Chinese Leaf?

[NotQuiteCockney]

Ok, I try to stir-fry it, and it gives off so much liquid, I end up with a (disgusting) soup. Should we be shredding it and having it in salad, or what?

anyone?

anyone?

It's quite nice in a clear broth or a tomyum type broth?

Or you could make a little paste with cornflour and water and add it to the veg towards the end of cooking to thicken it up?

I'm wondering if maybe I'm not stir-frying at a high enough temperature, and am cooking them for too long?

I'm wussy about stir-frying properly, maybe I'll try to make sure it's really really hot the next time.

Perhaps you're doing it for too long, I tend to just add it at the end and fry until it starts to wilt. It's a bit like baby spinach in that it doesn't really need to cook, just soften a bit.

Mostly I add it to things that have a wet sauce anyway, just bung it in for the last few minutes.

(I'm assuming that chinese leaves and pak choi are the same thing, if not then please ignore me)

Oh, no, chinese leaf needs less cooking than pak choi/bok choi.

I can't find a picture of chinese leaf. It looks like a cross between cabbage and celery. Kinda.

The problem is, I cook it, water comes out, I think "i will just cook it a bit more, to evaporate this water". More water comes out, etc etc.

Ah. Dp knows how to do this but he is out. I shall report back later. I am guessing you just have to bung it in for about one minute or so, so it's still crunchy.

Ah, thanks, FaZ. It really makes a gross stodgy disgustingness the way I make it.

It is lovely raw in salad, as well, but I will ask him how he does it. We seem to have certain meals that we each cook and stir fry is one of 'his'.

Hmmm, it's a very big chinese leaf thingie (aren't they always?) so I may shred some for tonight's salad. Which I must make and eat at some point.

Oh, can you use soy sauce in a dressing? I was thinking of substituting some for vinegar ...

Oh yes, soy sauce is fab, especially with sesame oil, and maybe some vinegar / lemon juice as well.

Oooh, ok, will try that. Thanks!

Ok, I just made a salad with little gem, chinese leaf, bit of purple cabbage, some red pepper, some mixed beansprouts. And a dressing of sesame oil, olive oil, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, and tamari.

I'm blaming you, FaZ.

Actually, it came out very well.

Ok, Dp says put it in last and just sort of warm it through more than actually cooking it. He got it wrong last week actually, it was too mushy - probably a matter of leaving it in for a few seconds too many.

Ah, so I am overcooking it, by rather a lot.

Well, I have the rest of this week's chinese leaf, a head of pak/bok choi, a red pepper, and ... hmmm ... some onions? some beetroot? some jerusalem artichokes? Can't really put root veg in a stir-fry, can I? I could pre-boil ...