Yu Choy with Garlic and Shallots

YU-CHOY WITH GARLIC AND SHALLOTS

Serves 4 as part of a family-style meal

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced or pushed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)

1 medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced (about ¼ heaping cup)

1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon chili paste, optional

1 bunch yu choy (about 1 pound), chopped

Sesame oil

Heat the wok over high heat for about 30 seconds. Add the vegetable oil and let heat for a few seconds.

Add the garlic and shallots and stir fry quickly for a few seconds to release the aromas. Add the soy sauce, rice wine, water and optional chili paste. Stir to combine.

Add the yu choy and stir fry for about 1-2 minutes until the greens have cooked down. Turn off the heat.

Add a drizzle of sesame oil, stir again and serve immediately.

KUOW Radio Interview: 'What's Fresh' at the Farmers Market

I had the opportunity to take KUOW 94.9 (NPR) host Ross Reynolds on a quick tour of the Pike Place Market Thursday market at the Amazon Plaza in South Lake Union. He asked me what was fresh and I talked about the lovely rainbow Swiss chard. I also shared a recipe for making a stir fry of fresh rice noodles with chard and leeks. Listen to the interview...

Stir-Fried Fresh Rice Noodles with Rainbow Chard & Leeks

This is such a satsifying dish – and the result of shopping in the fridge. I had one bunch of rainbow chard and a leek from the farmers market that had been in the fridge a couple of days too long. I also had a package of fresh rice noodles that also had been in the fridge a couple of days too long and thus had hardened. The good thing is, all of these ingredients still could fulfill their potential together as a gorgeous and quick dinner for the family.

The rice noodles were from Rose Brand, made by local noodle and fortune cookie company, Tsue Chong, that has a factory in the International District. When the noodles are fresh, they are silky soft. You usually can find them in Asian groceries fresh. If the noodles feel hard, then it means they've been sitting around longer than a day. They also harden once stored in the refrigerator. But they are still useable, because they'll reconstitute in the sauce. They just won't be as pliable.

I visited the Tsue Chong factory and watched them make the rice noodles:

If you find yourself in the ID, you can visit the retail shop to get fresh rice noodles. They store them behind the counter, so you'll have to ask for the noodles. They come in sheets or pre-sliced. For this dish, get the sliced. The factory address is 800 S. Weller St., but the retail shop is located on the corner of South King St. and 8th Ave. S. The storefront is covered in bars and does not look like a welcoming retail shop. But if you see the giant bags of fortune cookies on the shelves, you know you're at the right place. The best part, one package of noodles is less than $2.

STIR-FRIED FRESH RICE NOODLES WITH RAINBOW CHARD AND LEEKS

1 package fresh rice noodles, pre-sliced (I suggest Rose Brand, which comes in a 2-pound package.)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 bunch rainbow chard, chopped

1 medium leek, halved and sliced

2 1/2 cups water

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Salt to taste

Separate the noodles and set aside. Heat the wok over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat for a few seconds. Add the chard and leeks and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until soft. Add the water, soy sauce and hoisin. Stir to combine. Quickly taste the sauce to see if it needs more salt and add as needed. (The sauce needs to be slightly over-seasoned to accommodate the noodles.) Add the noodles and stir fry gently but quickly and thoroughly until all the noodles have been coated with sauce. Serve immediately.

Dofu Gan & Chinese Sausage

I always keep a package of Chinese sausage in the refrigerator. It has a long shelf life and just a little bit can add dimension to a stir fry. I also stock packages of dofu gan in the freezer and keep one pack in the refrigerator at all times. Dofu gan is dofu (tofu) that's been marinated, pressed and baked. It can be homemade, but most people buy it from the store. On days when I need to make a quick meal, I can rely on these staples to stir fry something the whole family loves.

On this day, when the refrigerator was an "empty" reminder that I needed to go grocery shopping, I julienned the two remaining skinny carrots, a few stalks of celery heart, two mini sweet peppers to stir fry with the dofu gan and sausage.

DOFU GAN & CHINESE SAUSAGE

3-4 Chinese sausages, sliced thinly on the bias

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3-4 squares of dofu gan, sliced (about 2 cups sliced)

1/2 red or yellow bell pepper, julienned (or 1 small)

1 medium carrot, julienned

2 stalks celery, sliced thinly on the bias

1 jalapeno chile, sliced (optional)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup water

Sesame oil

In a wok over medium-low heat, render the sausage. Be sure to stir and turn the sausage frequently to prevent it from burning. You will get some char around the edges, but that's ok. Once the sausage has turned to a darker shade of maroon, remove from heat. Scoop out the sausage pieces and drain on a paper towel.

In the same wok – no need to rinse – heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced dofu gan and spread out in a single layer. Let the dofu sear for about 10 seconds seconds. Stir the tofu to let sear on other sides for a few seconds. Remove the dofu and set set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and let heat. Add the jalapeno slices, if using. Stir fry for a few seconds. Add the bell pepper, celery and carrots. Stir fry for about 1 minute or until vegetables start to soften. Add the dofu and sausage. Stir to combine. Add the soy sauce and water, and continue to stir fry for 1-2 minutes, adjust the heat as needed. Add a light drizzle of sesame oil and stir fry to combine. Taste for seasoning. If needed, you can add a splash of soy sauce or a pinch of salt, if needed. Serve right away.

INGREDIENT NOTES:

This is the Chinese sausage I used for this dish.

This is the dofu gan I used for this dish. If you live where there is a local dofu maker, that would be a great place to look for fresh dofu gan.

What To Do With Leftover Shortribs

 

My husband made braised shortribs last night and we had the meat from about three ribs leftover. I cut them into thick bite-sized chunks and heated them up in a skillet with a splash of soy sauce and water. By the time the meat was heated through, the sauce had caramelized a bit. Separately, I stir fried some frozen corn to serve with the leftover beef. Sometimes, frozen vegetables taste like they were frozen. But stir frying added some sear, and seasoning with a touch of soy sauce and sesame oil enhanced the natural sweetness of the corn.

It was a winner with the kids – so much so that my son had seconds and thirds.

WOK-SEARED CORN

Serves 4

1 10-ounce bag of frozen corn

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons soy sauce

Drizzle of sesame oil

Heat wok over high heat. Add the oil and let heat for a few seconds. Add the frozen corn (it will sizzle). Stir fry the corn for about 1 minute. Add the soy sauce and continue to stir. After about 30-60 seconds, the corn should have a light sear and be fully heated through. Add a light drizzle of sesame oil, stir and serve.

Note: If desired, you can add chopped green onions and/or minced garlic before adding the corn to flavor the oil a bit.