I love going to market! There are always new things to discover if you’re
adventurous. This time it’s garlic
stems. Shoppers walked by and
casually picked up a bunch without hesitation or saw the need to inspect the
goods (they did look very fresh even from afar). I stopped a man who was about to turn away with his
bunch. In response to my question,
he used his hands to show me a chopping motion and fired off instructions in
rapid Mandarin. Ah, I got the
drift! This is a great way to learn about new things to cook and practise your Mandarin while you're at it!
The stems smelled very garlicky and had a real bite when I
tried it raw. I could imagine it
would be good chopped up and stir-fried with any kind of sliced meat or tofu,
mushrooms, etc. and proceeded to plan my dish. King mushroom would provide a firm chewy contrast to
the crisp green stems and tofu would add a softer texture. I browned the cubed firm tofu in oil with
some ginger before tossing in some sliced king mushrooms, adding a ¼ cup of
chicken stock which was quickly reduced as the mushrooms cooked. After removing the tofu and mushrooms
from the pan, I heated oil then threw in the garlic stems that had been cut
into inch-long pieces. I stir fried
the stems, covered with lid for a few minutes until cooked then added the tofu and
mushrooms. A dash of cooking wine, pepper, touch of oyster sauce completed the flavouring. It was a surprise to me how sweet the stems were when
cooked – quite a contrast to the bitter taste when it was raw. There are recipes for using the stems uncooked, in salads among other things - but not for me.
Catch this early summer vegetable while you can in the markets, you likely won’t see it later in the summer. And it supposedly has nutritional value similar to the garlic cloves!
