try not to place anything too heavy on top because once bruised, ya pears can spoil quickly.

IN ROOM TEMPERTURE: Ya pear last for only about a day in room temperature. Any longer than that, its skin will shrivel. It's not recommended. 

HOW TO ENJOY FRESH YA PEAR

When eaten fresh, ya pears can be enjoy the same way as Bosc pears. 

FUN TO KNOW ABOUT YA PEAR

Ya pear, when translated in Chinese, it is 鸭梨. 鸭 means duck. 梨 means pear. Its name came from its similar shape to a ducks head and mouth. 

Star Fruit/Starfruit

The name star fruit comes from the shape of the cross-section shape of the fruit (check out the photo below), because the five ridges which run lengthwise on it side. Whenripe, star fruit is juicy with a sweet scent, sweet with a hint of tang.

Star Fruit Cross-Section Slices =)

HOW TO PICK FRESH STAR FRUIT

LOOK FOR THESE:

• Nice orange color in the concave ridges that fade into a nice green color in the convex ridges, except the very top of the ridge which is usually more of a dark brown color (Star fruits with this color characteristic are ripen naturally. Hence, better texture and flavor. Check out the photo below)

• Uglier the better with a twist or some type of deformation (This might sound odd because for most fruits, we look for more even and "prettier" shapes. However, for star fruit, it is best if its body is twisted some how. Check out the photos below for some examples.)

Star Fruit with a Twist_01

Star Fruit with a Twist_02

• Feel firm when gently squeezed
• Free of soft or brown spots

AVOID THESE:

• With brown or soft spots
• Majority of the fruit being green (These star fruits are not ripe enough. They won't taste very sweet.)

HOW TO STORE FRESH STAR FRUIT

IN THE FRIDGE: When wrapped in paper towels, fresh star fruits can about 3-4 days when store in the crisper drawer.

IN ROOM TEMPERATURE: When wrapped in paper towels, they can about 2-3 days. Try not to put anything heavy on top.

HOW TO PREPAR/EAT FRESH STAR FRUIT

After a thorough wash, you can use a knife to trim of the brown edges, and the two ends. Then, you can slice it any way you want or eat them whole. For better presentation, star fruits should be sliced widthwise to reveal the star shape. Check out the video below:

FUN TO KNOW STAR FRUIT

Star fruit, when translated in Chinese, it is 楊桃.

Saan Choy/Saan Choi

HOW TO PICK FRESH SAAN CHOY

LOOK FOR THESE:

• With a healthy green color throughout 
• With fresh looking stems 
• With a healthy gloss throughout 

AVOID THESE:

• With wilting leaves 
• Browning stems 

HOW TO STORE FRESH SAAN CHOY

IN THE FRIDGE: Fresh saan choy should stay fresh for about 2-3 days in a bag when stored in the crisper drawer. However, they are best consumed within a day or two.

HOW TO PREPARE FRESH SAAN CHOY

Washing saan choy is quite easy. 

1. Break the saan choy plants into smaller chunks. I've been trained to break them up into little pieces, with a leave or two attached to a chunk of the main stem. This way, every bite of the cooked saan choy will have the texture of both the leaves and the stems. 
2. Soak these smaller chunks of saan choy in water for about 10 minutes. 
3. Rinse well, then drain.

FUN TO KNOW ABOUT SAAN CHOY

Saan choy, when translated in Chinese, it is 潺菜. 潺 means slippery or slimy. 菜 means vegetable.

Jicama

HOW TO PICK FRESH JICAMA

LOOK FOR THESE:

• Reasonably smooth skin
• Free of or minimum patches of brown spots
• White flesh under the paper like skin 
• Heavy for its size
• Feel firm when squeezed

AVOID THESE:

• With soft spots
• Rough skin
• Brown or black flesh under the skin
• Feel slimy to the touch

HOW TO STORE FRESH JICAMA

IN THE FRIDGE: Fresh jicama can mold easily when wet. So, make sure your fresh jicama is dry before refrigeration. When wrapped in paper towels, they can last for about 3-5 days in the crisper drawer. And be sure to avoid getting the jicama wet when store with other veggies.

