Oyster Sauce Vegetables in Garlic Oil
First posted in Jan 2010, updated in Mar 2017.
This plate of oyster sauce vegetables (油菜) in crispy garlic oil was one of the first vegetable dishes I made when I started cooking for the blog, and I am still making it regularly today. That’s almost 10 years!
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I can’t help making this classic homely dish again and again, because it is so quick & easy to whip up. It also accompanies any Chinese dish for a balanced and complete meal.
The baby bok choy (小白菜) are blanched in rapidly boiling water for only 10 seconds. It’s optional, but I usually lower the stems into the boiling water with tongs for 5 seconds (pictured above), before dropping the whole bunch into the boiling water for another 5 seconds. So it’s stems: 10 seconds, leaves: 5 seconds if you want to be a perfectionist XD If this is your first time blanching this vegetable, you may be surprised how quick it is to cook them.
As for the sauce, it is non-cooking – just dilute oyster sauce with hot water and balance the saltiness with a small amount of sugar.
The garlic oil with crispy chopped garlic is the fun (yummy) part. You can make a small amount just for one serving each time you make this dish, but I usually make a bigger quantity & keep the extra garlic oil in the fridge. By preparing beforehand, I can come home after work and whip up this vegetable dish in 10 minutes. The solidified oil thaws quickly at room temperature. Check out the step-by-step pictures for making crispy garlic in garlic oil.
Oyster Sauce Vegetables in Garlic Oil Recipe
The recipe measurements for the crispy garlic oil is for one serving. You can also make more garlic oil and store them in the fridge – click here for the detailed tips and step-by-step pictures for making a bigger batch of garlic oil.
Ingredients:
- 200 grams baby boy choy (xiao bai cai, 小白菜)
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- water
(A) Garlic Oil
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic finely chopped
(B) Oyster Sauce Mixture
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp hot water
- 1/4 tsp sugar
Directions:
- Garlic oil. Heat olive oil in a small pot on medium. When tiny bubbles gather, add the chopped garlic, stirring frequently with a spatula. Once the garlic starts to turn light golden, transfer them to a small bowl. The garlic will continue to cook for a few more minutes in the bowl of hot oil until it turns a lovely golden brown. Check here for step-by-step pictures.
- Oyster sauce mixture. Prepare the oyster sauce by combining (B) in a small bowl.
- Cooking the greens. Heat a pot of water with 1 tsp vegetable oil added. When the water comes to a boil, add baby boy choy and blanch for 10 seconds. Optional: You can cook the stems first by lowering the vegetables into the boiling water with a pair of tongs for the first 5 seconds.
- Serve. Trim the ends of the blanched greens and then cut them to shorter sections if preferred. Assemble the blanched vegetables on a serving plate and drizzle garlic oil and the oyster sauce mixture over the vegetables.