Chinese greens 1: Basic 'qing chao' (清炒)

(one batch serves 2)

Garlic stir-fried chinese greens is a staple at the Cheng (and i'm sure most typical Chinese) households, meaning there is a variety of it almost every night. The meaning of 'qing chao' is 'clear stir-fry', meaning that it is just a simple way of cooking that should enhance the natural sweetness of the vegetable. It is pretty much the same recipe for all of these below, but each vegetable has it's own unique texture and taste so keeps it interesting :) I'm sure most people already know how to make this, but i guess it could be new to a few so enjoy! 

Ingredients
2 small bunches of bok choy, choy sum or english spinach
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1 T oil

Method
1. Wash and cut the vegetable into thirds (or bite-size pieces), removing the stem. Finely dice the garlic.
NB. Traditionally, you should rinse and tear each leaf and wash at least twice to make sure it's clean, but in my laziness i have realised the salad spinner works just as well if you chop the vegetables, then soak in water then spin it dry! 
2. Heat the wok on medium-high heat, add in 1 T oil then wait until the oil is hot. Add in the garlic cloves, then add in the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt, sugar and chicken bouillon and stir-fry for another 3-5 minutes until vegetables are soft (but not soggy!). 
3. Serve warm, with rice and other dishes.

Green bok choy  (青白菜) - my go-to on a weekly basis as it's soft, sweet, easy to wash and prepare

Bok choy (白菜) - More fibrous and bitter than the others, generally i prefer it in soups or stir-fried with meat, but can soften if you steam it a little with the lid on

Bor choi/English spinach (菠 菜)
Soft and sweet but a bit more of a hassle to wash and clean as it's often quite dirty at the tips. 

Choy sum (菜 心) - super yummy and soft, but requires a bit more prep as you probably have to prepare this the traditional way of rinsing, breaking up the stems, and then removing the tough fibrous skin on the stem, otherwise it's too chewy.

Each stem should have the leaves torn off, then the stem peeled of it's outer skin to ensure you get the soft centre

Dao miu / Snowpea Sprouts (豆苗)

My favourite, prepared slightly differently to the rest - extra garlic and salt and less sugar to compensate for its natural sweetness

Ingredients

200g snowpea sprouts

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

2 T oil

Method

1. Prepare the snowpea sprouts by removing the tough fibrous parts of the stem and breaking sprouts in half or thirds. Wash and dry.

2. Heat a wok on high heat with the oil. Add in the salt and garlic for 30sec, then add in the snowpea sprouts. Sauté for a few minutes until soft, adding salt and sugar to taste.
3. Serve warm!