Stir Fried Choi Tam with Bacon

It was a day before Malaysia Day and I realized that I did not have anymore vegetables in the fridge. What? Run out of stock? How's that for someone who hoards and who at times had to dispose expired ingredients? 

Anyway, I took a walk to the organic shop to see if they had any vegetables. Indeed they had. After peering into the chiller (it's best to take a peek before you open the chiller to take out your selection) I spotted a bag of choi tam. Sorry, I don't know what this is called in English but at the restaurants, it is labelled as brussell sprouts. They are not, right?

The next day I opened my freezer and discovered some leftover streaky bacon. Bacon! Yeah! That's when I decided to jazz up the choi tam with bacon.

What I did was cut the bacon into smaller strips and fried them in a little oil. As the bacon bits crisped up, they released quite a bit of fats, delicious fats! I removed the crisped bacon and set them aside.

At this point, you could remove some of the excess oil, which I didn't. I simply threw a handful of garlic into the hot bacon fat and added a generous pinch of salt. Garlic and salt are good friends. 

When the garlic was slightly browned, I threw in my washed and drained choi tam. When it was almost tender, I added a splash of light soya sauce, gave the vegetables a quick stir, and that's it!

I transferred my green to a plate and sprinkled with crispy bacon bits. Ah! Isn't that lovely? That, my friends, is a delicious plate of stir fried greens!

Stir Fried Choi Tam with Bacon

Recipe source : Phong Hong

Ingredients :

- Choi tam, washed and drained

- 4 rashers of streaky bacon, cut into small strips

- 8 cloves of garlic, smashed

- a generous pinch of salt

- some light soya sauce to taste

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method :

1. Heat oil in wok.

2. When the oil is hot, throw in the bacon strips.

3. Stir them every now and then until they are brown and crisp.

4. Remove the crispy bacon and set aside.

5. Next, throw in the garlic and salt. Fry garlic briefly until slightly brown.

6. Then throw in the choi tam and briskly stir fry until they are wilted and tender.

7. Add a dash of light soya sauce and dish out.

8. Sprinkle with the crispy bacon bits and serve.