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Chee Kei 池記 @ CWB – live2makan

enter image description here 蠔油芥蘭 Chinese kale with oyster sauce

Chinese kale is also referred to as Hong Kong kailan. The greens are blanched in the same boiling water that they used to blanch the noodles. The alkalinity has kept the kale really green. Here, it’s just a simple dash of oyster sauce and the dish is done. You can taste the sweet taste and crunchy texture.

  1. Is the embolded proposition true? Why would alkalinity keep vegetables really green?

  2. Does the embolded proposition suggest cooking vegetables with alkaline water? If so, what pH is best?

  • Cooking greens in salted water (2-3% salinity) will also help keep your greens green, while also seasoning from within without breaking down the pectin in the greans making them mushy (this happens in alkaline environments, a la bicarb soda in your water) – ljden Oct 07 '20 at 10:27

1 Answers1

1

Is the embolded proposition true?

Yes, the statement is true. Cooking vegetables in an alkaline liquid keeps them bright green.

Why would alkalinity keep vegetables really green?

The reason behind it has something to do with the chemistry of chlorophyl, I don't remember it too exactly, but generally, the chlorophyl molecule doesn't undergo the same changes when heated under alkaline conditions as when heated under neutral or mildly acidic conditions.

Does the embolded proposition suggest cooking vegetables with alkaline water?

I'm not sure what you want to know here, are you asking whether the author used a statement with the intention to induce readers to use the technique? Analysing this would be off-topic.

If so, what pH is best?

Just about any you can create. Slight alkalinity already has an effect (e.g. a pinch of baking soda when blanching), and obviously you can't get into a high pH anyway.

Also, your title asked for disadvantages. The disadvantages are that your vegetables will be softer and mushier, and that they will have an alkaline taste.

rumtscho
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