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How to Make Scalded Choy Sum

Scalded Choy Sum

No photo was taken; the image above is from the internet, but the result is pretty much the same.

Scalded Choy Sum is a classic Cantonese dish. "Bai Zhuo" (scalding) is a Cantonese cooking technique where raw food is cooked by blanching it in boiling water or broth. This method preserves the original freshness and is commonly used in Cantonese cuisine for shrimp and vegetables.

In short, it is an excellent way to lose weight or quickly prepare leafy greens.

Estimated cooking difficulty: ★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Fresh Choy Sum
  • Light soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt
  • Garlic, bird's eye chili
  • Cooking oil

Measurements

The quantities below are sufficient for two people. If eating for one, simply pair it with rice.

  • Fresh Choy Sum: 250g
  • Cooking oil: 10g
  • Prepare a soul sauce:
  • Light soy sauce: 5g
  • Oyster sauce: 5g
  • Salt, sugar: 5g
  • Garlic: 4-5 cloves, Bird's eye chili: 1-2 pieces

Instructions

  1. Wash the Choy Sum and remove the hard or tough parts of the root. You can also use a knife to scrape the stem part of the Choy Sum, removing the tough outer layer to make the inside more tender. However, pay attention to the blanching time for the stem; if blanched too long, it will lose its crispness.

  2. Mince the garlic. If you have onion on hand, add some onion as well.

  3. Prepare the soul sauce: 5g light soy sauce, 5g oyster sauce, add 3g sugar and 100g water (about half a bowl) to make a bowl of sauce.

    If you add starch, the sauce will cling to the Choy Sum better when boiled, resulting in a stronger flavor. This might not be to the liking of Cantonese people.

  4. Boil 500ml of water with 5g salt and 10g cooking oil.

  5. Blanch the Choy Sum stems in the boiling water for 1 minute until the stems turn dark green. Then blanch the entire Choy Sum for another 1 minute, remove, and arrange it on a plate.

  6. In a separate small pot, pour in the prepared sauce and bring to a boil over low heat. Add half of the minced garlic, a little ginger shreds, and chopped bird's eye chili. During preparation, some chopped onion and garlic were added. First, heat oil in the pot, when it reaches 50% heat, add the minced garlic and onion, stir-fry briefly until fragrant, then add the sauce and bird's eye chili and bring to a boil.

  7. Let the sauce reduce slightly. After boiling, wait for about ten seconds, then pour it directly over the Choy Sum. Don't use too much sauce, but don't skimp on the garlic; it really makes a difference.

Additional Notes

  • Make sure to choose very fresh Choy Sum! Very fresh!
  • Add oil and salt to the boiling water in the pot.

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull Request.