Choy sum

Brassica rapa var. parachinensis · Vegetable

40 pairings

Choy sum is a leafy Asian brassica (Brassica rapa var. parachinensis) grown for its tender flowering shoots — slim pale-green stalks topped with small bright-yellow flowers and oval leaves. Mild, faintly sweet and quick-cooking, it is a staple stir-fry and blanched green across southern China and Southeast Asia.

Picking a good onedrag

Tight buds, stalks snap wetLimp, leaves yellow, petals shed

Shop freshThe all-rounder: stir-fry with garlic, steam the shoots whole, or blanch and dress them.Everyday best

Buds and flowersHalf the cluster open, petals bright

LeavesGreen and matte, edges relaxed

StalksSmooth, cut end drying pale

The snapSnaps, but the break is only damp

Smell at the cut endsClean and green, almost nothing

What to look for, from tight buds, stalks snap wet to limp, leaves yellow, petals shed.

Preparing