Asian Greens Deserve A Starring Role At Dinnertime

Packed with nutrients, simple to prepare and wonderfully versatile, asian greens deserve a starring role at dinnertime.

Know your choy sum from your gai lan, and the most delicious way to prepare it? Not to worry, with our Test Kitchen secrets, you’ll be a pro at cooking asian greens.

SELECTION

CHOOSE greens that look fresh and crisp, not dry. To ensure they’re fresh, accept only a touch of yellow on a couple of the outer leaves.

STORING Store all asian greens in vegetable storage bags in the crisper for 1-2 days only. Wombok (Chinese cabbage) will last for longer if stored whole. Once cut though, use as quickly as possible. Always wash vegetables before using.

TOP VARIETIES

1. Gai lan

Gai lan is the delicious steamed green vegetable eaten in yum-cha restaurants. It is also known as chinese broccoli because of its flavour, although, unlike broccoli, the most prized part of the gai lan is its stem. The leaves and small white flowers are also edible. Prepare gai lan by separating the large leaves from the stems, as they take less time to cook.

Blanch gai lan stems in plenty of boiling water, uncovered, for about 2 minutes or until deep green but still slightly crisp. Drain well.

Steam gai lan stems for about 3 minutes or until tender.

Microwave Gai lan is suitable to cook in a microwave oven; stir midway through cooking time.

Stir-fry gai lan stems for about 30 seconds or until tender.

Serve with a traditional dressing by combining warmed sesame oil and oyster sauce; pour over hot blanched gai lan.

2. Choy sum and baby choy sum