WW: Stir-Fried Yau Choi with Oyster Sauce

Wok Wednesdays wokking through Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young

Here is a delightfully quick, tasty side dish that would go great with just about anything. I chose to serve it alongside spinach and Gruyère stuffed tilapia.
 
I'm not sure just how to describe the flavor of yau choi. Raw - it has a slight sweetness, like spinach - and what comes to mind, is also a very slight flavor of arugula - without the peppery bitterness - make sense? Not to me either really. You'll just have to give it a try yourself.  Cooked - it was delicious!

Yau Choi (aka You-Choy Sum or Choi Sum)

 Mise en place.

Bowl 1: Garlic

Bowl 2: Yau Choi

Bowl 3: Ground pepper (the recipe calls for white pepper)

Bowl 4: Oyster sauce and fish sauce

I had a huge bag of yau choi, so I made it again a couple days later for a quick lunch. This time I chopped the stems, rather than leaving them whole (makes for easier eating) and added an extra teaspoon of minced garlic.

We are asked not to post the recipes here on our blog. If you would like the recipe, you will find it on page 196 of  Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, which you can purchase at your local bookstore or find it at your local library. I highly recommend purchasing the book - you won't be disappointed. 

The recipe can also be found here at Whyy.org 

 

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Five Star Meal

This week's puzzle night's dinner turned out to be fantabulous!

Andy made is famous barbecue chicken in which he cooked to perfection. My sister and I both went with new recipes for the sides. She thought my green bean dish was great and I thought her salad was awesome. The funny thing is that we both used recipes from Fine Cooking magazine, different issues no less. I tell ya, you cannot go wrong with a recipe from this magazine.

I only have a few pics for this post - I had no intention of blogging last night's dinner but everything looked so beautiful on the plate and it was just too good not to share.

Success meter (1-3): 3

Bitter Greens with Cherries and Pancetta

Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes and Niçoise Olives

We finished off our meal with the coffee

ice cream I made over the weekend.

Life is good.

Book Eighteen: Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread: A Country Inn Cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon

Recipe: Colcannon Soup


You may recall a previous post I did by this same author. I did not even know I had another book by her! This reminds me of a while back, I ordered a cookbook and as usual was quite excited when it arrived. I sat down to leaf through the book and I noticed the recipes sounded awfully familiar. As you've probably guessed, I ordered a book that I already owned. That alone should have told me I have too many books. I admit I have an addiction when it comes to cookbooks. I just cannot resist. To this day, I am still adding to my collection.

It's to be a rainy evening and so I decided on soup for tonight's meal. I was going to go with a trusty lentil soup, but thought I really need to venture out more. Part of the fun of cooking through all these books is to tryout new recipes. The potato and kale soup sounded really good to me. As I'm taking pictures of the ingredients I noticed she does not have any herbs or spices other than salt and pepper. So now I am having doubts about this one. I'll give it a shot; sometimes the best recipes are the simplest.
(Edit: I did a search on Colcannon Soup (which I have never even heard of) and it is apparently an Irish soup traditionally made with potatoes and cabbage or kale. I should be making this Thursday for St. Pat's Day!! Now I understand the blandness of this soup: She leaves out the bacon or pancetta that the other recipes call for ~ Crescent Dragonwagon is a vegetarian....though she gives the choice of chicken or vegetable stock)

I find odd that she instructs you to spray the soup pot with Pam and then bring to a boil the broth. Why would you need to oil the pot in the first place? Her other recipes also call for spraying the pot/pan with Pam and then add your oil/butter. Paid endorsement???

Well the soup wasn't bad. I did add lots of pepper and some nutmeg at the end. This may be one that tastes better the next day after it has a chance to meld. It certainly would benefit from, and be quite good with the addition of pancetta or bacon. I chose not to purée all the potatoes for I liked the idea of having chunks of potato in my soup. For a healthier version I'm sure you could omit the cream and milk mixture, for the soup would have a creaminess of its own from the puréed potatoes.

I served this with some leftover french bread. After slicing I brushed it with some olive oil and seasoned it with salt and pepper and toasted it in the oven until crisp. Before serving I rubbed each piece with a clove of garlic.

Success meter (1-3):2





Book Fourteen: The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook

Recipe: Fusilli with Mushrooms and Strong Greens


Sometimes the simplest of recipes are the best. I get caught up making the more complex recipes that I forget that something as simple as this recipe or a roast chicken with just salt and pepper is delightful! I was feeling guilty picking such a simple recipe to blog about but I was short on time. We had originally planned on going out tonight, and I changed my mind at the last minute.

For this recipe I used a combination of kale and mustard greens, for my local store (which I try to avoid like the plague) had slim pickin's and what they did have wasn't the greatest. Even my mushrooms were not to my liking, but being they were going to be cooked down and not thrown into a salad, I figured they would suffice. That is the problem with last minute shopping for me. Having to use the local store just over the hill; which I bitch about the whole time before I even arrive, and then days after. On the plus side....they have a wonderful wine selection!!

 It may sound strange to some, adding balsamic vinegar,

 but do not hesitate ~ it added an intensity to the dish.