Pak Choi

I'm a sucker for pak choi (or bok Soy or whatever else you want to call it). You can sometimes find it lurking in Spinneys' local herbs section, although it's frequently a slightly sad version of what, when it's fresh, is a vibrant green and white, crunchy bunch of leafy wonder.

The Greenhouse Supermarket (of which I have written reams and no, no emolument has been received by the author in consideration) imports pak choi from Thailand twice a week and these days are frequently the signal for a treat - stir-fried pak choi. Achingly fresh, nestled in threes and fours in their sealed plastic wraps, these grand, vibrant kings of Asian greens will be joined in the pan by whatever else my schoolboy with pocket money visits yield - perhaps Thai broccoli, celery leaves or garlic flowers, a handful of zingy, fresh Thai basil and chopped coriander. I chop the pak choi up and throw in some garlic, half a large red onion, thinly sliced and usually have a sauce of wine, soy sauce, perhaps a little fish sauce, sugar and a teaspoon of cornflour. The vegetables are stir fried until they have just started to wilt, then the sauce goes in to thicken and finish.

I'll usually do something Asiatic to chicken breasts to go with this, marinating them in lemon grass, garlic, ginger and chili or something similar, before grilling them and serving them on a plate of steaming green, crispy and fresh-tasting pak choi.