Grandma Liang’s Vegetables

Although I never met my Chinese grandmother, who passed away before I was born, I inherited many of her recipe cards and notes about cooking. They’re a snapshot of immigrant cooking in post-war upstate New York, filled with substitutes for hard-to-find Chinese ingredients. 

In one of her cooking booklets, this passage about vegetables caught my eye: 

“Few Chinese vegetables come to the general market in America. Chinese cabbage has been in this country for about 25 years. Vegetables such as bean sprouts, pea sprouts, vegetable marrow or “winter melon”, Chinese green cabbage etc are grown on Long Island, Florida, California, or near Seattle, Washington, but must be purchased in Chinatown markets.”

I wonder what she’d think, knowing 1) how easy it is to find these ingredients in the supermarket and 2) that her grandson now grows many of them.

In honor of the Lunar New Year, here are three of her recipes for cooked vegetables, copied word for word.

Panned Broccoli

In a pre-heated frying pan place:

3 T Oil

1 tsp. Salt

pepper

Cut stems in 1/4” slices and add: 

1 pkg. Frozen or 1 bunch fresh broccoli

Cook over medium heat for two (2) minutes

Add Broccoli flowerets and 1/2 cup water.

Cover pan tightly and cook for 4 minutes.

Cabbage and Bacon

Cut in one inch squares and place in a large frying pan:

1/4 lb bacon

Cook until crisp and remove from pan with slotted spon. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from pan.

Add to pan: 

1 teaspoon salt

dash of pepper

1 lb. Cabbage (cut in one inch cubes)

Cook over a moderate flame, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Cover tightly and cook another 5 minutes. Remove cabbage from pan with slotted spoon and place on warm serving platter. Sprinkle bacon over top and serve.

Serves 4.

Sweet and Pungent Carrots

In a preheated frying pan, place: 1 T. oil or fat with 1 mashed garlic clove & 2 sliced ginger roots - Cook until stop sizzling.

Cut diagonally in 1/2 inch slices and add:

3 cups carrots

Cook over a moderate flame, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.

Add 1 Cup water

3 T. sugar

3 T. vinegar

1 tsp. salt

Bring to a boil and cook covered over a moderate flame until tender, about ten min. Blend together and add: 2 T. Cornstarch; 1/4 cup water;

Cook for a few more minutes, stirring constantly, until juice thickens. Serve immediately. Serves 4. 

Like my grandmother, I, too, love to entertain outdoors around a picnic table. :)