If you've never grown Asian vegetables before, summer is the perfect time to start. Many of these crops actually prefer the warmth and longer days of July and August, growing quickly and filling gaps where earlier crops have finished.
The best bit is what happens in the kitchen. Pick young leaves for salads, harvest larger leaves for stir-fries, soups and steamed dishes, and enjoy flavours that are a little different from the usual lettuce and cabbage routine.
These are productive, versatile vegetables that earn their place in any garden. Whether you're trying one new variety or growing the whole collection, it's a lovely way to add fresh inspiration to your summer sowing.
Chinese Amaranth Passion – each fresh green leaf is liberally doused with a rich plum red. Use as an edible edge to a bed or as a cut-and-come-again salad crop, start picking when they reach 10cm tall. When larger the leaves can be steamed, stir-fried or added to soup (100 seeds)
Chinese Broccoli Kailaan – succulent, delicious flowering shoots and if you leave them to grow you can always peel the stems if the outer skin has thickened. Steam, stir fry or cook like sprouting broccoli (50 seeds).
Komatsuna Malachai F1 – tasty leaves with a fabulous glossy dark green finish, equally good young or more mature. Lovely in mixed salads or served alongside tomato-based dishes like spaghetti Bolognese. Also delicious lightly steamed with a drizzle of lemon or balsamic vinegar. (100 seeds) .
Mustard Leaf Osaka Purple – for lovely flavour and colour in salads look no further than Osaka Purple. The tasty broad leaves can be harvested on their own or with the stems. As a bonus a later sowing will turn darker red in colder weather. (50 seeds)
Pak Choi Prize Choi – pick as needed, these are multi-talented: steam, stir-fry, sauté, braise, grill, roast, salads and smoothies… flavourful & juicy stems, a vigorous & rewarding variety, to full size in about 6 weeks (50 seeds).
Radish Long White Icicle – very icicle like in appearance, although long these are speedy, in about 4 weeks you can be enjoying crispness and a warming spice but not so much that they will bite you back! (100 seeds)
Shungiku – the sweet flavour and fleshy leaves make these the perfect chop suey greens for salad: mix well with other greens and they go particularly well with tomatoes: perfect for salad to go with spaghetti bolognaise or lasagne. Young shoots and flower petals can also be eaten. (50 seeds)
Fill a few spare spaces with something a little different this summer and discover just how easy and rewarding these Eastern favourites can be.
