How to Cut Cabbage

A member of the bright green cabbage family, bok choy is a fresh, crunchy, and refreshing vegetable in meals. With its rich vitamins, great texture, and mild flavor, bok choy is often featured in Asian recipes, but this versatile vegetable can also be used in salads. , soups, stir-fries and more. The leaves and stalks of bok choy can be eaten.

Table of Contents

Pick and wash bok choy

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Choose bok choy that has a bright green color and a crunchy stem. Look for plants with bright green leaves – not yellowing or browning – and crisp white petioles that are not pitted or discolored. Avoid choosing bok choy plants that look tough and dry in the middle. Delicious new crispy vegetables! ^{[1] X Research Source}

Kale, also known as white cabbage, comes in several varieties with different flavors, sizes, and colors.
Large leafy vegetables are often suitable for salads and soups, while small leafy vegetables are suitable for stir-fries. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Buy mini bok choy if you like the mild flavor. Mini bok choy is a small variety of bok choy that is harvested earlier than large bok choy. The stems are usually thicker and the leaves are smaller. The flavor of the vegetable is quite similar to that of regular bok choy, but the stick is lighter and softer. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Mini bok choy is also popular because one can cook the whole plant without having to separate the leaves. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Store bok choy in a plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Store bok choy in a plastic food storage bag. For store-bought vegetables, run your hand along the stem to push the air out. Twist the top of the bag to seal and store in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for up to 5 days. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Cut and discard the thick base of the petiole. Use a sharp knife to cut off a section about 1.5 cm -2.5 cm above the base that joins the leaves. Remove any outer leaves that are yellow or especially hard. You will end up with long, separated bok choy leaves.

Wash each vegetable leaf in a bowl of cold water. Separate the leaves and put them in a bowl of cold water. Gently scrub each leaf to remove sand. Put the vegetables in the basket and shake to drain.

You can also wash the leaves one at a time under cold running water in the sink. ^{[6] X Research Source}
Sandy soil often clings to the base of the petioles, so you need to pay close attention to this part. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Cut bok choy

Pinch the petioles into bundles and cut off the white stem. Once all the leaves have been washed, place the vegetables on a cutting board. Pinch the petioles into bundles and use a knife to cut off the thick white stem to separate from the green leaves.

You should separate the leaves and stalks, as these two parts have different cooking times – the stalks take longer to cook than the leaves. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Hold the vegetable stalks firmly. Hold the vegetables with the tips of your fingers and curl your fingers inward, leaving only the knuckles of the middle and ring fingers close to the blade. This will help protect your fingers. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Hold the knife at a 45-degree angle over the vegetable stalks. Don’t cut the stem by cutting straight down – hold the knife at a 45-degree angle to cut diagonally down the stem. Such cross cutting is to increase the surface area of each vegetable stalk, helping the vegetables to ripen faster.

Cut vegetables into pieces about 2.5 cm. Cut the vegetable stalk into pieces about 2.5cm, starting at the base and cutting up to the end. Gradually move the hand holding the vegetable away from the blade as you cut over the stem. Repeat this operation to cut the vegetable leaves.

Slice smaller if you are going to stir-fry vegetables.

Cut out the shape of a pencil

Cut lengthwise down the center of each vegetable stalk. Cut a line down the center of each white vegetable stalk to separate. Place the halved vegetable stalks on a cutting board. ^{[10] X Research Source}

If you want thinner stems, you can cut each petiole in three.
Chopped bok choy is great if you plan to stir-fry with meat or other vegetables.

Cut off the green leaves from the white stalks. Cut off the leaves of the vegetable, leaving the thick white stem. It’s okay to have a few leaves on the stem, but you should try to cut off as many leaves as possible.

Cut the vegetable stalks into pieces about 2.5cm long. Cut the vegetable stalks across to divide them into roughly rectangular segments. These vegetable pieces will be quite thick. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Diced

Cut off the leaves. Take each vegetable stalk and cut off the leaves. The rest will be white vegetable stalks. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Diced bok choy would be great to add to soups and salads!

Cut the stem lengthwise into 3 long stalks. Use a larger knife to cut long segments in one smooth stroke. Try to cut the vegetable stalks to the same width. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Cut the long vegetable stalks into small pieces about 1.5cm long. Hold the stalks with your non-dominant hand and carefully chop into small pieces from the tip of the stem. Vegetable pieces about 1.5cm long are fine, but you can cut them smaller if you want. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Advice

Cut the bok choy into smaller pieces to cook faster and avoid overcooking.

Warning

Cut slowly and carefully until you get used to your hands and can cut faster.
Use a sharp kitchen knife to cut bok choy, as a dull knife will easily slip and cut your hand.

Things you need

Chopping board
Sharp knife
Basket or sieve
Pot

Steps