Flash-Fried & Fresh-Flavoured

The fertile fields of southern China produce a wonderful array of fresh indigenous ingredients, including a wide range of vegetables. Mixed with aromatics and often fish or meat (vegetable dishes aren’t usually vegetarian!), they encapsulate the balance of taste and texture that regional cooks strive to attain.

Chinese people are not given to eating vegetables raw, and most are usually fried. Stir-fried lettuce, for instance, is given a briny fillip with conpoy (scallop) sauce, while more robust greens, such as kai lan — a green vegetable related to kale — are also enjoyed and, served Hong-Kong style with oyster sauce, make a star appearance at restaurants around the world.