Easy Chinese Yu Choy Sum

After a wonderful birthday meal at San Francisco's China Live (chinalivesf.com/), detailed in the last blog, am happy to say gong hey fat choy!

Truth be told, the BF and I could eat Chinese food every day of the week. [Ed. note: Confirming.]

Yu choy is a long, leafy Chinese green with yellow flowers and tender stalks. Very mild, with a little sweetness to it. Am very lucky I can find it in almost all of my local grocery stores, as well as farmers markets. It's one of my favorite greens (BF loves it too). It's also easily stir fried, sautéed or steamed, and you can prepare it as a healthy side dish or main course. Serve it alone, as in the picture above, or with a protein like steak, as below.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous Year of the Pig!

NOTE: I made the dish exactly as written below (although streamlined some of the directions). You can also sauté the greens as opposed to blanching. Either way it's easy and delicious.

Adapted from: The Woks of Life
Number of servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb yu choy, washed and stems trimmed (if stems are exceptionally thick, cut yu choy in half lengthwise)
• 2 tablespoons oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce)
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• Pinch of ground white pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Throw in some salt.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, wash yu choy well. I recommend that yu choy and all leafy green vegetables be washed three times to rid leaves and stems of hidden dirt and sand. 
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over low heat for 30 seconds. Stir in oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then immediately turn off the heat and set aside.
4. Have a colander sitting on a plate to the side of your stove (by your water pot). Once water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add in the yu choy and remove after 30 seconds. The yu choy will turn dark green in color. The blanching process takes only 30 seconds, but if your yu choy has thick stems, or if you like your vegetables to be more tender, you may want to cook them a little longer—up to a minute or so. Fish out a piece to taste (like when cooking pasta) if you're unsure.
   
5. Once ready, use a pair of tongs to remove them from the pot and place in colander. Shake to remove as much water as possible. Arrange yu choy on a platter. After you have plated the hot vegetables, some water may have drained off onto your platter. Be sure to carefully pour this off, or your sauce may get watery.
6. Pour the warm sauce over the veggies and serve.

Pictures below are from my celebratory birthday trip through San Francisco and China Town.