Blanched Choy Sum with Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

• Fresh choy sum
• Light soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt
• Garlic, bird's eye chilies
• Cooking oil

Steps

1. Wash the choy sum and remove any tough or old parts at the base. Here I also used a knife to scrape the stems, removing the tougher outer layer so the inside is more tender. Watch the blanching time for the stems, though: if they cook too long they lose their crunch.
2. Mince the garlic; I also added a little onion since I had some.
3. Make the key sauce: about 5 g light soy sauce, 5 g oyster sauce, 3 g sugar and 100 g water, making about half a bowl of sauce.
4. If you add starch, the sauce will cling to the choy sum better once boiled and the flavor will be stronger, though Cantonese diners may not be used to it.
5. Bring a pot of 500 ml water with 5 g salt and 10 g cooking oil to a boil.
6. Dip the stems in the boiling water for 1 minute until they turn deep green. Then put the whole choy sum in the pot and blanch for 1 minute, lift out and arrange on a plate.
7. In another small pan, pour in the mixed sauce, bring to a boil over low heat, and add half of the minced garlic, a little shredded ginger and chopped bird's eye chilies. When I made it I also added a little chopped onion and garlic: first heat oil in the pan, add the garlic and onion when it is moderately hot, fry briefly until fragrant, then add the sauce and the chilies and bring to a boil.
8. Reduce the sauce slightly; after it boils, wait about ten seconds, then pour it straight over the choy sum. Don't use too much, but the garlic is what makes it, so don't skimp on it.