HOW TO PREPARE FRESH JICAMA

The only part of jicama that is not edible is the paper like skin. It can be peel off with a vegetable peeler. After that, its white flesh is all yours. =)

FUN TO KNOW ABOUT JICAMA
Jicama can be eaten raw. Its juicy flesh taste kind of pear like, but less sweet and more dense.

Jicama is a popular vegetable to be cooked in diced vegetables because of its crunchy, and lightly sweet flavor.

Napa/Napa Cabbage/Celery Cabbage

HOW TO PICK FRESH NAPA

LOOK FOR THESE:

• Fresh and healthy yellow color on the leaves (The most yellow the leaves are, the more mature the napa will be, which means more of that delicate sweet flavor.)
• Free of soft or brown spots
• Fresh looking stems that have a translucent white throughout
• Heavy for its size

AVOID THESE:

• With tiny holes that go through many layers of leaves
• Wilting stems (Wilting napa stems have a more solid white color than a fresh translucent stem, and with the top skin start to wrinkle.)
• Browning leaves
• Too loosely packed leaves

HOW TO STORE FRESH NAPA

IN THE FRIDGE: Always air dry the fresh napa if they have too much moisture on the leaves. This will prevent the napa from rotting too fast. Once air dried, DO NOT peel off the outmost leaves. Those outmost leaves can keep the inner, younger leaves protected.
Then, you can simply leave the whole napa in the crisper drawer, and it should last for about 7 days.

FUN TO KNOW ABOUT NAPA
Napa, when translated in Chinese, it is 黃芽白 in Cantonese, and 大白菜 in Mandarin. 黃 means yellow. 芽 means tip or sprout. 白 means white. 大 means big. 白 means white. 菜 means vegetable.

When steaming salty dough buns, napa leaves can be used to line the steamer to avoid the buns sticking to the steamer. If you don't have napa handy, lettuce leaves can be used as well. 

Chinese Bitter Melon

HOW TO PICK FRESH FRESH CHINESE BITTER MELON

LOOK FOR THESE:

• Uglier the better! It means with more raised and big bumps (You should be able to feel most of the bumps when you run your hand across the surface.)
• With a vibrant green throughout
• Feel firm when gently squeezed

AVOID THESE:

• With small and flat bumps
• With a yellowish green color throughout
• Free of blemishes
• Free of soft or brown spots

HOW TO STORE FRESH CHINESE BITTER MELON

IN THE FRIDGE: When wrapped in a paper towel, or placed in a paper bag in the crisper drawer, they can last for about 4 days.

HOW TO PREPARE FRESH CHINESE BITTER MELON

For bitter melons, closer to the core of the melon, the bitter it tastes, and softer the texture. If you would like to get rid of some of the bitterness, there are a few ways you can try. You can use one of the three, or combinations of these techniques:

• Remove the core and the seeds
• Use salt to squeeze out a lot of the liquids from the bitter melon
• Blanch the chopped bitter melons before cooking

FUN TO KNOW ABOUT CHINESE BITTER MELON
Bitter melon, when translated in Chinese is 苦瓜. 苦 means bitter. 瓜 means squash. It is a very popular vegetables in the Summertime for its "cooling" quality.

In China, if you are being called 苦瓜, it means you always look depressed, bitter and miserable, basically lack of happiness. So, not a good nick name. 

Head Cabbage Varieties

More head cabbage varieties to come...
Click on the name of the cabbage variety to find out how to select them in the store. =)

Red cabbages are very similar to green cabbages. Once cooked though, red cabbages tin everything with a blueish color. In soup, I think they make my favorite Russian soup more distinctive. However, it can be an undesirable effects in stir fries. Shredded red cabbage can also be a nice addition to a salad.

