This SHANGHAI VEGETABLE RICE is a simple comfort food of my childhood. It is the kind of humble home cooking that I love and crave. I named this recipe as a direct translation of its name in Chinese, 上海菜飯. Even though “vegetable” is the closest translation, the character 菜 (choy in Cantonese or cài in Mandarin) in this specific context refers to leafy vegetables versus the broader definition of vegetables. For example, this wouldn’t have carrots or bean sprouts in it, even though those are also vegetables. Growing up, we simply called this “choy faan” or leafy vegetable rice.
Semantics aside, I am SO excited to share this, the third instalment of a recipe series I started on my Instagram, You Got This in 30 Minutes, wherein each recipe is family-friendly and can be made in 30 minutes (or less). I try to keep the recipes in this series simple, and this is no exception - it only involves 5 ingredients (excluding salt and oil). I’m so pleased with the amazing response to the first two recipes from the series so far — I linked them below in case you’re interested.
The star veggie in this recipe is Shanghai bok choy, the variety of bok choy with pale green stems and smooth, light green leaves that tastes slightly sweeter and less grassy than regular bok choy with white stems and dark green, curly leaves. You can generally use Shanghai bok choy and regular bok choy interchangeably in most recipes. Their tastes are ever so subtly different. For example, I slightly prefer Shanghai bok choy for this dish, but regular bok choy for my Shanghai dumpling filling. Whichever bok choy variety you use comes down to a matter of individual taste preferences or, more likely, simply whichever looks freshest at the store that day!
Interestingly, in spite of this being called SHANGHAI VEGETABLE RICE, this dish actually often involves a little bit of Chinese salted meat (“ham yuk” or 鹹肉) or Chinese sausage (“lap cheong” or 臘腸) to flavour the dish. However, since those are not widely accessible to everyone here, I use organic ground pork in my version which my family loves. This may not be authentic but it is simply a version I make often. Occasionally, I have even used a little bit of Italian pancetta to impart that salt-cured pork flavour if I happen to have some in the fridge! Feel free to sub with ground chicken if you don’t eat pork.
Or, if you landed here looking for a meatless rice dish because of the recipe title, I have good news! You can absolutely make this meatless as we often did growing up, too. We typically used dehydrated shiitake mushrooms for the umami ingredient in place of meat (see recipe Head Note 4 below). I also think a few slabs of pan fried tofu would round it out nicely for a standalone meal with protein.
Let me know in comments what you think of this recipe or if you have any questions. I will always be sure to respond. And if you make it, share on Instagram and tag me so I can see!
Eat well and be well.
Sonia x
You May Also Be Interested in…
these other recipes from the same recipe series, You Got This in 30 Minutes:
》MUSHROOM AND EGG “GYUDON” JAPANESE RICE BOWL RECIPE
》15 MINUTES ROASTED RED PEPPER PASTA RECIPE
SHANGHAI VEGETABLE RICE - HEAD NOTES:
1. WHAT KIND OF RICE SHOULD I USE? Long-grain jasmine rice is the default in Chinese meals but I actually love using short-grain (sushi) rice in this recipe for its chewier texture as pictured in this blog post. Either will work. Since this recipe involves only a few ingredients, it’s important to make sure the rice is cooked properly aka not soggy and not undercooked. In particular, take care to measure the grains and water with accuracy. I’m obsessed with rice and am sure I could write a whole post just on cooking rice but for now, make sure to follow my recipe instructions on rinsing, soaking (for short-grain rice) and cooking.
2. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BOK CHOY AND SHANGHAI BOK CHOY? Shanghai bok choy has pale green stems and smooth pale green leaves. Regular bok choy has white stems and curlier, dark green leaves. In taste, Shanghai bok choy is slightly sweeter while regular bok choy is more verdant. They are similar enough to be used interchangeably in most recipes. Use your favourite in this dish or whichever is fresher at the store. You can also use either the “baby” smaller bok choy plants or the full sized bok choy in this recipe since they get chopped finely.
