All About Choy Sum 菜心

When I first started this blog I never thought I’d really write about 菜心 choy sum. It’s so ubiquitous in Cantonese cuisine, that it’s almost like making rice. I swear, Cantonese people are made of this.

Growing up, we had 咸水菜心 salt water choy sum a lot and it’s so easy to prepare. Typically, we had it served with the water it was cooked in which turned into a light vegetable broth. If we were thirsty during our meal, our parents told us to drink the stock at the end of the meal so you get the nutrients from the 菜心 choy sum instead of filling up on water. If you don’t have a lot of cooking skills, this is a perfect dish to get started on. You can also make it the same way, strain out the 菜心 choy sum and add it to instant noodles so you’re getting your vegetables regularly.

These are tips that my mom and dad learned over the years. They grew up from farming families, but they also picked up these tips from other grannies and gramps at the markets.

Color: There are two kinds of 菜心 choy sum. A green and white kind. Green is best because they have a sweeter flavor and nice soft texture to them. White ones are more bland tasting and more crunchy when cooked. You can tell the difference by looking at the stems, but when in doubt, look for the deepest green color you can find.

白心 White Core: Many markets will sell them in bags so you don’t get too much of a choice. But if you look at the stem where the vegetable was cut, this is a big clue on telling how old mature each plant is. Look for ones that have a consistent color and this means they are still tender. Ones that have a 白心 white core (identified by a white dot in the center of the stem) mean they are old. If you find ones with a white dot and a hollow center, they are definitely old, tougher, and more fibrous.

Left to right: 1) Good stem, 2) 白心 white core is visible, 3) 白心 white core and hollow core forming 4) 白心 white core and well developed hollow core

Flowers: If you are able to spot flowers on them, pick the ones where there are flower buds still attached. If the flower buds are turning yellow, but have not bloomed yet, this is a sign that the 菜心 is at the peak of harvesting and the sweetest. If you see the flowers are fully bloomed, they’re not as sweet anymore and start to be more tough.

Leaves: Look for smooth, dark green leaves. This can be tough to distinguish in bagged ones. But if you keep buying them, you can start noticing a difference in how young the leaves look. Yellow leaves are a sign they were stored too long and were deprived of sunlight. This means they will start to go bad soon.

Shoots: Near the base of the stem, look for any signs of a new shoot growing. While the tiny shoots between are really tender and nice, it means the rest of the plant is going to be less sweet and more tough.

Stems: At the base of the stem, you can sometimes see vertical fibers. This definitely means you’re in for a chewy bite if you eat one of these. This can be difficult to see if you buying them in bags because of how tight they pack them, but it’s still good info to know if you can pick them from a pile.

Here are two ways of cooking them.

1) 咸水菜心 Salt Water Choy Sum

Ingredients:
菜心 choy sum
Water
Neutral Oil
Salt

Wash your 菜心 choy sum, being sure to rub off any dirt near the base of the stem. Cut them into segments about 2 inches long and separate the stems from the leaves.

In a pot, add enough water to fully cover however much 菜心 choy sum you are cooking. Bring this to a boil over medium-high heat.

When the water boils, add a drizzle of neutral oil and season the water with salt (not too salty). Add the stems and set a timer for 3 minutes.

In the last 30-45 seconds, add the leaves and mix with a wooden spoon or chopsticks so the leaves are submerged in the boiling water.

Transfer everything to a bowl and serve.

2) 焯菜心 Blanched Choy Sum

This second method uses 焯, a term for quick blanching. But really the big difference is removing salt and oil from the cooking process. You are only using plain water. Once this vegetable is cooked in salt water, it won’t last as long in the fridge and the salt breaks it down and makes it more mushy for leftovers or meal prepping. This is also a great way of getting a few extra days out of any 菜心 choy sum that might go bad soon. It’s also really convenient to have this in the fridge for meal prepping or noodles. If you’re having soup noodles, they will reheat quickly in the broth.

Ingredients:
菜心 choy sum

Wash your 菜心 choy sum, being sure to rub off any dirt near the base of the stem. Cut them into segments about 2 inches long and separate the stems from the leaves.

In a pot, add enough water to fully cover however much 菜心 choy sum you are cooking. Bring this to a boil over medium-high heat.

When the water boils, add the stems and set a timer for 3 minutes.

In the last 30-45 seconds, add the leaves and mix with a wooden spoon or chopsticks so the leaves are submerged in the boiling water.

Strain and discard the cooking water.

Run under cold water to suspend the cooking and place in a strainer to drain excess water.

Store in the fridge for a few days.