Vegetable Dishes

Vegetables are important in any cuisine that is nutritious, flavourful and colourful. In the Cantonese cuisine of south China, considered among the most nutritious in the world, more vegetables of diverse texture, shape, size and colour are used than in almost any other culinary tradition. My mother, who is of Cantonese origin, consequently relied heavily on vegetables in our home cooking. She used traditional Chinese vegetables whenever they were available, but she reached out to harvest the Western cornucopia as well. In Chinese cookery, technique is more important even than the ingredients. My mother took standard European vegetables and prepared them so well that, unlike my Western schoolmates, I loved to eat them. As my mother cooked them, the vegetables retained their fresh flavours, textures, nutritious vitamins and colours. Many vegetables have delicate textures; most have only subtle flavours. How does one cook them and yet preserve their qualities? Well, practice makes perfect, especially to avoid overcooking. With vegetables, you need to nibble, taste, nibble, taste as you cook.