Cooking food is a very enjoyable experience for food lovers. For the food itself, different cooking methods can bring out different flavors. In fact, for this series of "light and fresh" vegetables, no complex cooking is needed. Simply blanch or steam them until tender, add some seasonings, and you have a delicious dish.
Harder vegetables like kale, Chinese broccoli, mustard greens, broccoli, celery, lettuce stalk, and bitter melon will not become too soft after blanching; instead, their color will become even more vibrant. Softer leafy vegetables like油菜 (rapeseed), Malabar spinach, crown daisy, lettuce, and spinach only need a quick dip in boiling water to retain their natural flavor.
To avoid the dish being too bland, you can try a few seasoning methods. The first is similar to "white blanching," which involves simply pouring a sauce of soy sauce and fermented black bean sauce over the vegetables. The second is a "dipping sauce," such as one made from soy sauce, sesame oil, and vinegar, which is savory, aromatic, fresh, and slightly sour. You can also add minced garlic or chili to enhance the flavor. The third is a simplified version of "Pa" cooking (a Shandong cuisine technique), such as "scallion Pa" or "cream Pa," which involves adding broth and a thin starch slurry to the blanched vegetables. The fourth is the simplest: just blanch the vegetables and toss them in a salad.