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Learn how to cook Chinese greens with oyster sauce at home! This easy recipe guides you through preparing Cantonese restaurant-style leafy Chinese greens vegetables, perfect as a side dish for your favorite Chinese meals.
Restaurant Style Chinese Greens
I’ve been asked many times how to make simple restaurant-style vegetables, so here it is: the secrets, tips, and recipe to make all your veggies taste and look picture-perfect, just like top Chinese-Cantonese chefs.
Chinese greens with oyster sauce is an easy dish to prepare at home, but not everyone gets it right. I’ve seen many overcooked vegetable dishes served at homes and restaurants alike. In this easy recipe, I’ll show you how to make Chinese greens at home that rival the best Chinese restaurants.
Once you master the basic techniques and skills of making this dish, you can confidently cook any vegetable you desire — whether it’s Choy Sum, Gailan (Chinese kale), Bok Choy, or any leafy green vegetables with stems.
Chinese Greens Vegetables
Chinese greens vegetables are a diverse group of leafy greens commonly used in Chinese cuisine. These vegetables are versatile, used in stir-fries, soups, and other dishes, offering a range of flavors and textures from crisp stalks to tender leaves. They are prized for their nutritional value and play a significant role in balancing flavors and enhancing dishes in Chinese cooking.
They include popular varieties below:
- bok choy or baby bok choy
- choy sum or yu choy
- water spinach or morning glory
- Chinese mustard greens,
- Chinese kale or gailan
Shopping Guide: Where to buy Chinese greens vegetables? They are available in Asian grocery stores (in the west coast of the United States, go to 99 Ranch Market or H Mart). You can also find them at farmers’ markets, and some well-stocked supermarkets like Whole Foods Market. Look for fresh, vibrant greens with crisp stems and leaves.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for this recipe:
- Baby bok choy – just cut off the stem end before cooking.
- Cooking oil
- Garlic – minced garlic is used to make garlic oil, which infuses the vegetables with garlicky aromas.
- Oyster sauce – this recipe is cooked Cantonese-style and oyster sauce is the main flavoring sauce for stir-fry.
- Sugar – sugar balances the salty taste of oyster sauce.
- White pepper
- Water
Please refer to the recipe card below for further details on each ingredient.
Garlic Oil
Pro Tip: Garlic oil is the secret ingredient in various Chinese veggie recipes, adding rich flavors, aromas, and depth to stir-fried dishes. It provides a convenient way to infuse garlic essence into the greens. Together with oyster sauce, this duo makes plain vegetables absolutely delicious!
How To Make Cantonese Chinese Greens
This recipe is straightforward with just a few simple steps. However, its flavor and presentation rival that of your favorite Chinese or Cantonese restaurants.
Step 1: Prepare the garlic oil first by heating up your wok or skillet and stir-frying the minced garlic until it turns light brown. Remove it from heat immediately; the hot oil will continue to cook the minced garlic, turning it golden brown. Dish it out and set it aside.
Step 2: Heat up a pot of water until it boils. Add 1/2 teaspoon oil to the water. Place the vegetables into the boiling water and blanch them quickly for about 20-30 seconds, adjusting the time based on the quantity being cooked.
Step 3: As soon as they begin to wilt slightly, remove them from the water and drain off any excess water from the vegetables. Arrange them neatly on a plate.
Step 4: In a sauce pan heat up the remaining cooking oil, and then add the oyster sauce, water, sugar, and white pepper.
Step 5: As soon as the sauce heats, blends well, and slightly thickens, transfer and drench it over the blanched vegetables. Top the vegetables with the garlic oil and serve immediately.
Secret Techniques And Helpful Tips
Without further ado, I unveil the following secrets, tips and tricks.
- Buy fresh vegetables – choose the freshest greens available in your market, such as the baby bok choy shown in my pictures.
- Use garlic oil – garlic oil is a key ingredient in many of my Chinese recipes. It adds depth to simple dishes and infuses the veggies with a delicious garlicky flavor and aroma.
