Cooking Video: Quick and Easy Stir-Fry Techniques with Linda Tay Esposito
Quick and Easy Stir Fry Techniques with Linda Tay Esposito
CSA Members Cooking Series
May 19, 2021 | 5:30-6:30pm
In this cooking class series exclusively for RFF CSA members, we have designed the
schedule to coincide with the harvesting seasons, and introducing techniques in working
with Asian vegetables. To kick off the series, we start with Stir Frying. We will learn to
cook with a wok, and capture the aroma of wok hay. We will share different techniques
to season your stir fry. These simple and delicious ways to cook your vegetables will
serve you well as you receive the various variety of vegetables throughout the CSA.
MENU
Yu Cai with Garlic & Ginger
Celtuce Stems With Sichuan Peppercorn
Stir Fry Celtuce Leaves with Furu
Mustard With Dried Shrimp & Chilies
Yu Cai with Garlic & Ginger
Serves: 4
1 lb yu cai (Or any leafy Asian greens, bottom 2 inches trimmed, and stalks and leaves
cut into 2-inch pieces, separate stalks from leaves)
2 Tablespoons oil (chicken lard is preferred)
3 cloves garlic, peeled, lightly smashed
3 slices ginger
1/4 cup water
About 1 teaspoon kosher salt
In a large pot of water, blanch stems. Remove, shock in ice water and drain. Followed by leaves, remove, shock in ice water and drain. Squeeze dry.
Heat a wok on medium high, add oil then garlic and ginger. When the garlic starts to brown and the oil starts to smoke, add the yu choy stalks, followed by the leaves.
Immediately cover to capture the “wok hay”.
Drizzle the water around the edges, letting the liquid make its way to the center of the wok. Cover and steam for 2 minutes. Remove cover. Add salt and toss to mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Variation: Stir Fry with garlic and fish sauce.
Instead of salt, you can season with Fish Sauce. This goes esp well with sweeter, and
more hefty vegetables like the Taiwanese flat cabbage, Gai Lan Chinese broccoli and
napa cabbage.
Yu Cai
油菜 Yu Cai or most often presented in the Cantonese form Yu Choy or the larger family
of Choy Sum / Cai Xin, is from the mustard brassica family of vegetables. It has a slightly
bitter flavor. Its stems are tender, and both stems and leaves are good for eating.
This method of seasoning your stir fry can easily be applied to other leafy greens like
beet greens, turnip and radish greens, and bok choy.
Celtuce with Sichuan Peppercorn
Serves: 4
10-12 inch celtuce stem, about 4 cups, sliced into shoestring / fine juliennes
2 Tablespoons oil
6 pieces dried whole red peppers
1 Tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn
About 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Peel and slice celtuce into fine shoestring.
Heat a wok on medium, add oil then dried pepper. Give a 30 seconds, then add Sichuan
peppercorn. When mixture pops, add celtuce stems. Stir fry for about 3 minutes, until
stems are slightly tender and takes a deeper jade color. Add salt and toss to mix
thoroughly. Remove from heat.
莴笋 is called Wo Sun or Qing Sun in Chinese is also known as asparagus lettuce and is
part of the lettuce family. It is prized for its thick stem. The stem needs to be peeled to
reveal the fleshy and crunchy jade interior. The leaves can be eaten as well and are
marketed as A Cai.
This method of seasoning your stir fry can easily be applied to other firm vegetables like
potatoes, celery, and summer squashes.
© Linda Tay Esposito www.flavorexplosions.com
Celtuce Leaves “A Cai” with Furu
Serves: 4
1 lb celtuce leaves, about 8 cups
2 Tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
2 tiles furu, mashed
1 Fresno chilies, deseeded, sliced, or Thai chilies, whole
¼ cup water
About 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Heat a wok on medium, add oil then garlic and chilies. When the garlic starts to brown
and the oil starts to smoke, add furu then add the celtuce leaves. Immediately cover to
capture the “wok hay”.
