Thai Stir-Fried Greens

(When will she ever tire of recipes for dang greens?!)

Here!  A "Happy St. Patrick's Day" bouquet for you! :) 

This recipe is basically a Thai-style way of cooking greens.  You could use just about any green, but the original recipe called for Chinese broccoli, or rapini, so I went with that.  It's been years since I last had rapini, and I'm starting to tire of the kale and spinach that I eat my way through every week.  (Of course, I type this as I'm sucking down my daily green smoothie.)

I love me a good Asian-style sauce for cooking veggies, because it makes eating vegetables so easy, yummy, and healthy.  This green side would work well with our Vietnamese Chicken from last week, but I think it would be best on its own, with some protein added to it.  The greens have a strong flavor, and I'd hate to overpower the chicken because it was just so fantastically delicious.  In the future, I plan to make this recipe with some diced chicken breast and mushrooms added.  With some chili garlic sauce thrown in for good measure.  Yummmm....



I promise that my next recipe with have zero green in it!

Still Asleep,

         

Thai Stir-Fried Greens
adapted from The Kitchn

1 bunch Chinese broccoli, rapini, or other sturdy green
2-3 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced

Wash the broccoli and shake off excess water. (You want some water still clinging to the leaves, as that will help with the cooking process.) Chop the stalks into 1-inch pieces and set aside. Chop the leaves into bite-size pieces.

In a small bowl, mix the oyster sauce, water, fish sauce, and sugar.

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Swirl in the oil. Add the garlic and stir briefly, until sizzling and fragrant. If the stalks are very thick, add them to the pan first, stirring for 1-2 minutes before adding the leaves. Otherwise, add both stalks and leaves to the pan, followed by the sauce. Stir and toss the vegetables frequently until the leaves are wilted and the stalks are tender, about 3-5 minutes. Makes 2-3 servings.

Additional Notes:
• You can add a protein like shrimp, chicken or tofu to the stir-fry. Increase the amount of sauce and stir-fry the protein for a few minutes before adding the garlic.

• Although this recipe is fantastic with dark green, leafy, slightly bitter vegetables, the sauce will work with virtually any sturdy vegetable (cauliflower, carrots, celery, etc.), so feel free to mix it up.

         

Ingredient Lineup:

Note:  Not what a Southerner has in mind when they say "big ol' mess a'greens":

Two minutes later:  Lil' ol' mess a'greens.

"Hi, my name is Rory.  And I follow Sara around the house, begging for these oyster greens things.  They're so yum that I'll do ridiculous tricks and pose for photos just to get my paws on some scraps."