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Komatsuna
Brassica rapa var. perviridis · Leafy green
40 pairings
Komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) is a leafy vegetable of the turnip species Brassica rapa, grown for its tender, dark-green, mild-flavoured leaves. A staple of Japanese kitchens, it is eaten raw in salads, lightly boiled and dressed (ohitashi), stir-fried, pickled, and dropped into miso soup and hot pots.
Picking a good onedrag
Glossy dark green, stalks snappingYellow, limp, slimy at the base
Shop freshThe all-rounder: miso soup, ohitashi, a fast stir-fry.Everyday best
BladeGreen but matte, the blades relaxed
StalkSnaps, but the break face is only damp
Cut baseCut base drying, faintly tan
Smell at the leafClean and green, the mustard almost gone
What to look for, from glossy dark green, stalks snapping to yellow, limp, slimy at the base.
What one gives you
85%
Usable yield
170 g · root base off
200 g
Typical weight
one specimen
Keeping ittap a band
A domestic fridge holds it about 4× longer than the counter.
Humidity
95-98%
Near-saturated air: wrap the bunch in damp paper and bag it. Bare on a fridge shelf the blades go limp inside a day.
Airflow
Perforated bag, not sealed
A perforated bag, never sealed tight: trapped damp starts soft rot at the cut base and turns the leaf sulphurous.
Ethylene is what yellows the leaves
Its yellowing is ethylene-driven - block the gas and it stays green days longer - so keep the bunch clear of apples, bananas and ripening tomatoes.