Green cabbages and red cabbages are quite similar, as mentioned above. I love using these cabbages in stir fries and soups. When shredded, they are an awesome addition to any dumpling fillings.

Curly/savory cabbages are pretty to look at, and have the best texture when stir fried. However, when cook in soup, the leaves tend to be a bit rougher than the green and red varieties, unless cook for a much longer period of time. 

Brussels sprouts are one of the cutest looking vegetable. You have got to try them baked with chopped carrots, olive oil, salt and pepper. They taste so sweet and fresh that way. I made a believe out of my husband. Hopefully, I can make a believer out of you too. =)

Napa/Napa Cabbage/Celery Cabbage are one of the more wildly used head cabbage variety in Asian countries. They can be pickled, braised, stir fried or cooked in soup. Personally, I prefer them stir fried with chopped ginger and salt. 

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts don't just look like miniature green head cabbages. They are head cabbages. 

They are one of the most adorable vegetables to look at. However, I couldn't get pass the odor of cooked Brussels sprouts for years, despite the fact that these cute little cabbages are very healthy for me. 

Can something look this cute, and be so healthy for me, also taste good?! 

Recently, I found out that it can be done with Brussels sprouts. You can bake Brussels sprouts with carrots, olive oil and salt, covered with tin foil for about 25-30 minutes in a 400 degree (Celsius) oven. These Brussels sprouts can come out taste fresh and sweet, and most importantly, no yucky odor. =)

Brussels sprouts can be found in loose form, or as a stalk that cab be about 2-3 feet tall. I heard it's much economical to get a stalk than buying them by the pounds in loose form. Now that I have successfully converted myself and my hubby into eating Brussels sprouts, I can't wait to buy one of those stalks.

HOW TO PICK FRESH BRUSSELS SPROUTS

LOOK FOR THESE:

• Rich and bright green color throughout
• Tightly packed leaves that feel firm when squeezed gently
• Heavy for its size

AVOID THESE:

• Yellow leaves
  
• Loosely packed leaves that feel puffy when squeezed gently
• Tiny holes and brown/black spots

HOW TO STORE FRESH BRUSSELS SPROUTS

IN THE FRIDGE: Feel free to pick off the Brussels sprouts off the stalk before refrigeration. Fresh Brussels sprouts can last for weeks when refrigerated in an open container. It is okay if the top leaf becomes yellow and wilted, as long as the leaves underneath it are still green and fresh once it is peeled off.  

Head Cabbage

There are many different types of head cabbage which are commonly found in the stores. Check out the photos below:

Red Cabbage

Green Cabbage

Curly Cabbage/Savoy cabbage

There are more head cabbage varieties than the ones I have listed above, such as Napa and Brussels sprouts, to just name a couple. Since the techniques for selecting and storing those other varieties can be quite different, they are going to have a page of their own.

HOW TO PICK FRESH HEAD CABBAGE IN THE STORE

LOOK FOR THESE:

• Heavy for its size
• Tightly packed leaves that look fresh, and rich in its color
• A fresh looking stem end

AVOID THESE:

• Wrinkled and browning leaves beyond the top layer of leaves
• Tiny holes that go through many layers of leaves

HOW TO STORE FRESH HEAD CABBAGE

IN THE FRIDGE (WHOLE CABBAGE): The fresh cabbage can last for about a week or two if you leave it in a sealed plastic bag.

IN THE FRIDGE (PART OF THE CABBAGE): If you only used up part of the cabbage, the remaining cabbage should be sealed in a plastic bag also. Just remember that, once cut, the remaining cabbage will only stay fresh for a few more days. 

IN THE FREEZER: I use this method a lot for radish greens. Not a lot for cabbage because they are easy to find year round. However, if you would like to, you can simply blench the chopped cabbage, chill, then seal them in a freezer bag for later use. I usually discard them after 6 months if left unused.