Well, THAT was tasty!
One of the tastiest things I've had in a long while, AND the tastiest Chinese-style thing I've had since leaving Japan. Stir-fried kale! I loved eating the stir-fried leafy vegetables they serve with dim sum in Hong Kong--most commonly morning glory leaves, Chinese broccoli, or baby bok choy.
I just winged it, but the taste seemed authentic enough to ME--although don't expect it to taste like American Chinese restaurant-style food, because it isn't--for one reason, it doesn't have a gloppy sauce.
I took one bunch of kale (still fresh a week after buying it at Frog Pond farms) and cut off the ends, then cut the stems and leaves into approximately four inch lengths. I heated up peanut oil (the most commonly used oil in China for stir-frying) and sautéed several minced cloves of garlic and some grated ginger root, as well as a few dried chilis. I then put in the kale and stir-fried it until the leaves were dark green and the stems were crunchy but cooked and sweet. I added just a bit of soy sauce, oyster sauce, ground white pepper, and sesame for flavoring.
The result was kale that was not sautéed, but not raw-tasting, either; crunchy and sweet and nutty, not too salty, and with a strong but delicious garlic flavor. One bunch of kale reduced down to one small serving bowl, which I ate in one sitting. People say that kale is bitter, but cooked this way, it is not bitter at all.
Spinach and other similar leafy vegetables can be cooked using the same method, but kale (this was the first time I've ever eaten it) is full of fiber and definitely something I'll be cooking again. My seasonings were somewhat random; all you really need is enough oil (probably usually not sesame oil, which is more often used for seasoning than for frying) and lots of garlic, plus soy sauce at the end. You could also add fresh chilies or mushrooms, or even tofu, although I would thicken the sauce if I added tofu.
Yum!
[Valerie and I knew each other in high school and have re-connected all these years later. She has spent most of her adult life in Japan, and has recently returned to Upstate New York. She's settling in to a huge house, and enjoying new and old adventures in cooking. I hope she will share with us often
~Linda]
[Submitted by Valerie]
I just winged it, but the taste seemed authentic enough to ME--although don't expect it to taste like American Chinese restaurant-style food, because it isn't--for one reason, it doesn't have a gloppy sauce.
I took one bunch of kale (still fresh a week after buying it at Frog Pond farms) and cut off the ends, then cut the stems and leaves into approximately four inch lengths. I heated up peanut oil (the most commonly used oil in China for stir-frying) and sautéed several minced cloves of garlic and some grated ginger root, as well as a few dried chilis. I then put in the kale and stir-fried it until the leaves were dark green and the stems were crunchy but cooked and sweet. I added just a bit of soy sauce, oyster sauce, ground white pepper, and sesame for flavoring.
The result was kale that was not sautéed, but not raw-tasting, either; crunchy and sweet and nutty, not too salty, and with a strong but delicious garlic flavor. One bunch of kale reduced down to one small serving bowl, which I ate in one sitting. People say that kale is bitter, but cooked this way, it is not bitter at all.
Spinach and other similar leafy vegetables can be cooked using the same method, but kale (this was the first time I've ever eaten it) is full of fiber and definitely something I'll be cooking again. My seasonings were somewhat random; all you really need is enough oil (probably usually not sesame oil, which is more often used for seasoning than for frying) and lots of garlic, plus soy sauce at the end. You could also add fresh chilies or mushrooms, or even tofu, although I would thicken the sauce if I added tofu.
Yum!
[Valerie and I knew each other in high school and have re-connected all these years later. She has spent most of her adult life in Japan, and has recently returned to Upstate New York. She's settling in to a huge house, and enjoying new and old adventures in cooking. I hope she will share with us often
~Linda][Submitted by Valerie]
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