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super savory greens with lap cheong and garlic

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This is traditionally made with water spinach (kong xin cai) or Chinese broccoli. Without access to a Chinese supermarket on most days, I’ve found that kale or swiss chard work just as well, for a hardy leafy green with a hint of bitterness that perfectly complements the lap cheong and garlic. (The lap cheong, on the other hand, you can order from Amazon!) If you do find water spinach or Chinese broccoli, see Notes below on how to prepare them.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1–2 teaspoons vegetable oil or other neutral-flavored oil
  • 2–3 links lap cheong sausage, sliced (I like Kam Yen Jan, available on Amazon)
  • 3–4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (about 2 tablespoons sliced garlic)
  • 8–10 cups ribboned kale (about 1 bunch) or other leafy greens (see Notes)
  • 2–3 tablespoons chicken broth (optional)
  • 1–2 tablespoons storebought or homemade teriyaki sauce or oyster sauce (see Notes)

Instructions

  1. Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat. When the wok is hot, add just enough vegetable oil to lightly coat the pan, 1-2 teaspoons, and swirl it until evenly coated. The oil should slide easily around the wok.
  2. Add the sausage and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, until the fat begins to render from the sausage and the garlic begins to lightly brown and soften. Add the kale and toss vigorously until kale is coated in oil and begins to soften, 2-3 minutes.
  3. Depending on how tender you want your greens, reduce the heat to medium-low and drizzle the chicken broth over the greens. Cover and let steam for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until greens are tender. If they’re to your liking after Step 2, skip this step.
  4. Add the teriyaki sauce or oyster sauce and toss until evenly incorporated. Serve warm, with rice.

Notes

Oyster sauce is more pungent than teriyaki, but will add a similar umami boost if you have that on hand instead. If you don’t have either, you can mix together 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce with a teaspoon of sugar, and use that.

If you happen to have water spinach or Chinese broccoli on hand, separate the stems from the more tender leaves, chop the stems into bite-size pieces, and cook the stems first, for an extra 2-3 minutes, before adding the leaves–the leaves will cook faster than the tougher stems.

For the kale, you can remove the tougher ends of the ribs, but I left a bit in towards the middle because I didn’t mind them.

Find it online: https://tworedbowls.com/2017/12/06/super-savory-greens-lap-cheong/