The Cambodian name for Choy Sum is chopstick spinach referring to their long thin stems with leaves similar to most asian spinach and other vegetables. The vegetable is mainly used in stir-fry and sometimes as a topping in noodle soups. Choy sum are used in many Chinese stir-fry dishes, where in Cambodian we mainly use them in Choy Sum stir-fry with beef. The Cambodian way of cooking it tastes as great as many other recipes they are used in. This recipe I’m sharing has more of a Chinese influence than Cambodian.
The reason I came up with this recipe is because in Cambodia we often stir-fry vegetables with meat, but there are a few traditional dishes that do not use meat. I was tired of having meat in my vegetables stir-fry so I often stir-fry vegetable by themselves so I can have them with a meat dish like grilled/bbq chicken or pork. I’ve abandoned the Cambodian way of cooking it and got into the habit of cooking them to pair with my oven grilled wings. The recipe is very simple and can be made in 15 minutes.
Note: There are many seasonings you can add with choy sum. One I have used to make this dish is teriyaki marinating sauce, you can buy this in super market. The other seasoning I use when I ran out of teriyaki marinating sauce is my home-made seasoning sauce.
The recipe is for a non-vegetarian because oyster sauce or chicken stock powder is often added into the recipe, but if you are a vegetarian leave out the oyster sauce or use vegetables stock powder instead.
Alway keep in mind to clean the vegetables you buy from the market before cooking. I always wash the vegetables thoroughly, including the bulb, 2-3 times to get rid of the dirt and rubbish that comes along with them. When cutting them down I recommend halting the bulb if they are big to make it easier to eat.
Remember not to cook the vegetable for too long or it will lose its crunchiness and become very soggy.
CHOY SUM STIR-FRY
Prep-Time: 20 mins Serve: 4
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Ingredients
2 bunches choy sum, washed and cut finger length long
1 tbsp rice wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp sugar
4 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Method
Heat the oil in a wok or a large frying pan on medium high heat, add in the garlic once the oil is heated and cook the garlic for 2-3 minutes or until the garlic becomes fragrant and darkens in colour, take care not to burn the garlic.
Add in the choy sum followed by all of the seasonings. Stir to combine and allow the choy sum to cook for 3-5 minutes or until the vegetable starts softening. Once the vegetable starts to soften up remove from heat and transfer on to a serving plate.
