The Ong Choy With Fermented Bean Curd My Dad's Made 100,000 Times

Method4 steps · about 15 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Keep the bundle of ong choy (1 lb) tied together and trim off the woody ends at the bottom. Gather the ends of the crunchy stems and use your hands to break the long stems into smaller pieces about 2 to 3 inches in length. Submerge the vegetables in a large bowl of water and set aside. Smash, then peel the garlic (3 cloves). Trim off the hard end and smash again, then finely mince by chopping at different angles. Cut the ginger (1/2 oz) into thin slices. Lay them down, then cut into thin strips Trim the stem off of the chili pepper (1/2). Slice the pepper open lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, then slice it into thin strips at a diagonal. Rinse the ong choy. Hold the vegetables up by the stems and agitate the leaves in the water to dislodge any remaining dirt and debris. Drain in a colander, then rinse and drain a second time.

   Uses 1 lb ong choy (water spinach) · 3 cloves garlic · 1/2 oz ginger · 1/2 chili pepper · Water for washing and blanching ong choy, enough to submerge

2. 2

   Step 2: Mash the 3 cubes fermented bean curd with 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp cooking wine and 1/4 tsp white pepper into a smooth sauce. Taste the clean sauce and adjust if needed.

   Uses 3 cubes fermented bean curd · 1 tsp sugar · 1 tbsp cooking wine · 1/4 tsp white pepper

3. 3

   Step 3: Boil water in a wok on high heat. Add the blanching 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp cooking oil. Once the water is at a rolling boil, grab the ong choy by the leaves and lower the bundle into the water, stems first. Let the stems cook for about 35 seconds, then use chopsticks to submerge the leaves and cook for 2 mins while stirring occasionally. They’re ready when the leaves are vibrantly green and the stems just begin to soften. Transfer the vegetables to a colander and drain. Discard the water in the wok.

   Uses Cleaned ong choy stems and leaves · Water for washing and blanching ong choy, enough to submerge · 1 tsp salt, for blanching water · 1 tbsp cooking oil, for blanching water

4. 4

   Step 4: Place the wok back onto the stove and turn the heat to high to dry it out and bring it up to temperature. As the wok heats up, place a plate on top of the ong choy in the colander and press down to squeeze out any excess water. When the wok is dry and hot enough, add the separate 3 tbsp stir-frying oil to the wok and turn the heat to low. Fry the ginger and garlic for 10 seconds, then add the chili and cook for another 15 seconds until aromatic. Add the ong choy to the wok, increase the heat to high and stir fry for 1 minute. (Chef's Tip: Instead of a wok spatula, my dad uses a pair of long chopsticks because they're ideal for mixing and flipping the vegetables.) Add the sauce, let it cook in the bottom of the wok, then mix and toss everything together. Finish it off with the separate finishing 1 tbsp oil, stir, and plate.

   Uses 3 tbsp cooking oil, for stir-frying · Prepared garlic, ginger and chili · Blanched drained ong choy · Mashed fermented-bean-curd sauce · 1 tbsp cooking oil, for finishing