Chinese Swiss Chard Stir-Fry Recipe

This Chinese Swiss chard stir-fry recipe is easy and so delicious. Cook this healthy green vegetable with Sichuan chili bean paste (doubanjiang) and fermented black beans. Your winter greens will never be boring. This is one of the best ways to eat Swiss chard.

Deep green vegetables are my love and I love cooking with them – especially with Swiss chard.

My Swiss chard fritters makes an easy and quick snack or side dish. Another recipe that I like is my Swiss chard with brown rice. It is one of the great Korean rice dishes for vegetarian and vegan diets.

Swiss Chard

On the spectrum of dark green leafy vegetables, Swiss chard lies between spinach and kale. Unlike kale, both the stems and the leaves of Swiss chard are edible. The leaves are mild earthy flavored, somewhat similar to spinach, but the stem can be slightly tough.

Some people discard the stem part, but I wouldn’t. You can easily peel off the outer fibrous layer of the stem and you will have a tender delicious chard without wasting anything.

Loaded with fiber, Swiss chard is low in calories and high in magnesium and vitamins A, C, and K. It also has an anti-inflammatory benefit and helps the body manage blood sugar.

Cooking Swiss chard is easy. Most people sauté the chard leaves in olive oil or butter with some garlic. That’s not bad; however, I found Swiss chard can be exceptionally delicious when cooked with an Asian flavor, especially in Chinese Recipes. This Chinese-style Stir-fried Swiss chard is beyond delicious!

When I saw some beautiful green Swiss chard at my local farmer’s market, I remembered Fuchsia Dunlop’s twice-cooked Swiss chard recipe from her Chinese cookbook, Every Grain of Rice.

I’m so glad that I’ve tried this recipe because it really makes the chard so flavorful and delicious to serve with rice. It is indeed twice cooked: blanched first, followed by stir-frying. The robust flavors of the Sichuan chili bean paste (doubanjiang) and fermented black beans transform this mild vegetable to a tasty delicious side dish. I think this is one of the best ways to eat Swiss chard.

I modified her recipe slightly by omitting the celery and cilantro. If you’re unsure about cooking with Swiss chard, this is the recipe for you!

How to make Fuchsia Dunlop’s Twice-Cooked Swiss Chard

Ingredients you will need:

• a bunch of Swiss chard
• Sichuan chili bean paste (doubanjiang)
• garlic
• ginger
• fermented black beans (douchi)
• chicken stock – preferably low sodium
• green onion

Optional:

• celery – finely chopped
• cilantro

Snap each stem toward the end, which will allow you to peel away the stringy bits (as you would with celery). Discard the fibrous, stringy layer.

Slice Swiss chard, about 1 inch long for the stem part and 2 inches for the leafy leaves.

Rinse the fermented black beans with water once and set aside. If you can’t find fermented black beans, use store-bought jarred black bean sauce from your grocery’s Asian section (no need to rinse in that case).

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add some salt. Add the Swiss chard stem pieces and cook for 3 minutes. Add the leafy parts and cook for 1 minute. Drain under cold running water. Gently squeeze the water out from the chard.

Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium flame. Add doubanjiang and stir-fry until it smells delicious and the oil is a rich red. Add garlic, ginger, and fermented black beans and stir-fry for a few moments more until you can smell their fragrances.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Add the chard and stir-fry until the sauce and greens are well mixed and heated through.

Sprinkle with green onion and serve immediately with rice. (If using celery and cilantro, add them with green onion.)

Serve Swiss chard immediately with rice. It makes a great side dish for any Asian main course.