Cantonese Cuisine · FFET10261
Qing chao cai xin (plain stir-fried choy sum)
Choy sum stir-fried quickly in a hot wok with garlic, either blanched beforehand or cooked raw and covered to finish.
A round white porcelain plate holds stir-fried choy sum with green leaves and paler green stems, coated in a clear sheen of oil and mixed with pale garlic and yellow ginger, with wooden chopsticks resting beside the plate.
The regional cooking of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, prized for live, fresh ingredients and light flavours.
Qing chao cai xin is choy sum stir-fried plain in a hot wok with garlic, and with ginger in some versions. This entry uses it to represent plain stir-fried seasonal greens. The 2 signed recipes consulted differ: one cooks the choy sum raw, starting with garlic and ginger, then the stems, then cooking wine, sugar and the leaves, covering the wok for about 1.5 to 2 minutes and adding salt after uncovering; the other blanches the choy sum for about 1.5 minutes, tosses it with fried garlic slices, and seasons with salt, chicken or mushroom bouillon powder, sesame oil and white pepper. Choy sum is grown mainly in Guangdong; no dated text has been found for this dish.
What
Qing chao cai xin is choy sum cooked quickly in a hot wok with garlic, and with ginger in some versions.2,3
Where
Choy sum is grown mainly in Guangdong. The 2 recipes consulted are home-style methods by named authors, but the available material does not establish where qing chao cai xin began.1,2,3
How
For raw stir-frying, heat the wok, fry garlic and ginger over medium-low heat for about 15 seconds, add the stems for about 30 seconds, then add cooking wine, sugar and the leaves for about 30 seconds more. Cover for 1.5 to 2 minutes, uncover, add salt and finish with a little oil. Another method blanches the choy sum for about 1.5 minutes, rinses it with cold water, fries sliced garlic for about 30 seconds, then tosses in the choy sum for about 1 minute and seasons with salt, chicken or mushroom bouillon powder, sesame oil and white pepper.2,3
Why
The 2 methods differ: one skips blanching, stir-fries raw and covers the wok to finish, adding salt after uncovering; the other blanches beforehand and then fries. The available material does not explain the reasons for these steps.2,3
No tale about this food has been found.
Grandma Li
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
This is the plain stir-fried choy sum I make at home, in the raw stir-fry style: no blanching, with garlic and ginger fried to start, then the choy sum, covered to finish. The amounts, the heat and the time for each step follow one recipe by a named author; the conversion from pounds to grams is my own estimate, and that recipe gives no amount for the ginger, so that is my own choice. A second recipe by another named author blanches beforehand, then tosses the choy sum with fried garlic slices and sesame oil; I did not follow it and mention it just in the tips.
Ingredients
- Choy sum about 450 g (the recipe says 1 pound; the conversion is my estimate)
- Garlic 5 cloves, sliced or crushed
- Ginger 3 thin slices (my choice)
- Cooking oil 2 tablespoons in all, about 30 ml, used in two parts
- Cooking wine 1 teaspoon
- Sugar 1 teaspoon
- Salt 1/2 teaspoon
Steps
- Wash and drain the choy sum and keep the stems and leaves apart; prepare the garlic and ginger.
- Heat the wok on high, add 1 tablespoon of oil, turn the heat to medium-low and fry the garlic and ginger for about 15 seconds.
- Add the stems and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the cooking wine and sugar, then the leaves, and cook for about 30 seconds more.
- Cover the wok and cook for a minute and a half to two minutes; I pinch a stem to check that it has softened before uncovering.
- Uncover, sprinkle in the salt and toss, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, and plate.
Tips
- Choy sum stems vary in thickness, so I split the very thick ones lengthwise to cook them about as fast as the thin ones; this is my own way.
- For the blanch-and-toss method, look to the other recipe: blanch the choy sum about a minute and a half and rinse it, fry sliced garlic about thirty seconds, then toss with salt, chicken or mushroom bouillon powder, sesame oil and white pepper for about a minute; sesame oil brings a sesame allergen.
Allergens: wheat