Cruciferous Vegetables Cooking Demo - Ingredient & Advance Prep Guide

I look forward to cooking together virtually as I show you some of my favorite recipes that highlight cruciferous vegetables beyond broccoli, cauliflower, and kale.

Different versions of these recipes are common in a variety of East Asian cuisines. They can be easily customized to meet individual tastes and food preferences too! I invite you to cook along with me and ask any questions that come to mind. I can't wait to share what I have planned for you.

A spoon filled with miso soup and a piece of tofu, wakame, enoki, daikon, and scallions above a yellow bowl filled with miso soup. — **daikon miso-shiru (味噌汁) - miso soup**

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💭 grocery list
miso soup
stir-fried Taiwanese cabbage
🍜 more taiwanese recipes
💬 reviews + comments

💭 grocery list

Don't forget to access the prepared grocery list (in the form of a Google Sheet).

miso soup

daikon miso-shiru (味噌汁)

📋 key ingredients

Note: salt is not needed for this recipe even though it's mistakenly shown in the image below.

Labeled ingredients for miso soup over a pale yellow background, including a wakame (dried seaweed), salt, miso (white, awase, or red), dashi granules, silken tofu, a medium daikon (optional), a scallion, and a pack of enoki mushrooms (optional).

See the recipe in the session handout for quantities.

miso paste

The type of miso you use can also be customized to your taste because there are so many different kinds. For miso soup, I prefer:

shiro-miso (white miso) - It's sweet and smooth (fine-textured). Works great in soups and sauces/dressings to use with vegetables or salads.

dashi options

There are quite a few options for dashi granules, but these are my favorites. I almost always have them stocked in my pantry since they're super easy to use.

konbu stock (affiliate link) - use this for vegan or vegetarian miso soup since it's kelp-based soup stock.
bonito dashi granules (affiliate link) - this is fish-based and my go-to one! It may be out of stock online, but you may be able to find it (or a similar one) at your local Japanese grocery store.
dashi with flavor boosters (affiliate link) - this dried dashi stock includes even more flavor boosters like added MSG. I say 'added' since, like many other foods (including mushrooms and tomatoes), other dashi granules have naturally occurring MSG.

🔪 advance prep instructions

Complete recipe steps 1-3 in advance:

how to cut tofu and scallions

Cindy cutting a block of silken tofu into 1-inch by ¾-inch cubes on a wood cutting board, labeled with a circled number "1."

Prepare 1 (14-ounce) package of soft tofu by draining it, removing it from its container, and cutting it into cubes.

Cindy placing her non-dominant hand, palm down, over the top of the cut tofu and slicing it in half by cutting with the chefs knife parallel to the cutting board, labeled with a circled number "2."

Cut the silken tofu into 1-inch (50-millimeter) cubes. I like to slice it in half first as shown above before cutting it into bite-sized cubes.

Cindy cutting the stem off of a scallion with a chefs knife on a wood cutting board.

Cut the end off of 1 washed scallion.

Cindy thinly slicing scallion on a bias with a chefs knife on a wood cutting board.

Thinly slice scallion on a bias (at an angle).

how to cut daikon (I'll also demo this during the session)

Here, I'll show you a special way to cut daikon that's not widely shared. It's the best way to cut it for soups!

Cindy cutting a medium daikon in half with a chefs knife, labeled with a circled number "1."

Cut off a 6-inch piece (about 150 millimeters) of washed daikon.

Cindy peeling half of a daikon with a vegetable peeler, labeled with a circled number "2."

This way you're only peeling the part of the daikon that you'll use right away. The other half will stay fresh longer stored in the refrigerator.

Cindy cutting half of a daikon into 2-inch long pieces (about 50 millimeters) with a chefs knife, labeled with a circled number "3."

Cut the daikon into 2-inch long pieces (about 50 millimeters).

Cindy using a chefs knife to cut a piece of 2-inch long daikon (about 50 millimeters) into ¼-inch (6-millimeter) thick slices by placing the daikon piece flat side down, then slicing the daikon from top down with the grain, labeled with a circled number "4."

Place each disk flat side down and slice the daikon from the top down with the grain into ¼-inch (6-millimeter) thick slices.

pro tip: When using daikon in soups, cut slices with the grain rather than against the grain (as shown in the step-by-step photos above). This will give each slice a satisfying toothsome bite even after being fully cooked. That way you avoid soggy, too-soft, vegetables even when reheating a bowl of miso soup.

how to cut enoki mushrooms, if using (optional)

Enoki mushrooms are another favorite but optional ingredient. I love it in miso soup! If you can't find enoki, shimeji (beech mushrooms) or thinly sliced king trumpet mushrooms would work best as substitutes.

