Friday 2 October 2015

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.

34 comments:

  1. I didn't eat bacon for quite sometimes, must go buy, fried and eat it, hehe...

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  2. Phong Hong, I have never thought of bacon with choi tam. Sounds so delicious and makes my mouth waters because I love greens with crispy toppings. This will be my first to cook item on my list! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!

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    1. Nancy, I never thought of it too until I found the leftover bacon hah..hah,,,

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  3. oooh I love choi tam and I love bacon, but why have I never thought them them being put together to make up a dish?? haha.. look at the bacons, oolala!!! and are you sure this is stir fried choy tam with bacon, or is it actually stir fried bacon with choy tam?? hehehe~~:p

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    1. hee..hee...be assured that there was more choi tam than bacon :D

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  4. Oooh, I do hope you stop by Food on Friday with this and other delights! Cheers from Carole's Chatter

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  5. I liked that your choi tam had more bacon than veggie....hehe! :D This kind of veggie, I can have seconds! Yes, choi tam is usually referred to as Brussels sprouts in English but these are actually the leaves of the Brussels sprouts.

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    1. Oh, I see... Those actual Brussels Sprouts are quite expensive.

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  6. That day hubby fried choy sam with bacon.. Nice.. Actually whatever fried with bacon also nice.. Gravy very nice and salty too, nice to eat with rice.. We usually buy a big packet of cubed bacon (cheaper), divide into few portions, then freeze it.. Then can use the portions on different days, like one portion for fried rice, one for chau choy+chin tan, one for frying noodles.. Sedappppp..

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    1. Louiz, I don;t quite like choy sam but with bacon maybe hee..hee.... I must look out for the cubed bacon. I've not tried it before.

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  7. Malaysia Day? Gee!!! That was ages ago! I love greens, with or without bacon and of course, I love bacon! Anytime!

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    1. With bacon, everything taste so good!

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  8. Hi Phong Hong, sure this is good with the fragrant bacon bits and crunchy vege. The other day I fried cauliflower [the fried rice style] with bacon, my hubby says, Wow! so phang!

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    1. Kimmy, glad you tried the cauliflower fried rice!

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  9. Tomorrow I go buy bacon strips! hahaha.. Yes choi tam is sprouts... some like it hard and "crispy" and last time I blanched them for awhile before stir frying them... no need too long chewing.. hehehe...

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    1. Claire, I like it crunchy hee..hee...

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  10. I like to eat choy tam but must cook it till a bit soft. It is the leaves of brussel sprouts like ewew Kris said.

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    1. Mun, I prefer my vege to have a bit of crunch :)

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  11. Hi Phong Hong,
    Here the 'choi tam' is also called baby Kai Lan. Sometimes I'll stir-fry this with roasted pork ... hee .. hee. With bacon lagi shiok !

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    1. Karen, with roasted pork also very good!

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  12. nice, I like to eat fresh green veggie!

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  13. Bacon is easier to handle than those mini anchovies (what's it called huh?), especially it releases the lovely bacon oil. Nice! :D

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    1. You mean those small ikan bilis? Well, I knew you would support this bacony one :D

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  14. This easy and delicious dish. Now I have found an idea to stock up bacons in my fridge to throw into any dish for myself since wifey is a vegan. Thanks Chef Diva.

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