Simple Yu Choy (菜心) Stir-Fry with Ground Pork

Yu choy (菜心) literally means “vegetable heart” in Chinese. Yu choy is a green leafy vegetable that still belongs the same family as bok choy (青菜) or gai lan (芥蓝). The stalk is crunchy with a tad bit of sweet flavor. You can easily find this type of vegetable in Chinese or South-East Asian cooking. I find that the best cooking method to prepare Yu Choy is to steam or to stir-fry.

This is one of my many guiltless comfort foods, especially because it is not packed with a lot of calories. Plus, it is ridiculously very quick and easy to make at home – simple, light and tasty meal. This kind of vegetable is best to consume it when paired up with any kind of meat dish, even the greasy one. For example, for this coming up Memorial Day celebration, I will pair this up with Korean Beef BBQ Galbi (갈비).

Since my family and I are not quite a big fan of salad, this type of meal can be a “substitute” for our veggie-fix. So, to all the greasy, heavy protein-packed meal, I’d say, bring it on! ^.^

Tip: For vegetarian, you can skip the ground pork and substitute oyster sauce with mushroom sauce.

Ingredient:

• 1 lb chinese yu choy
• ¼ lb ground pork
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon sliced shallot
• 2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Slices of chili to garnish (optional)

Direction:

• Wash yu choy and cut into 2-3 inch long
• Heat the oil in a pan. Once heated, add garlic and shallot. Cook until it is fragrant
• Add ground pork. Stir until it is brown
• Add yu choy, oyster sauce, salt, pepper and water
• Stir and the dish is done when the water is boiling and yu choy is a bit soft
• Garnish with chili and enjoy!