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Hot Oil-Flashed Chard with Ginger, Scallions, and Chili

A classic Cantonese technique gives us a superior way to jazz up bitter greens. We tenderized Swiss chard with sizzling oil, a technique we learned from cookbook author Fuchsia Dunlop. Her recipe is modeled on a classic Cantonese method in which hot oil is poured over lightly blanched greens.
We scattered fresh ginger, scallions and serrano chilies over our greens and found the hot oil bloomed the flavors beautifully. Instead of julienning the ginger, as is traditional, we used a rasp-style grater to finely grate it, which distributed it better, was faster and released more of the aromatics. Bonus: No fibrous pieces in the finished dish.
For the oil, we found the clean flavor and light texture of grapeseed oil was ideal, but vegetable oil worked well, too. We added toasted sesame oil for a savory touch. To finish the dish, soy sauce alone is fine, but even better was a blend of soy sauce and unseasoned rice vinegar, which added a gentle acidity and light sweetness.
Servings: 4
Author: Milk Street

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 large bunches Swiss chard 1½ to 2 pounds total, stems removed and leaves cut crosswise into rough 3-inch pieces
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced on bias
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 serrano chili thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Blanch the chard:

  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, bring the water and salt to a boil.
  • Pile the chard into the pan and cover (the lid may not close completely).
  • Cook until the chard is wilted, about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through.
  • Remove the lid and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 1 to 3 minutes.
  • Transfer the chard to a serving platter and wipe out the skillet.

Finish and serve:

  • Distribute the scallions, ginger and chili evenly over the chard.
  • Add both oils to the skillet and return to medium-high heat until very hot and just beginning to smoke, 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Pour the oils directly over the greens and aromatics (you should hear them sizzle) and toss to distribute.
  • Drizzle the vinegar and soy sauce over the chard and toss again.
  • Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

Notes

Don’t use the chard stems in this dish. The stems are tougher than the leaves and won’t cook through in the short time it takes to wilt the leaves.