- Use cooking oil wisely – add a few drops of cooking oil (about 1/4 teaspoon) into the water before blanching the vegetables. This coats the vegetables, keeping them fresh and green, and prevents them from turning purple.
- Don’t overcook your vegetables – perfectly blanched and cooked veggies should be somewhat crunchy, not limp and wilted. Avoid leaving them too long in the boiling water.
- Drain excess water from the vegetables before serving – discard the water from the veggies to prevent it from diluting the sauce. Excess water can make your dish watery.
Sidenote: Now that you have the techniques down, complete your Chinese meals with a plate of fresh, green, and delightful leafy greens. Trust me, your vegetables will never look or taste better than they do now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chinese leafy green vegetables are often stir-fried, steamed, or blanched. They are cooked briefly to retain their crisp texture and vibrant color. They can also be used in soups and other stir-fry dishes.
Yes, you can substitute other easily available vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce in this recipe. The end result will be equally tantalizing.
Yes, they are very healthy and rich in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. They are low in calories and fat.
Wrap the Chinese veggies with damp paper towels and place them in a plastic bag. Use them within a few days for the best flavor and texture, as they will eventually dry out and the leaves will turn yellow if stored longer.
Chinese greens vegetables are very healthy; this recipe is only 16 calories.
What To Serve With Chinese Greens
Serve this delicious veggie dish with classic main dishes such as Chinese roast pork, steamed fish, black bean sauce chicken, or ginger scallion fish. For a wholesome meal and dinner at home, I recommend serving this dish alongside the following recipes:
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Restaurant-Style Chinese Greens
Ingredients
Garlic Oil:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon oil
Chinese Greens Stir-Fry:
- 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil
- 8 oz. (225g) Chinese greens, trim off stem end, baby bok choy and other Chinese green leafy vegetables
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce, Lee Kum Kee brand preferred
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 3 dashes white pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the Garlic Oil first by heating up your wok or skillet and stir-frying the minced garlic until it turns light brown. Remove it from heat immediately; the hot oil will continue to cook the minced garlic, turning it golden brown. Dish it out and set it aside.
- Heat up a pot of water until it boils. Add 1/2 teaspoon oil to the water. Place the vegetables into the boiling water and blanch them quickly for about 20-30 seconds, adjusting the time based on the quantity being cooked.
- As soon as they begin to wilt slightly, remove them from the water and drain off any excess water from the vegetables. Arrange them neatly on a plate.
- In a sauce pan heat up the remaining cooking oil, and then add the oyster sauce, water, sugar, and white pepper.
- As soon as the sauce heats, blends well, and slightly thickens, transfer and drench it over the blanched vegetables. Top the vegetables with the garlic oil and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- You can substitute other easily available vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce in this recipe. The end result will be equally tantalizing.
- Choose the freshest greens available in your market, such as the baby bok choy shown in my pictures.
- Garlic oil is a key ingredient in many of my Chinese recipes. It adds depth to simple dishes and infuses the veggies with a delicious garlicky flavor and aroma.
- Add a few drops of cooking oil (about 1/4 teaspoon) into the water before blanching the vegetables. This coats the vegetables, keeping them fresh and green, and prevents them from turning purple.
- Perfectly blanched and cooked vegetables should be somewhat crunchy, not limp and wilted. Avoid leaving them too long in the boiling water.
- Discard the water from the vegetables to prevent it from diluting the sauce. Excess water can make your vegetable dish watery.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Excellent tips to cook the vegetables.
Great recipes you put out. xoxo
Thanks Shirley!
Any reason you can’t heat up the garlic oil then pour in the oyster sauce after together in same pan to make it easier?
You can. I just prefer a cleaner taste.
You recommend the Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce for this recipe. Is it the LKK Premiun oyster sauce or the LKK Panda Brand oyster sauce that you use?
Thank you.
Both fine.