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I Love Autumn Leaves...

Submitted by Jenkins Family on Sat, 10/24/2015 - 12:36am

To be more specific , dark, leafy green leaves.  We planted the hon tsai seeds from Tim, thinking they would be the same greens that my grandmother used to plant.  I was in search of a short, dark green plant with red hues that add their color to the broth my grandmother made.  Sadly, they were not but instead discovered a new, tasty leafy green.  Hon Tsai grows much taller(over 12") and has a red hue in the stalk but not the leaves.  The leaves are more similar to Gai Lan but less overwhelming in flavor.  It's earthy yet mellow, flavorful and savory.  I tried it first in stir fry but couldn't distinguish it's  taste From everything else in the dish.  With the next batch, I made a pork rib soup which I usually add watercress or spinach.  This is where the taste really came through.  The hon tsai flavor complemented the soup beautifully.  It's a nice change from spinach, offering a bit more flavor.  

Pak Choy seems to be closely related to Bok Choy. It grows tall, approximately 12-15 inches, a similar color with somewhat skimmer stalks.  The flavor is similar to Bok Choy.  I used this in the stir fry too - it's delicateness did not lend well to the dish and if used again, I wiuld julienne and add last to prevent it from overcooking.