Cabbage.

Cabbage is the round, heavy head of smooth green leaves found at every Thai market. A good one feels solid for its size and squeaks a little when you press it. Raw, the leaves are crisp, juicy and slightly peppery. Cooked slowly they turn soft and sweet, and fried quickly over high heat they pick up browned edges with a smoky taste. Thai kitchens use cabbage in many ways: torn and fried with fish sauce, rolled around minced pork in clear soup, shredded beside som tam, or served raw as a crunchy leaf with laab.

Ways to use it

• Tear the leaves by hand and fry them hard with garlic and fish sauce until the edges char.
• Roll blanched leaves around seasoned minced pork and simmer them in a clear soup.
• Cut a raw wedge to eat beside laab, som tam or nam prik.
• Shred it fine for a slaw with lime juice and a little sugar.
• Simmer chunks in soups and stews, where they soften and sweeten the broth.

Storing it

Leave the head whole and unwashed in the fridge drawer. Once you cut into it, wrap the cut half, use it first, and finish it within a few days. Pull off the outer leaves if they look tired and rinse the rest under running water just before slicing.

Where it comes from

Grown to certified organic standards. The certificate for each lot is shown when you trace your pack.

Every pack will carry a lot code. Enter it on the Trace your pack page and you will see the farms in that lot, the harvest date and the certificate.