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Cooking with Asian greens

Sep 09, 2013

I love cooking with fresh Asian greens and we are so lucky to be blessed with the Adelaide Central Market where we can easily shop for fresh local produce.

Bok choy, mustard greens, kang kong, chrysanthemum leaves, Chinese cabbage, garlic chives, coriander and lemongrass are just a few that I love to use. All these vegetables work well in both Asian and Western styles of cooking. The Chinese like to steam the vegetables or wok-toss them, while Europeans generally prefer to blanch and Koreans like to use them in fresh side dishes or salads.

One of my favourites is mustard greens: simply blanch these lightly in salt water and then, after draining, squeeze out all excess juices and mix in a little garlic, sesame oil, salt and pepper. I like this one a little bit sour and spicy, so I also add a dash of chilli powder and vinegar. The dish goes well with chicken, steak or rice.

Of course, Chinese cabbage is used for making kimchi and I always add garlic chives to my home-made kimchi.  Korean pancake – pajan – has a good amount of garlic chives in it, and I have fond memories of eating it on a rainy day with my uni friends while guzzling rice wine. Garlic chives are also great with pork, as it reduces the odour.

Chilli, although not always green, is full of vitamins A and C and calcium; dried chilli has more vitamins because it is dried in the sunshine, making it more enriched. The capsaicin in chilli is good for regulating your appetite, but if you eat too much it’s not great for your liver and stomach.

In Japan, chrysanthemum leaves are generally deep-fried in a light tempura batter but us Koreans love them in soups.

My mum says coriander clears your blood. I love it, which is not always the case with Japanese or Koreans – but I am always being told I am different!

Kang kong is delicious stir-fried, as the Chinese use it with a strong garlic sauce. I like it in a spicy salad; simply add squid sauce, garlic, sesame oil, chilli powder and a touch of sugar or honey. It is perfect with bulgogi (grilled marinated beef) and rice.

My secret tip when shopping for Asian greens is to purchase from the bottom of the pile, as I believe the oldest is put on top and sprayed with water to look its best. Look for the best green in the batch – not too firm and not too soft. Too firm means it is probably not yet ready and may taste a little bitter, and too yellow obviously means it’s a bit old.

Eating all these vegetables will assist in keeping you healthy and living longer.

Chung Jae Lee is former head chef and owner of Adelaide’s Mapo Restaurant and is author of the recently released Korean Cookbook: A Twist on the Traditional. His last column for Indaily’s Food & Wine section was about shopping in Adelaide’s “Little Korea”.

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