Ooohh Ahhh Stir Fried Chinese Greens

Tonight's dinner was trout baked in a shroud of grainy mustard and gomasio, leftover Israeli couscous, and some incredible stir fried baby bok choy. It might sound a bit ridiculous, but Jamie Oliver's recipe for stir fried greens is one of the best recipes in my repertoire. It's the kind of thing that makes me do a happy dance (and I actually exclaimed out loud, "wow! I made this!" at the dinner table tonight). And it's SO easy! I suspect that the par boiling and maybe even the walnut oil are key. The lime juice gives it a lovely brightness that is a bit different than you'd probably get in a real Chinese restaurant.


Stir Fried Chinese Greens with Ginger, Oyster and Soy Sauce
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Source: The Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver
Serving Size: 4 (or 2 Christine-sized)

Ingredients:

11-14 ounces chinese greens, bok choy, gai lam, baby spinach (whatever you like)
3 tablespoons walnut oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon ginger, thinly sliced
4 green onions, finely shredded
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 pinches sugar
1 lime, juiced
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Remove any blemished outside stalks from the greens. Put the spinach (or the green ends of the bok choy) to one side so that you can add it to the wok or pan at the last minute, as it cooks very quickly. Prepare the rest of the greens; I normally cut the gailam into strips and the bok choy into quarters. Plunge the greens into boiling water for about 1 1/2 minutes until just tender and drain well.

Put the oil and the ginger into a very large, hot wok or other suitable pan and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the green onions and the rest of the ingredients aside from the s&p. Stir, then add the spinach/leafy greens and toss so that everything is coated in sauce. The vegetables will sizzle and stir-fry. The oyster and soy sauce will reduce, just coating the greens. At this point season to taste. Stir-fry for a further minute and serve immediately.