Hearing about Svelty’s siomai adventure and Bea’s suggestions for a blog for beginner’s cookery gave me several ideas for this entry.

First, tips on storing vegetables bought in bulk. Ideally, fresh produce is best bought on the day it is to be cooked. However, this is not always practical unless you have a green grocer outside your doorstep. It is always economical, financially and effort-wise, to go to the market at most only once a week. Fresh produce can be stored in the refrigerator. To avoid spoilage, keep tomatoes, lemons and other small items in plastic containers lined with old newspaper. Larger items (cucumbers, carrots, capsicum) and leafy greens such as cabbage, celery and lettuce should also be wrapped in newsprint before storing in the crisper. The refrigerator’s cold moisture is what keeps food fresh but if saturated, it is what hastens spoilage. The wrapping should be changed as it gets soaked.

Second, some rules of thumb when cooking vegetables is that they should only be rinsed briefly, to preserve vitamins and minerals. The same rule is applied to cooking. They should not be boiled “to death” but remain crisp when served. When cooking, turn off fire 2-3 minutes before the vegetables are actually done. The remaining heat from the stove and cooking vessel will be enough to cook the dish.

Since Svelty wanted a recipe with bean sprouts (togue), I thought the one below would be appropriate. I found it years ago in one of my mother’s cookbooks, Eat Better Live Better published by Reader’s Digest, hence the exact proportions.

When cooking this for the first time, I suggest you stick to the quantities given as much as possible, since they’d give you a good balance of flavours. In subsequent times, you can add or subtract to the amounts. Now and then, I also add some ginger, to enhance the oriental taste.

Stir-fried Vegetables with Oyster Sauce

Ingredients
2 carrots
8 oz (225g) broccoli
1 red pepper
8 oz (225 g) green beans
2 oz (50 g) spring onions
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons sesame oil
1 small green chilli (optional)
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
6 oz (175 g) bean sprouts
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon caster sugar
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Peel and slice the carrots into thin rounds. Divide the broccoli into florets and coarsely chop the stems. De-seed and core the red pepper and cut it into matchsticks. Top and tail the green beans and cut them into thirds. Trim and slice the spring onions and peel and chop the garlic.

Heat the vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Then stir in all the remaining vegetables except the bean sprouts and add the oyster sauce. Stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir-fry for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle the lime juice over the vegetables, season and serve immediately.

P.S. Sesame oil and ginger is what usually gives Asian dishes that distinctive taste.