Basic Winter Greens Stir-Fry
Adapted from My Shanghai, by Betty Liu. We’re always interested in exactly how various Chinese and Chinese-American cooks approach simple stir-fries involving bok choy and other winter greens, simply because they go with so many things, they’re simple, elementally delicious and so easy to procure.
In My Shanghai, author Betty Liu uses olive oil for her basic greens stir-fry — an interesting idea we’d never come across, but appealing as we love olive oil. In her headnote, she solves a problem that frequently besets us when attempting stir-fries: the aromatics (garlic and ginger) cook too quickly. We’d heard of the Chinese cooking principal re guo leng you, “hot wok, cold oil,” in which
“the wok is heated first, then cold oil is added. This practice brings down the temperature of the wok quickly to a level that’s suitable for aromatics. The oil is warmed by the heated wok as the aromatics cook, so that their flavors are released without burning them. Then, when the oil warms up sufficiently, you add the vegetables.”
We knew that, but sometimes burn them anyway. Liu solved the problem:
“The seconds after you add the vegetables are crucial — you must immediately begin to stir-fry, scooping from the bottom of the wok so that none of the aromatics burn at the high temperature the vegetables require to cook.”
Of course!!! We hadn’t been scooping intently enough — you need to pull up those aromatics off the bottom. A wok spatula does the job brilliantly, easily reaching the bottom. Liu also suggests memorizing the directions because the cooking goes so fast — a reasonable idea, as it’s something you’ll want to make all the time. We really love a phrase she uses to explain what to look for when you add the aromatics — “let them explode into fragrance.”
Who doesn’t love a cooking lesson in a headnote? Thank you, Ms. Liu!
This recipe calls for baby bok choy, but you could also use regular bok choy, choy sum or Chinese water spinach.
Makes two servings.
Ingredients
1 pound (455 g) baby bok choy, individual leaves removed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil (or neutral oil such as canola, grapeseed or peanut oil)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 sliced peeled, fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt
pinch of sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons chicken broth
Instructions
1. Wash the bok choy well, drain and shake it dry — or use a salad spinner to remove the water.
2. Heat a well seasoned wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil, swirl to coat the wok. Immediately add the garlic and ginger, and let them “explode into fragrance,” stirring constantly.
3. Add the bok choy, turn up the heat to high, and stir-fry, making sure to scoop up the aromatics from the bottom of the wok and pull them up so they don’t burn. (A wok spatula makes this easy.) Continue stir frying until the leafy part of the greens are fully wilted but still deep, bright green.
4. Add the salt, sugar, white pepper and chicken broth, and stir-fry for another minute or two. Serve immediately.