Blanching bok choy

[PamNY]

It's not actually bok choy -- it's something similar that has little yellow flowers. I was told to blanch it before I saute it.

Anyone know how long it stays in the boiling water for blanching? Maybe 30 seconds? 60 seconds? And should I then dunk it in cold water, like asparagus?

There was a cooking demonstration, and I forgot to ask the cook these detailed questions. It was really good, though.

[Trek420]

Tiny yellow flowers? Chinese mustard? I don't blanch but like it sauteed possibly with mushrooms, a tasty baked tofu, and/or Chinese duck sausage and/or oyster sauce or just plain. I don't know anything about Asian style foods but those are some things I've done.

If you do blanch keep it brief. It's a lovely stir fry or steamed green. I've seen it cooked whole, or sliced lengthwise, or cut thin on diagonal. I suppose everyone has a style.

Let us know what happens! :)

[Biciclista]

no need to blanche, these are tender greens. just saute until done.

[OakLeaf]

I never bother either. Basically the point of blanching greens before final cooking is to take out some of the "green" flavor, what DH calls a "sharp" flavor. Unblanched strong greens can overwhelm a dish to some people's palates - I just don't happen to be one of those people. ;)

It sounds like gai lan aka Chinese broccoli from your description. If I were going to blanch it at all I'd definitely keep it brief and dunk it in ice water to stop the cooking. Kind of depends on how mature the particular bunch is - how thick and tough the stems and leaves are, how many of the buds have opened, etc.

Often I'll taste a bite of leaf and stem raw, just to get an idea of how strong the particular bunch is, and what kind of treatment it's going to need.

[shootingstar]

After washing and chopping it up in big pieces, I don't spend time blanching it.

Unless the stalks are really hard to cook. I don't think this veggie is that difficult to cook, if it is what I think it is.

Actually come to think of it, I very rarely do any blanching of veggies before cooking process. I have the danger of overcooking something, so I don't blanch.

I would tend to sautee or stir-fry such veggies with others for around 15 min. Should be a bright green and soft enough to sink your teeth in, but not mush, dull-yellow green when properly cooked.

[Blueberry]

I never bother either. Basically the point of blanching greens before final cooking is to take out some of the "green" flavor, what DH calls a "sharp" flavor. Unblanched strong greens can overwhelm a dish to some people's palates - I just don't happen to be one of those people. ;)

This is interesting to me - and I think might be very helpful! Lots of greens are overwhelmingly bitter to me - This makes me wonder if I would like them more (and therefore eat them more) if I blanched them first. I think I'll try it soon! Thanks!!

[alexis_the_tiny]

Sounds like something my mom calls Choi Sum. I just call it the chicken rice veggie since chicken rice stalls sell them often. The common way to cook them is to steam or boil them in water until the stalks are tender and leaves are bright green. Then you saute some garlic in hot oil, pour it over the veggies, mix some oyster sauce and water in the same pan, heat it a little and pour it over everything.

One guy has a real novel way of serving them though. He steams them until the stalks are tender, then chills them cold. And serves the veggies up with wasabi and soy sauce for dipping. Its actually quite a tasty way of eating them.

[westtexas]

If you decide to blanch, I would definitely recommend steaming them instead of dropping them into water. That way they don't lose nearly as many of their nutrients to the water around them.