So often, Asian dishes are void of vegies (and I don't count token bean sprouts and herbs tossed into a meat based stir fry as my vegie quota). And it's pretty hard to think up a side dish in a culinary culture you don't intuitively know.
Enter, my go-to vegie side. It's simple, delicious, and most importantly, fast. You can switch it up for almost any green vegies you have on hand - brocolli, gai larn, beans, asparagus, spinach... you get my drift? Just adjust the cooking time as required.
Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce (serves 2-4)
2T vegetable oil
2T oyster sauce
4T chicken stock
1T soy sauce
1T sugar
1/4t salt
2 bok choy
First of all, get a big pot of water and a splash of oil on the boil, big enough to hold all the bok choy for blanching.
Heat the oil in a small saucepan. add the oyster sauce and fry for a few minutes. Add the stock, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Bring to the boil and simmer to reduce to a smooth sauce.
Blanch the bok choy in the boiling water briefly until cooked to your desired doneness. I like mine pretty crispy, and cook it for about 1 minute, until the leaves are just wilted and bright green.
To serve, simply put the bok choy on a dish and pour over the sauce.
Whenever I crave for some simple stir-fried greens, I'd go to a Chinese restaurant and order stir-fried Gai-lan, Sweet peas, green beans, choy sum or whatever that's in season. Sometimes the options are not mentioned on the menus, just ask the waitress what they offer that day. Try Tung Choy (Water Convolvulus)and Bitter Melon as these are in season and are fabulous in summer/autumn.
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