The foundational vegetable wok preparation — qing chao (literally 'clear-fried') — any leafy or tender Chinese green (pak choi, choy sum, Chinese spinach, pea shoots, morning glory) stir-fried briefly at maximum heat with garlic, a small amount of neutral oil, and soy sauce or salt. Dunlop covers qing chao in *Every Grain of Rice* as the clearest test of wok technique applied to vegetables: the vegetable enters at maximum heat and is cooked in under 2 minutes, the result either vivid, crisp-tender, and perfectly seasoned or overcooked, collapsed, and grey.
**The universal vegetable stir-fry sequence:** 1. Wok at maximum heat. 2 tablespoons neutral oil. 2. Sliced garlic (3–4 cloves): 15 seconds. Until fragrant but not coloured. 3. The vegetables in one addition (pre-washed and slightly wet — the water on the leaves creates a burst of steam on contact with the hot wok). 4. Toss continuously for 1–2 minutes (tender leafy greens) or 3–4 minutes (denser stems like pak choi stem). 5. Season: a pinch of salt or a small amount of light soy sauce. Toss. 6. Off heat. A few drops of sesame oil. 7. Serve immediately. **Vegetable timing by type:** - Pea shoots (dou miao): 60–90 seconds. The most delicate — over 90 seconds and they collapse completely. - Baby pak choi (split in half): 2–3 minutes for the leaves to wilt and the stem to become slightly tender. - Choy sum: 2–3 minutes. - Mature pak choi: stems separate from leaves. Stems: 3 minutes. Leaves: final 1 minute. - Morning glory (pak bung): 2 minutes. **The wet vegetable advantage:** A slightly wet vegetable (washed but not dried) entering a very hot wok creates an immediate burst of steam on contact — this steam helps cook the vegetable quickly from the inside while the wok's surface heat develops a slight Maillard char on the outside. A fully dried vegetable loses this advantage. Decisive moment: The 60-second decision point — for leafy greens, the moment after 60 seconds where the leaves have wilted but still retain their vivid green colour and some structural integrity. This is the serving point. 30 seconds beyond: the leaves begin to grey (chlorophyll breaking down) and the texture collapses further. One minute beyond: the grey, soft result of over-cooking.
Fuchsia Dunlop, *Land of Plenty* (2001); *Every Grain of Rice* (2012); *Land of Fish and Rice* (2016); *The Food of Sichuan* (2019)