Super Easy Stir-fried Greens
I’m always looking for new recipes for leafy green things. I can’t eat the same thing day after day, even if it is for the sake of my health. These stir-fried greens are very fast to put together — the sauce has only 3 ingredients. And, if you want to learn to stir-fry, it doesn’t get any easier or tastier.
Feel free to use any kind of greens (or other vegetable) in this recipe — the sauce is very versatile. Try bok choy, yu choy sum, Chinese broccoli, cabbage, spinach, snow or snap peas, kale, long beans, asparagus, etc. In the photo above, I stir-fried bok choy, broccoli, and cauliflower (cauliflower obviously isn’t a green, but I had it on-hand, and it was delicious).
Tip: Many stir-fry recipes call for quickly blanching sturdy vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower or green beans, because they take a while to cook. It works brilliantly for beans. However, when I use this method for broccoli or cauliflower, it’s difficult to dry the heads sufficiently. Even slightly wet vegetables steam, rather than stir-fry. But, if I cut broccoli and cauliflower into small, almost bite-sized pieces, they stir-fry up in no time. And, I save an extra step. Anyway, take it for what it’s worth.
Stir-fried Yau Choi
Stir-frying to the Sky’s Edge, by Grace Young
serves 3 to 4 as a side dish
Sauce:
- 2 Tbs. oyster sauce
- 1 Tbs. fish sauce
- Pinch of ground white or Sichuan pepper
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. yau choi or baby bok choy, rinsed and dried well
- 1 Tbs. peanut or grapeseed oil
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- Pinch of kosher salt
Method:
Combine sauce ingredients in small bowl; set aside.
Trim ends of yau choi, if needed. Cut stalks in half lengthwise, if large.
Heat wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in oil. Add garlic; stir-fry until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Quickly add yau choi and pinch of salt; stir-fry until leaves are just limp and yau choi is bright green (this may take a few minutes, depending on your heat source). Pour in sauce around edges of the wok; stir-fry until yau choi is tender-crisp. Serve immediately.
