The first time I had Chinese mustard greens, or gai choy, was in a restaurant in Las Vegas. The menu simply described the dish as "Mustard green soup." It turns out that this is the most traditional way to cook the vegetable. After the waiter brought out the soup and I took my first sip, I was not sure if I liked it. It had a very bitter taste and was quite pungent. The more and more I ate of it, however, the more I liked it. When asked how to describe the flavor, I'm not really sure there is an equivalent. If I were to substitute it with an ingredient that can be found outside an asian grocery store, I'd interchange it with broccoli rabe. Gai choy tastes like broccoli rabe on steroids, but with the texture of cabbage.
As I said earlier, it's usually cooked simply in chicken broth with a sliver of ginger it becomes meltingly tender. In this preparation, I chose to stir fry it with some beef, carrots, mushrooms, and a little chilie paste.
Ingredients:
8 oz flank steak cut thinnly across the grain into strips
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/4 teapsoon baking soda
1 teaspoon water
2 cups chinese mustand greens, cut into small pieces
1 small carrot, sliced thin
8 button mushrooms, cut in half
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chilie carlic paste
1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1. In a bowl, combine the meat with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, corn starch, baking soda, and water. Let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.
2. Heat a wok or skillet until smoking hot. Add oil and then add the beef in one layer. Allow the beef to brown, undistburbed for a minute or two. You want the meat to sear instead of stew in its own juices which will happen if you stir it immediately. Flip the meat over and brown the other side. Remove from the wok and set aside.
3. Add the ginger and garlic and stir fry for 10 seconds. Add the gai choy, mushrooms, and carrots. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
4. Return the meat to the pan and add the chilie paste, oyster sauce, and two teaspoons soy sauce.
5. Toss everything together and add 1/3 cup water. Stir fry for an additional 2 minutes and transfer everything to a serving dish and serve immediately.
