7 Asian Vegetables to Try Now
These tasty and nutritious vegetables from Asia add variety to your plate
Like broccoli, cauliflower, and kale, many leafy vegetables native to Asia belong to the cruciferous family, and have the same potential to lower cancer and heart disease risk. The non-leafy ones, like edamame and daikon, also add a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals to your diet.
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Bitter Melon
Nutrition Notes
Some people may be reluctant to try this vegetable for its bitter taste, but it is packed with nutrients. A cup of cooked bitter melon provides about half of an adult’s daily need for vitamin C.
How to Use It
You can eat bitter melon raw or stir-fry it. Either way, halve the bitter melon lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. For a stir-fry dish, further cut the halves into thin slices. If you’re new to the vegetable or worried about bitterness, blanch the slices.
Bok Choy
Nutrition Notes
This green with crunchy stems and leafy ends packs a lot of benefits. Available in different sizes, all bok choy varieties are members of the cruciferous family. One cup cooked also provides about half of your daily need for vision-protecting vitamin A and antioxidant vitamin C.
How to Use It
“Asian families usually stir-fry bok choy with minced garlic and cooking oil,” Kong says. You can also add the veggie to noodle soups. Slice and soak it in three changes of water to get rid of any grit that may be hiding between the leaves before any preparation.
Daikon
Nutrition Notes
A root vegetable native to China and Japan, daikon contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It packs an especially impressive amount of vitamin C. A seven-inch long daikon radish will provide the entire daily recommended dose of vitamin C for women. For men, it brings in over 80 percent of the daily recommended amount.
How to Use It
Daikon is a versatile ingredient. Once sliced or diced, radish pieces can be sautéed, tossed in a salad, or cooked into soup. “You can eat daikon salad with any dressing or cook it with other vegetables and proteins such as meat, fish, or tofu,” says Asako Miyashita, RDN, a dietitian based in New York. “Daikon miso soup is the easiest miso soup and contains powerful nutrients.”
Edamame
Nutrition Notes
You may have tried these immature soybeans at sushi restaurants, where they are often served steamed and lightly salted. Just ½ cup has 9 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, and there is evidence that traditional soy foods like edamame and tofu may lower the risk of breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
How to Use It
Boil shelled edamame (frozen or fresh) and mix with sesame oil, vinegar, and a little soy sauce for a simple salad, says Miyashita. Or sauté the beans with garlic, sprinkle with Parmesan, and serve as a side dish.
Gai Lan
Nutrition Notes
Though it may be called Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale, gai lan stands apart from both, with thick stems, flat leaves, and small florets, and a slightly bitter flavor. Like other cruciferous vegetables, it contains glucosinolates, compounds that may protect against the cell damage that can cause age-related diseases. Plus, it supplies a hefty dose of the antioxidants beta carotene and lutein/zeaxanthin.
How to Use It
Like bok choy, gai lan works well sautéed or stir-fried. For the perfect texture, Kong suggests separating the stems from the leaves; sauté stems until they’re 80 percent cooked, then add the leaves until soft. Flavor with reduced-sodium oyster sauce and garlic, or with ginger and lime juice, and toss with soba or whole-wheat noodles, adding peanuts if you like.
Mizuna
Nutrition Notes
This leafy cruciferous vegetable, with its mild peppery flavor (similar to arugula but less spicy), can be eaten raw or cooked. Either way, it’s packed with benefits. You get 15 percent of your daily need for calcium and 40 percent of vitamin A in 2 cups of the raw greens.
How to Use It
Use it in place of arugula in any salad or sauté it the way you would spinach. For a mizuna salad, Miyashita recommends chopping the greens into 2-inch pieces and mixing with ground sesame seeds, sesame or olive oil, lemon or vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Mizuna can also be used in soup.
Kabocha
Nutrition Notes
This pumpkin-shaped Japanese squash tastes a little like a sweet potato mixed with chestnut, and has a drier texture than butternut squash. “Kabocha pumpkin contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, especially high beta carotene, which is especially good for eye and skin health. It has a nutty flavor with sweetness,” Miyashita says. “It is great for dessert.” And while you can’t go wrong with any squash, kabocha has fewer calories and carbs and more potassium compared with its more common cousin, butternut.
How to Use It
You can pan-fry or roast it, then top with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup and a scoop of plain yogurt for breakfast or dessert. Or mash the baked squash and use it as a side dish where you might otherwise use sweet potatoes.
Editor’s Note: A version of this article also appeared in the May 2021 issue of Consumer Reports On Health.
