Chinese Greens, Thai Style

I needed something light, but still flavorful to eat with dinner tonight.  And whatever it was, I wanted it to not be spicy to balance out the heat in the laab.  While in Chinatown this weekend I picked up all kinds of vegetables - baby bok choy, large bok choy, Chinese broccoli, scallions and leeks.  I am planning on using the baby bok choy at some point for a stir-fry, and the large bok choy for potsticker filling.  So that left the Chinese broccoli, because who really eats a side of just scallions or leeks?  Luckily the same cookbook that provided the recipe for the laab provided me with a recipe for a simple sauteed Chinese broccoli. 

I have never thought of adding Chinese fermented black beans to sauteed greens.  Generally when I think of those fermented black beans I think of Cantonese clams with black bean sauce and ma po tofu.  So I generally bust those beans out about...  once or twice a year.  And you really only use a tablespoon or two at a time, because those bad boys are seriously funky and salty.  So I have a ridiculously large bag of beans sitting in my cupboard waiting for me to come up with more uses for them.  Anyway, I thought they were a really interesting addition to the greens.  Without the beans I think the gai lan would have been a little bland, but those beans pack some serious flavor.  I was a little worried about the lack of ginger in the recipe, but with those fermented black beans in there you really don't miss the ginger at all. 

Recipe after the jump!

Chinese Greens, Thai Style

Adapted from Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Exploration Through Southeast Asia

By Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Chinese broccoli (gai lan)

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp peanut oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp Chinese fermented black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tbsp fish sauce

1/4 cup water

Wash greens thoroughly in cold water.  Trim off any discolored leaves, and trim the bottoms of the stalks.  If your gai lan have really thick stems, slice lengthwise in half.

Blanch gai lan in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute.  Drain gai lan and plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking.  Drain and set aside.

Heat a wok or large saute pan with a lid over medium-high heat.  Add the oil and swirl to coat.  Add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Toss in gai lan.  Stir-fry vigorously for about 1 minute, then add beans and fish sauce.  Stir-fry to combine, about 20 seconds.  Add water, bring ingredients to a boil and cover.  Cook, covered, about 2 minutes.  Greens should be tender and bright green.  

Serve.