I have a feeling these greens could be magic. My daughter really doesn’t like broccoli, in fact she has an aversion to most green veggies, however not only will she happily help herself to these without encouragement (bribery) but will have seconds. Unbelievable. I’ve mentioned before that its one of my life’s works to find a way my children will enjoy all, or most, vegetables and this is one of those successes. I imagine the garlic and soy sauce go a long way towards making these so ridiculously delicious. Whatever it is, I maximise the advantage and these are served regularly at my table alongside all manner of stir fries or anything with an Asian note.
Quick, healthy, cheap, delicious – what is not to like about this dish. I am happy to tuck into these for a lone lunch and indeed ate, or rather greedily scoffed, the greens you see in the picture for lunch today. A side of rice would have worked well to soak up the delicious sauce but I didn’t even get round to that. We had something like this at Wagamama and loved the simplicity and crunch so couldn’t wait to have a go making it myself. I suspect the original may have some additional ingredients but I couldn’t suss them and regardless love the pared down ingredients in the recipe below as much as the flavour. You could add a pinch of chilli flakes if you want or a squirt of Sriracha to the greens but honestly, they don’t need it.
Greens with Garlic and Soy
Use any crunchy greens that catch your eye. I always use broccolini and pak choi as that was what I had first had. This time I’ve added the last of the green beans from the garden and you could use regular broccoli if that is what you have. Going completely off piste, carrots work well in this application although they take longer to lose their raw crunch so bear this in mind before you add the garlic and soy. Just thought you should know.
1 tablespoon oil
1 head of pak choi cut into sixths lengthwise
A handful of broccolini (around 8 stalks)
A handful of green beans, topped, tailed and halved
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari if you prefer
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the vegetables and stir fry for 4-5 minutes until just losing their rawness and gaining a little colour. Put in the garlic and stir quickly so it doesn’t burn followed by the sugar and soy sauce. Cook for a further minute stirring all the time and then serve. This is enough for 2 with rice for lunch or 4 as a side.