For this quick yu choy dish, we stir-fry some onions and garlic first and then cook the yu choy in the same wok or skillet. The platter of yu choy is topped with the onions and drizzled with a simple sauce that can be made a little spicier if you like. Passing some rice vinegar and hot sauce at the table is an easy alternative to making the whole dish spicy or tangy. A sprinkle of toasted nuts is a nice garnish.
Serves 4 to 6
Time: 20 minutes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon Chinese chili paste or hot sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion, peeled, sliced in half crosswise, then sliced lengthwise
4 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
1 pound yu choy, rinsed and drained*
Chopped toasted almonds and/or cashews
Rice vinegar
Sriracha or other hot sauce
*Yu choy is a Chinese cabbage with slender stalks, flat green leaves, and little yellow flowers, and a slightly sweet flavor. It is usually 10 to 12 inches long. Some yu choy has such slender stalks and tender leaves that it cooks in a minute or two, and other yu choy, still very delicious, has larger leaves and thicker stalks that may have tough ends that should be trimmed, and it becomes tender with 4 to 5 minutes of cooking.
Make the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the vegetable oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, Worcestershire sauce, and chili paste (if using). Set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry until soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the wok and set aside.
Cover the bottom of the wok or skillet with an inch of water and bring to a boil. Add the yu choy, cover, and cook until the stems are tender and the leaves are dark green, 1 to 5 minutes. With tongs or a large slotted spoon, move the yu choy to a platter. Drain off any water that accumulates on the platter.
Top with the stir-fried onions and garlic and drizzle on the sauce. Serve immediately, garnished with nuts, vinegar, and/or hot sauce, if you like.
Serve Yu Choy alongside Rainbow Carrot Stir-Fry on rice, or mix it with some Simple Seasoned Tofu and pile it on top of buckwheat noodles.