Sai choy is one special dish for Chinese New Year. It does have many different names for it. We always have this dish on Chinese New Year. Grandma used to be the one preparing this dish for us in Malaysia. My grandma makes her with a lot of ingredients. Some ingredients I cannot find here or not sold near me.

The main of this dish is white cabbage. And I love it when the cabbage is braised till it’s soft and the gravy is sweetened with fermented beancurd and sauces. Also, cabbage cooked well actually soaks up the fragrance of the fermented beans and garlic too. There are also other different textures and flavours with a whole range of ingredients like wood ear fungus, dried mushrooms, glass noodle, black fungus and canned mushrooms.

I change the recipe as I couldn’t find the shiitake mushrooms, and dried lily flower. I didn’t put ginger as it is too expensive. I have use red and white fermented cubes beancurd and choy sum. This time it has some green colour and pink and white colour.  Serve it with rice, a must have for me cut red chilies soaked in soy sauce and char chee yoke sake and whiskey (Braised pork belly) for a delicious and comforting meal. Let’s cook!!!

Ingredients

100 g glass noodles
1 1/2 Tbs minced garlic
600 g napa cabbage, cut into bite size
1 bunch choy sum, cut into bite size
10 pieces dried wood ear fungus, soak overnight, cut bite size, reserved water
1 packet bean curd sticks, break into pieces and soaked in hot water for about 30 minutes
1 canned straw mushrooms, about 425 g, drained water, cut in half
1 canned whole mushroom about 425 g, drained water, cut in half
2 red fermented cubed beancurd
2 white fermented cubed beancurd
2 Tbs Shaoxing Chinese wine
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs oyster sauce
2 Tsp sesame oil
2/3 c water reserved from dried wood ear fungus
extra water if needed

Method

Heat oil in wok on medium heat, add oil toss around for about 30 seconds without letting it burn. Next add in red and white fermented beancurd and break it up with wooden spoon. Add the garlic, soaked wood ear fungus, and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, to get fungus coated in fermented beancurd sauce.

Add the Shaoxing wine, 2/3 c reserved from dried wood ear and bring to boil. Next, add cabbage, bean curd sticks and choy sum; cook till softened for 4-5 minutes. Make sure it’s softened. Add other cut mushrooms, sesame oil, soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Toss to mix well, cover the wok, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If water runs dry, add more water about 1/2 cup. Let vegetables simmer for further 10 minutes. Before serving, soak glass vermicelli until softened, and mix into pot. Glass vermicelli absorbs liquid quickly, so if you add the noodles too early, they will bloat and there will be too little sauce left. Keep stirring. If you want to have extra sauce add another 1/2 cup of water. Spoon sai choy onto serving plate, and serve with rice and Char chee yoke sake and whiskey (Braised pork belly). Enjoy with a glass of white wine!!!!

Note: You can omit beancurd sticks and add lily flower. Or you can add carrots, baby sweet corns and snap peas like my friends did in their sai choy. You might want it more liquid, so add more stock or water. I didn’t add extra. You can put fried shallots, red dates, gingko or fried tofu. Or create your own flavour ingredients. You can use any green leaves vegetables, or box ready stock or cube packet stocks for more sauce.

https://helenscchin.com/2024/07/31/sai-choy-braised-mixed-colour-vegetables/

#helenscchinrecipes
#mainmeals
#asianculinarycurrynoodles
#cookingforthefun
#foodiesplus