Drizzle the stock around the edges, letting the liquid make its way to the center of the
wok. Cover and steam for a minute. Remove cover. Add salt and toss to mix
thoroughly. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
Celtuce leaves are slightly bitter, so the creamy furu tames the bitterness. This method
of cooking also works well with other more water-heavy vegetables like iceberg lettuce,
and water spinach.
© Linda Tay Esposito www.flavorexplosions.com
Mustard with Dried Shrimp & Chili
Serves: 4
1 lb Chinese Mustard, sliced into ½ inch thickness
2 Tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, rough chop
3 dried chilies, or 3 Thai birds eye chili, split in the middle, or cut into rounds
2 Tablespoons dried shrimp, rehydrated, roughly chopped
¼ cup water, or chicken stock
½ teaspoon sugar
About 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Chop the mustard greens, separating the leaves from the stems
Heat a wok on medium, add oil then garlic and chilies. When the garlic starts to brown
add dried shrimp, and cook till you can smell the shrimp turn sweet. Then add the
stems. Cook the stems till it is tender, about a minute, then add the leaves.
Drizzle the stock around the edges, letting the liquid make its way to the center of the
wok. Cover and steam for a minute. Remove cover. Add salt, sugar and toss to mix
thoroughly. Remove from heat and, drizzle on sesame oil and serve immediately.
芥菜 Jie Cai, or Gai Choy is a head mustard and is prized for its stem, especially the head
variety. It is usually stewed and braised, or salted and salt pickled. The leafy version of
mustard green is called 雪里红 xue li hong, also known as shyut choi, is used more for
stir fries. Pickled, it is known as potherb vegetable or snow vegetable 雪菜.
Stir frying with some form of protein, like dried shrimp,or salted cod, is another delicious
way to add flavors to your stir fry. You can also add fresh seafood like shrimp or even
thily sliced meat that has been velvetized with seasoning and cornstarch. Vegetables
that benefits from cooking with meat are the sturdier greens like cabbage, green beans,
gai lan, bok choy, napa cabbage or even julienned summer squashes like zucchini,
marrow vegetan;e
© Linda Tay Esposito www.flavorexplosions.com
SHOPPING LIST
RFF Produce
1 lb yu cai
10-12 inch celtuce stem
1 lb celtuce leaves
1 lb Chinese Mustard
Other Produce
7 cloves garlic
3 slices ginger
1 Fresno chilies sub with Thai chilies
9 dried chilies, or 3 Thai birds eye chili,
Pantry
½ cup high heat, unflavored oil like rice bran, safflower, vegetable, canola
1 Tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn
2 tiles furu
2 Tablespoons dried shrimp, rehydrated, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Kosher salt
Equipment
A wok, or a deep skillet with a cover
A large pot for blanching
Colander
Spatula
© Linda Tay Esposito www.flavorexplosions.com
About Chef Linda Tay Esposito
Linda Tay Esposito is a food business consultant with a focus on building equitable foodsystems through the intersectional lens of food, sustainability and equity. Most recently she led the development of La Cocina Municipal Marketplace, an innovative model of conscious, community-led development, offering economic opportunity for low income, women entrepreneurs, while creating jobs and delicious, affordable food for the community. Her past experience includes growing Hodo Foods from an artisanal producer to nationwide distribution, as well as a long career in product development and marketing in consumer technology, banking and CPG.
Linda also teaches Asian culinary classes at 18 Reasons and Milk Street Kitchen. Linda serves on the Advisory Board and Equity Task Force of the Good Food Foundation. She lives in San Francisco and plants hard-to-find Asian herbs in her community garden at Fort Mason, where she also serves on the board.
Instagram: @Flavor_Explosions
Blog and recipes: www.flavorexplosions.com
© Linda Tay Esposito www.flavorexplosions.com
Link to Recipe here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_JJ50iV85MN03BAx33nx7yI4FX0Jo4MR/view?usp=sharing
Link to ZOOM RECORDING here:
https://youtu.be/-fpsxIqGcn0