Asian Greens – This year I tried my luck at growing a couple of new Asian Greens of Tatsoi and Baby Pak Choi. As you see in the picture, a harvest of the Tatsoi leaves and about 10 small plants of Baby Pak Choi are enough to be a side dish for the two of us.
There are literally hundreds of varieties of Asian vegetables, however, only some varieties reach retail stores on a regular basis. Asian vegetables are very tasty, cook quickly, and are a power house of nutrients. They make an excellent accompaniment to a meal as both a side dish or as part of a stir-fry.
This delicious recipe, comments, and photos were shared with my by Karen Calanchini, Food Stylist and Photographer, of Redding, CA.
- Organic Coconut oil*
- Tatsoi leaves**
- Baby Bak Choi***
- Bell peppers (red or yellow), sliced
- Shallots, sliced or chopped
- Garlic, minced
- Lemon slices or wedges
- Coarse salt or sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
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Pick enough of the Tatsoi greens and Baby Bok Choi greens to feed the amount of people you are going to serve.
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Separate, wash, and dry the Tatsoi (keeping the stems on). Wash the baby bok choy and drain. Place the them onto paper towels to dry.
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Add coconut oil to a medium-hot large frying pan and sautthe red bell peppers and shallots. Add fresh minced garlic to your taste. Saute until the garlic releases its lovely odor.
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Turn heat to medium low, toss in the prepared greens, stir, place lid on the pan; cook just until the greens have turned a brilliant green, approximately 3 to 5 minutes, and have softened and just begun to wilt. If needed, add a little water or chicken stock so nothing sticks to the pan.
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Add fresh lemon slices or wedges as garnish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
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Serves many.
* Coconut Oil is fatty oil or semisolid fat extracted from fresh coconut meat. It will have a fresh, clean coconut smell and taste and should be colorless. Throughout the world coconut oil is used for cooking, beauty, and healing purposes. It is solid at room temperature. You may use any cooking oils (of your choice) in this recipe, if desired.
** Tatsoi greens (Brassica rapa var. rosularius or atrovirens) are a type of Asian greens related to bok choy that can be eaten raw or cooked. Also known as spinach mustard, spoon mustard, or rosette bok choy. The plant has dark green spoon-shaped leaves which form a thick rosette. It has a soft creamy texture and has a subtle yet distinctive flavor.
*** Baby bok choy (Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis) has a sweeter flavor than the adult varieties. One of the most delicately flavored Asian greens, bok choy is good for stir-frying (in oil, with garlic and soy sauce), braising, or simmering in soups.