Chinese Style Green Vegetables (Recipe)

bok choy

🥗Healthier: Swiss chard

💰Cheaper: cabbage

Swiss chard offers similar texture and nutrients, while cabbage is more economical.

soy sauce

🥗Healthier: tamari

💰Cheaper: liquid aminos

Tamari is gluten-free, while liquid aminos is often less expensive.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and several drops of vegetable oil so that the blanched vegetables will look greener (optional), stir to mix well.

Add the vegetables. Blanch until just cooked through and still crisp. It takes 1 minute or so to cook tender vegetables such as spinach, baby bok choy, yu choy, chard, and choy sum. It takes 2 to 3 minutes for Chinese broccoli, broccoli, and broccolini.

Once the vegetables are done, immediately rinse them with cold tap water to stop cooking. Stop once the vegetables have cooled to a warm temperature and not completely cold. Drain, gently squeezing out as much water as you can, then set aside in a strainer to dry further. If you plan to serve them immediately, you can use paper towels to pat the vegetables dry.

When you’re ready to serve, plate the blanched vegetables with minimal overlapping.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic, stirring constantly until the edges of the garlic turns golden. Then immediately pour the hot oil with the garlic over the plated vegetables.

Drizzle soy sauce on top of vegetables and serve immediately as a side dish.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens