Napa is a valley in California, but it is also a variety of cabbage which is fermented into a spicy starter and side dish in Korean cuisine. gets herself into a pickle
With very little liquid, this is dry, despite its seemingly tightly sealed screw cap jar. Aside from cabbage, there are thin batons of carrot.
The correct slightly sour and salty, and spicy flavours are present - and there's even some sweetness - but instead of creating a complex flavour, it tastes artificial and empty.
HK$29.90, 400g, ParknShop, citywide
Neatly chopped and stacked, these layers of cabbage leaves are quite salty, which makes them hard to eat on their own. The salt overshadows the otherwise nicely balanced spiciness and umami from dried fish. Used in soup, the saltiness is diluted; but then so are the other flavours that add complexity and fragrance.