3. SUBSTITUTES FOR THE GROUND PORK. Chinese salted pork (“haam yuk” or 鹹肉) is the traditional meat to use but I use ground pork for two reasons: (1) It is widely accessible at conventional grocery stores. (2) Ground meat in general is one of my favourite weeknight shortcuts because it doesn’t require any prepping whatsoever which saves a TON of time. ALTERNATIVES TO GROUND PORK: ground chicken OR pork tenderloin cut into 1/4” cubes. Another great substitution is Italian pancetta cut into 1/4” cubes (in which case omit the soy sauce and salt marinade). See note 4 below for meatless version.
4. CAN THIS BE MEATLESS? YES. In fact, my family often made a meatless version of this dish, with shiitake mushrooms. Dehydrated shiitake mushrooms (rehydrated overnight in fridge to use) are more flavourful but you can use milder, fresh shiitake mushrooms too. Chop shiitakes into small 1/4” dice and cook them until tender, then mix them in instead of ground pork in the recipe.
Recipe and Printable Recipe Below ⇣
SHANGHAI VEGETABLE RICE ( 上海菜飯 )
Recipe serves 4.
INGREDIENTS
2½ C uncooked rice, short-grain rice (as pictured in this blog post) or long-grain rice (see note 1 above)
1½ lb shanghai bok choy, washed (see note 2)
½ lb ground pork (see note 3)
½ tsp soy sauce (tamari for gluten-free)
¼ tsp kosher salt
2 slices fresh ginger
Neutral oil for cooking (I use avocado oil)
To serve:
Soy sauce and/or chili oil and/or Bragg’s Liquid Soy Seasoning which we love :)
METHOD
Wash 2½ cups of uncooked rice, gently rubbing grains against each other with your hand while swirling it in water. I do this directly in a fine-mesh colander or you can wash the rice in the cooking pot filled with water and pour out water several times. Do this until water runs clearer but does not need to be fully transparent. Drain well in fine-mesh colander so most excess water is drained off. Place drained rice in pot. Add 2½ cups of water.
• Softer rice: I love my rice on the firmer side so my golden rule is 1:1 water-to-rice ratio for both long grain and short grain rice. If you prefer softer rice, add more water if using short grain rice. I still recommend 1:1 ratio for long grain rice. For softer short grain rice, add up to 1:1¼ ratio by adding as much as 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons of water.
• Soaking short grain rice: If using short grain rice, allow it to soak in the measured water before cooking – anywhere between 10 to 60 minutes. OK so yes, this step technically makes this recipe more than 30 minutes but it is passive time. If you don’t have the time, skip soaking but definitely use the maximum amount of water stated above to cook. Continue to cooking step once it has soaked the amount of time you can spare. You do not need to soak long grain rice.
Set pot of rice on the stove over high heat. Cover with lid and cook until water is boiling and steam is escaping (usually 5-7 minutes) at which point, without lifting lid, turn heat ALL THE WAY DOWN TO LOWEST HEAT and let it continue to cook 20 minutes. Fluff and use.
In a small bowl, mix ground pork with the soy sauce and salt. Set aside to marinate.
Finely chop shanghai bok choy into approximately ¼” pieces, separating stem pieces and leafy pieces into two separate piles.
When rice is almost done, start cooking. Set wok or large cooking vessel over medium-high heat. Once heated, drizzle some oil and add ground pork. Sauté with spatula until cooked and slightly browned. Scoop out and set aside.
Drizzle a bit more oil and add ginger slices. Move them around to bloom the flavour, around 5 seconds. Add chopped bok choy stem pieces and sauté until they’re starting to get tender. Add the chopped leafy pieces and continue to sauté briefly until wilted. Season with salt to taste.
Lower heat. Add back cooked ground pork and cooked rice to the wok and mix everything well and until warmed through. Discard ginger slices. Serve as is, or optionally serve with Chinese chili oil and/or soy sauce or our favourite, a few drops of Bragg’s Liquid Soy Seasoning which tastes similar to Maggi sauce (IYKYK 😉) except with clean ingredients. Enjoy!
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Let me know what you think of this recipe in the blog comments. And if you make it, I’d love to hear about it. Tag me on Instagram so I can see!