CHOY KEOK

The Choy Keok (in Cantonese) literally means leftover food. Traditionally, the people would usually use the leftovers from a wedding or birthday dinner to whip up this dish. Nowadays, there are some people who would specially buy the ingredients to make Choy Keok. As a matter of fact, it is one of my favourite food. However, I do not eat the type that is normally sold in the shops as they contain roasted pork and chicken. I buy mine from the Vegetarian Restaurant or if I have the time I cook the dish using seafood and kai choy or mustard cabbage (the key ingredient for this dish). I notice that there are two types of kai choy sold at the market. You can use either type. What you see above was what I cooked for dinner tonight!

Want to try the dish? Here is the recipe.

Choy Keok (serves 5 - 6)

Ingredients

Dried tamarind (assam keping) (about 15 - 20 depending on how sourish you want the dish to be)

Dried chillies (10 to 15)

ginger (1 inch)

6 cloves garlic (crushed)

Kai choy or mustard cabbage (4 kilogrammes - you can add more if you wish)

Leftover dishes (you can opt for vegetarian/meat or seafood)

sugar (2 tablespoons)

salt (2 tablespoons)

Method

1. Fry the ginger, garlic, chillies and tamarind in a stock pot. Stir until fragrant.

2. Add the leftover dishes or whatever meat/seafood and kai choy (cut into thirds).

3. Add salt and sugar.

4. Pour enough water to cover the ingredients.

5. Bring to the boil and then simmer for an hour and a half or until the kai choy becomes soft.

6. You can eat the choy keok with rice.