Cindy using a chefs knife slicing the end off of a bundle of enoki mushrooms in its opened package, labeled with a circled number "1."

Cut the ends off of 1 package of enoki mushrooms (about 7 ounces or 200 grams). I like to cut the ends off while they're still in the package so the roots don't get everywhere.

A bundle of enoki mushrooms cut in half length-wise on a wood cutting board, labeled with a circled number "2."

Cut them in half lengthwise.

Cindy holding the bottom half of enoki mushrooms over a small glass mixing bowl, labeled with a circled number "3."

Separate the ends into smaller chunks.

Cindy holding the bottom half of enoki mushrooms over a small glass mixing bowl and separating and pulling the ends into smaller chunks by hand, labeled with a circled number "4."

Using clean hands, pull small segments of the enoki ends apart so that they're in bite-sized chunks.

note: The link below is a paid affiliate link, which means we do make a small profit from your purchases (your price is not affected by this commission). We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you click on an affiliate link, you consent to a cookie being placed on your browser for purposes of tracking commissions.

equipment note: Have a small fine mesh strainer (paid link) ready to help dissolve the miso paste when cooking.

stir-fried Taiwanese cabbage

chhá ko-lê-chhài (炒高麗菜)

🥬 key ingredient - what to look for when buying Taiwanese cabbage

Taiwanese cabbage 高麗菜 (ko-lê-chhài in Taiwanese, or gāolí cài in Mandarin, Chinese) is a delicious, and often under-used, variety of cabbage. It's known as "flat cabbage" since it has a flat and oblong shape and is sometimes mistakenly referred to as Chinese cabbage.

It has loosely packed leaves that are crisp and tender with a sweet flavor that lacks the bitterness often found in other cabbage. It can be enjoyed raw or cooked, and thankfully, it's in season year-round!

You can find this cabbage in well-stocked Taiwanese or Chinese grocery stores like 99 Ranch Market, usually displayed in the refrigerated produce area. I've also seen it at local farmers markets and online at Weee! (affiliate link).

The figure below shows key things to look for when picking out Taiwanese cabbage.

A head of Taiwanese cabbage on a pale pink background with closeup photos and text showing visual cues to look for (tightly wrapped leaves; outer leaves tend to be greener; hydrated stem without huge cracks or mold spots; heavier cabbages with crisper leaves will taste better), as well as what to avoid (leaves that have turned yellow around the edges; excessive holes from insect bites).

Feel the weight - heavier cabbages will taste better.
Check the leaves - look for crispy outer leaves that are green and tightly wrapped.
Avoid - leaves that have turned yellow along the edges, or have a bunch of holes from insect bites all the way through (it's okay if there are just a few on the outer leaves).
Look for - a hydrated stem without cracks or mold spots.

🔪 advance prep instructions

Complete steps 1-4 in advance:

Begin by rehydrating your sliced shiitake mushrooms.

Dried shiitake mushroom slices in a small clear prep bowl that's sitting on a wood cutting board, labeled with a circled number "1."

Place the dried shiitake mushrooms in a small bowl.

Just boiled water being poured from a kettle into a small bowl filled with dried shiitake mushrooms slices, labeled with a circled number "2."

Soak your dried mushrooms in 2 cups of just boiled water.

A small glass prep bowl sitting on top of a bowl of dried shiitake mushroom slices soaked in just boiled water, labeled with a circled number "3."

Place a smaller bowl on top to keep the mushrooms fully submerged. Soak for at least 20 minutes.

Once the mushrooms are reconstituted, squeeze out the liquid into the same bowl, reserving the liquid to use later.

4. velvet the pork loin strips, if using (optional)

In a medium bowl, add the pork loin strips, salt, ground white pepper, water, cornstarch, and canola oil.

Stir until the pork is well coated with the cornstarch and sauce.

🧂 Measure out the remaining seasonings and sauces listed in the recipe.

🍚 Make some white rice or grain of choice for a complete meal.

🍜 more taiwanese recipes

Looking for Taiwanese recipes? Try these:

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

Happy cooking! ~ Cindy Chou, RDN 周昀

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