Blanched Choy Sum (Cai Xin)
Blanched Choy Sum is a classic quick Cantonese dish. By simply blanching in boiling water, it retains the freshest flavor of the vegetable. Light but not bland, served with dipping sauce, it’s refreshing and healthy.
Ingredients
6 items- Choy sum (Cai Xin) 300g
- Ginger 1 small piece
- Scallions 2
- Red bell pepper 1/2
- Steamed fish soy sauce 2 tablespoons
- Cooking oil 2 tablespoons
Nutrition
Steps （6 steps）
Prepare all ingredients: trim about 1 cm off the root ends of the choy sum, peel any tough skin from the stems, rinse under cold water and drain. Peel the ginger, slice then cut into fine shreds. Split scallions lengthwise and cut into fine shreds. Seed the red bell pepper and cut into thin julienne strips.
Blanch the choy sum: bring a large pot of water (enough to submerge the choy sum) to a rolling boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a few drops of oil. Add all the choy sum, using chopsticks to separate them for even cooking. Keep the heat high and blanch for about 1 minute 30 seconds to 2 minutes, until the leaves turn bright green and tender, and the stems can be easily pierced with chopsticks. Immediately remove with a slotted spoon.
Cool and arrange: quickly plunge the blanched choy sum into a bowl of ice water or cold running water to stop cooking and lock in the green color and crunch. Drain well after cooling completely, then arrange neatly on a serving plate.
Add aromatics: evenly scatter the ginger shreds, scallion shreds, and red pepper julienne over the top of the choy sum, making sure they are distributed over each stem.
Heat oil to sizzle: in a small saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Heat over medium heat until the oil shimmers, then reduce to low heat and continue heating until the oil begins to smoke (about 180°C). Remove from heat. Pour the hot oil evenly over the scallion and ginger shreds, listen for a sizzle and enjoy the released aroma.
Season and serve: pour 2 tablespoons of steamed fish soy sauce (or light soy sauce) around the edge of the plate, allowing it to flow to the bottom of the choy sum. Serve immediately, dipping the choy sum in the sauce while eating, for a crisp and refreshing taste.
Tips
1. Choose fresh, tender choy sum with uniform stems. 2. Adding salt and oil to the blanching water helps keep the vegetable bright green. 3. Strictly control the blanching time to under 2 minutes, otherwise the choy sum becomes soft and loses crunch. 4. The ice water bath is crucial to set the color and texture. 5. Make sure the oil is heated until just smoking to create enough heat to release the aromatics' fragrance.
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