Taiwanese Spinach

Taiwanese Spinach

When I stroll through the produce section of my Asian grocery store I often get overwhelmed by the vast selection of Asian greens. They always look so fresh and inviting, but I don’t always know how to cook them. My go to method and recipe has been Chinese White Sauce. However, after bringing home a bunch of Taiwanese spinach which has now become my new favorite. I discoved a new method to cook Asian greens thanks to Nancy at YuCanCook. It’s a quick stir fry in a hot wok that brings out the flavor of the greens without overpowering them. So if you are looking for a quick and easy way to add Asian greens to your meal give this a try.

Gai Lan

The recipe below calls for Taiwanese spinach, but I have used this method with other Asian greens with great success.

Gai Lan – mild and tender.

Gai Choy – Chinese mustard greens, a little bitter in a good way.

Baby Bok Choy – mild and tender.

Shaghai Bok Choy – sweet and tender.

Pea Shoots – sweet and tender.

Taiwanese Spinach – clean, sweet and tender. 

 

 Stir Fry Taiwanese Spinach

1 pound Taiwanese Spinach, washed and cut into thirds

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 slice ginger, smashed

1 Tbsp. dry sherry or Chinese cooking wine

1 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. sugar 

1. Wash spinach, remove root and cut into thirds keeping the stems and leaves separate.
2. Add 1-2 Tbsp. oil to the wok along with the garlic and ginger. Turn wok on to high and when the garlic and ginger start to sizzle and become fragrant add the stems and cook for about 1 minute.
3. Add the leaves and cook for about 30 seconds or until they are wilted.
4. Add sherry, sesame oil, kosher salt and sugar.
5. Toss and cook for about 30 seconds more then transfer to a serving plate.

NOTES:

• For the Taiwanese Spinach - Spinach in general looks like a lot when its fresh, but it shrinks down to nothing when cooked. So be assured that it will all fit in your wok. Cut off the root, but keep the stems they are actually the sweetest part of the Taiwanese spinach. 
• For the greens that have thick stems, like Gai Lan. – Keep the stems and leaves separate and cut the stems lengthwise so they will cook faster.
• For the stem less greens, like Bok Choy’s – you can leave the baby ones whole and cut the larger ones in half or quarters.
• Gai Choy - Keep the stems and leaves separate and cut the thicker stems in half lengthwise so they will cook faster. Blanch before stir frying if you want to remove some of the bitterness.
• The pea shoots need no prep.