Wednesday, June 6, 2012

'Tis the season for Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes have been described by The Washington Post blogger and food writer Kim O'Donnel as "a garlic lover's nirvana". So what exactly are garlic scapes (蒜薹)?


Garlic scapes are the "flower stalks" of hardneck garlic plants. They appear a month or so after the first leaves, and when harvest young, they can be very tender and delicious. Many recipes have been written using garlic scapes, and the most popular Western recipe is the Garlic Scapes Pesto. I am going to share one of my favorite Chinese recipe by combining the sweet and savory Cantonese Sausages with the tender garlicky scapes.


Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 8 Minutes
Level: Easy
Yield: 2 Servings


INGREDIENTS

2 pieces Cantonese Sausages(2 根广东香肠)
16 garlic scapes (16 根蒜薹)
2 teaspoon ginger  (2 茶勺姜)
2 tablespoons peanut oil (2 汤勺花生油)
2 teaspoons soy sauce  (2茶勺酱油)
Salt to taste (适量盐)

DIRECTIONS

1.  Slice the Cantonese Sausages into thin pieces, then cut the pieces to match the width of your garlic scapes.
2.  Peel and slice the ginger.
3.  Wash and snap off both ends of the garlic scapes, and cut them into 1.5 inch sections.
4.  Heat the wok on medium-high until it's hot, then add peanut oil to the wok.
5.  Add sliced ginger and stir a few times to release the aroma.
6.  Add Cantonese Sausages and stir fry until color turns slightly dark.
7.  Stir in garlic scapes, then add soy sauce and a small amount of water to create some steam which will help to cook the scapes faster.
8.  Stir fry the mixture until desired tenderness ( I prefer my scapes slightly crunchy ), then add salt to taste, and turn off the heat.


Serve the gorgeous emerald green garlic scapes and ruby red Cantonese Sausages with rice or other grains and enjoy!