Choi Sum in Oyster Sauce

There is no English equivalent for this tender, all-green vegetable, with its sweet stalks and leaves. Its name translates as “heart of the vegetable, ” an apt description. Like the recipes for Shanghai hairy beans, I regard this recipe as an introduction to an otherwise unfamiliar vegetable, and also like those vegetables, when cooked properly, it will retain its crisp texture. Choi sum abounds in southern China. Its tender stalks, and the small st