Universal Chinese Greens Part 3: Blanching and Dressing

🧂 Ingredients

• 350 g gai lan

  or choy sum, or another Chinese green (see note)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp peanut oil

  or other neutral oil
• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• 3 cloves garlic

  minced
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp peanut oil

  or other neutral oil
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp hot water
• 4-5 scallions

  white portion only, thinly sliced
• 1/2 small red pepper

  thinly sliced
• 2 cm piece ginger

  thinly sliced into small matchsticks (about 5 g)
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tbsp sriracha hot sauce
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 1 tbsp basil

  thinly chopped
• chili pepper or red pepper

  to garnish

Instructions

• 1 Wash and the greens and set them aside. If you're using a larger/tougher green
  like gai lan, you may want to halve the stems to ensure that they cook evenly.
  If you're using a head-forming vegetable like bok choy, you can halve, quarter,
  or otherwise divide the head to yield more manageable pieces. If you're using a
  very leafy green like spinach or amaranth, leave it whole.
• 2 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the salt and oil, then add the
  vegetables to the pot. Blanch until cooked but still vibrant green. Firm
  vegetables like gai lan should retain their crunchy texture (about 3-4 minutes),
  while soft vegetables like spinach should be cooked only long enough for them to
  wilt and darken (about 1 minute).
• 3 Drain the greens and douse with cold water to cool them down. Drain the excess
  water (you may want to gently squeeze leafy greens like spinach), then serve
  with a sauce.
• 4 Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
  Once very hot, add the garlic and cook until golden brown and crispy. Add the
  oyster sauce and water and stir to combine. Spoon over the cooked greens and
  serve immediately.
• 5 Once the greens are cooked, top them with the scallions and peppers.
• 6 Combine the soy sauce and water and set aside.
• 7 Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat. Heat the oil until it's
  extremely hot (it should be shimmering, and a chopstick dipped into it should
  bubble). As soon as the oil is ready, pour it carefully over the scallions and
  peppers on top of the greens. It should sizzle fairly dramatically. Once you've
  poured all the oil, add the soy sauce and water in a similar fashion. Serve
  immediately. (See note for trouble-shooting)
• 8 Simply combine the hoisin sauce, sriracha sauce, and hot water. Drizzle over the
  greens, then sprinkle with basil and chili peppers or red peppers, and serve
  immediately.

Nutrition Info