Made Some Simple but Tempting Chinese Chives and Eggs
![Chinese chives and eggs](https://undumbing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Chinese_chives_eggs.jpg)
Preparing the long strands of Chinese chives (aka garlic chives) required the most time of all the parts in making a unique recipe for egg stir-fry. However, it was definitely worth it!
Below are some links to more details, including photos:
My Story
As I was browsing a blog that I had referenced to make braised oxtail noodles and oxtail soup, I saw an easy recipe for a dish that I ate when I was younger, Chinese chives and eggs, so I noted it. A month later, I was delighted to see that Chinese chives were on sale!
Inspiring Recipe
The recipe that I found this time was Chinese Chives & Eggs Stir Fry from The Woks of Life.
First Try
After buying the Chinese chives and confirming that I had the remaining ingredients for the recipe at home, I was ready to go.
Ingredients to Use
For the first attempt, I followed the default recipe for 2 servings with one substitution, replacing vegetable oil with avocado oil based on what I had available.
![Sesame oil, Chinese chives, Shaoxing (Shaohsing) wine, oil, salt, sugar, egg, and ground white pepper](https://undumbing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Chinese_chives_eggs_ingredients.jpg)
Steps to Prepare
For the three steps in the instructions of the recipe, I only had to tweak the last one. Instead of maintaining the heat at medium low, I increased it to medium since it was taking too long for the eggs to cook in the last step.
![Chopped Chinese chives in a white bowl](https://undumbing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Chinese_chives_chopped.jpg)
![Beaten eggs in a stainless steel bowl](https://undumbing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Beaten_eggs_B.jpg)
![Chinese chives combined with beaten eggs in a stainless steel bowl](https://undumbing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Chinese_chives_beaten_eggs.jpg)
Time to Eat
Soon after the heat was increased on the stove, the dish was ready to eat.
![Cooked Chinese chives and eggs in a stainless steel bowl](https://undumbing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Chinese_chives_eggs_cooked.jpg)
Recipe Rating
Below were the results of the recipe after the first try:
Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
---|---|---|---|
9️⃣* | 🤏 | 💰 | 🙂 |
Though some strands of chives were a little tough, most of the family members enjoyed the flavor of the eggs with the Chinese chives. My older son even mentioned that if I added shrimp, it would taste like the Cantonese dim sum chive dumplings.
Second Try
For the second try, I just wanted to make the process a little smoother and the chives less chewy.
Ingredients to Use
In regards to the ingredients, I used the same items as in the first round.
Steps to Prepare
As for the process, I forgot to lower the heat right after the wok started to smoke and also didn’t remember to wait 10 seconds before adding the oil. Instead, I just added the oil after the wok began to smoke on high heat. Afterwards, I lowered the heat to medium.
Time to Eat
This time, the dish cooked faster and I couldn’t wait to see if the texture of the chives had improved.
![Cooked Chinese chives and eggs in a white bowl (Try 2)](https://undumbing.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Chinese_chives_eggs_cooked2.jpg)
Recipe Rating
Below are the results of the recipe from the second attempt:
Number of Ingredients | Effort (Low🤏, Medium🤏🤏, High🤏🤏🤏) | Cost per Serving (<$2💰, $2-5💰💰, >$5💰💰💰) | Taste (Not for me🤔, Trying Again🙂, Eating Regularly😋) |
---|---|---|---|
9️⃣* | 🤏 | 💰 | 🙂 |
The chives were softer and the dish maintained it’s flavor, so the second round was a success!
Because washing, trimming, and chopping the chives required the most time in the process, I will try to shave some minutes off next time by changing the approach:
Continuous Improvement
- Instead of washing the chives in batches, followed by trimming and chopping, I will trim, wash, and chop, completing each step before moving onto the next.
Having gone through the process of preparing the long Chinese chives for cooking, I learned the following that I would like to share with my less experienced self:
Lesson for Dumber Self
- Take a few minutes to plan the process ahead of time.
What will you do now?
Next Step for You
- Try the Chinese Chives & Eggs Stir Fry recipe from the blog, The Woks of Life?
- Share a tip for preparing leafy vegetables?
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