Two Chinese vegetable side dishes recipes! Gai Lan and Chinese Cabbage!
Chinese Vegetables
Hi Friends, thank you for joining me in my kitchen today. My name is Andrea. Today, I thought I’d do something a little different. Today, I want to show you the veggie dish, which is what you should be eating more of anyway! So, this episode, I’ll be making Chinese cabbage or suey choy and Chinese brocolli, or gai lan.
Our parents came from poor families and didn’t have as much access to meat during their childhood, so they ate it very sparingly. So growing up, the main focus for our dinners was always the meat dish, and so the veggie dishes we ate did not to shine as brightly when next to its counterpart. They often acted as a complement to the meal being more delicate in flavour. The nice thing though is that they can be more easy to prepare and quick to come together. And we should always be eating more veggies, am I rite?
1. Cabbage Dish
1/2 chinese cabbage, washed
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 thumb-size piece of ginger, sliced
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce
Pinch of white pepper
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
Produce Selection
When you buy the cabbage, make sure to pick a cabbage that is not wilted and is compact, firm, crisp and fresh. There should be no brown or yellow spots on the ribs. It actually stays in the fridge very well, and can be refrigerated for several weeks.
Instructions:
First, we’ll need about 1/2 lb of chinese cabbage. 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced and 1 piece of thumb-size ginger, sliced.
For the Chinese cabbage, first, we’re going to take apart the Chinese cabbage leaves and chop them up into 2 inch sections. Next, we’re going to give them a soak for about 15 minutes just to make it easier to wash away any dirt off the cabbage later.
After soaking the cabbage, pour out the water, and wash well under the tap.
Next, heat a pan over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic and ginger. Stir fry for a few seconds until fragrant. Then add in the chinese cabbage. add 1/2 a tablespoon of light soy sauce and 1/4 teaspoon of dark soy sauce and a pinch of white pepper. Then, turn down the heat to simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the leaves are to your desires tenderness. Turn off the heat and add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and give a quick toss.
Alright, that’s it for your simple Chinese cabbage dish!
Gai Lan Dish
1/2 lb gai lan, washed and blanched
3 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Produce selection
When buying gai lan, look for greens that are vibrant and not dull. The stalks are tasty, but stalks thicker than your thumb can be tough to eat, so you may want to find one with lots of skinny stalks.
Alright now that we have our gai lan, cut off the ends and soak it for about 15 minutes. Then pour out the water, and wash well under the tap.
Take your gai lan and blanch them for 3 minutes in a pot of salted water. To help your gai lan maintain its vibrant green colour, quickly cool them down in really cold water or an ice bath to stop them from cooking further. Mix 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and drizzle over the gai lan.
And here it is friends. Two different veggie side dishes prepared two different ways.
I love the salty sweetness of the oyster sauce and how well it pairs with the nutty flavours of the gai lan.
I also love how the heat from the pan brings out the sweetness in the chinese cabbage and the extra flavours the garlic, ginger, soy sauces and sesame oil bring to the cabbage.
These two veggie dishes pair well with a majority of chinese meals, but they are also so good on their own.
Thank you again for joining me. If you liked my video, please click the like button and don’t forget to subscribe for more food ideas.
Until next time, friends.
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