Veggie IDs: Yod Fah

Basic Info: Yod Fah, also known as Chineses Broccoli or Sprouting Broccoli is 100% edible. It’s origin story depends on your source with some saying it originates in Thailand and others saying it came from the Mediterranean and is a close of our modern European broccoli.

You should plan on eating the stems, flowers, and stalks. The leaves are like very tender kale and the tops that look like broccoli are buttery, soft, and slightly nutty. Yod Fah is reminiscent of both broccoli and asparagus. It tastes similar to broccoli, but sweeter and brighter like asparagus. When quick-cooked or stir-fried, it retains a succulent, juicy crunch and somewhat bittersweet flavor that was born to frolic with soy, oyster, black bean, and other savory cooking sauces. With that said, my favorite thing to do with Yod Fah is to grill it. The charred flavor combined with the asparagus earth-sweetness is next level!

Yod Fah is full of very good for you things: 100% of your daily requirements of vitamin A and 50% of your daily vitamin C needs. Additionally, it includes protein and calcium.

To store: Store in the crisper in a plastic bag and plan to use in a few days.

To prep: You can cut into bite-size pieces or leave whole. Trim off any flowers that have started turning brown. Wash in a basin of cold water.

To Use: Yod Fah takes heat really well and is great in a stir fry or grilled. You can also treat it like the broccoli/asparagus vegetable it is and blanch and eat it with a vinaigrette or as an addition to a green salad.