Stir fried swiss chard was an improvisation - I had a big bunch of Swiss Chard in my CSA box, along with some garlic, and I had a chinese themed meal planned. Â Voila! Â Since I have my stir fry technique internalized, this was a quick side dish that I put together while I was making my chinese barbecued pork.
📖 Recipe Card
Stir Fried Swiss Chard
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Description
A quick stir fried side dish of Swiss chard stems and leaves with onion, garlic, sesame oil, and a hoisin-soy sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, leaves trimmed from stems
- â…“ cup water
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- Prep the sauce: Combine the hoisin sauce and soy sauce in a small bowl.
- Prep the vegetables: Peel the onion, cut it in half, then cut each half into about 8 wedges, pole to pole. Separate the chard stems from the leaves, and cut the stems into ¼ inch slices and the leaves into ¼ inch strips. Mince the garlic, and combine it in a small bowl with the toasted sesame oil. Measure out the water.
- Start with the onions: Add the vegetable oil to a 12 inch nonstick skillet, and heat over high heat until the oil is just starting to smoke, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until browned and crisp-tender.
- Stir fry the chard stems: Add the chard stems, toss to coat with oil, then add the â…“ cup water and cover. Steam, covered, for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the cover, and stir fry until the stems are crisp-tender, 1 to 2 more minutes.
- Add the aromatics: Make a hole in the center of the vegetables, and add the garlic and sesame oil. Let it sit for 30 seconds (or until you can smell the garlic), then stir it into the rest of the vegetables.
- Add the leaves: Add the chard leaves, and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just wilted.
- Sauce and serve: Pour the sauce over the vegetables, and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, until the vegetables are coated with sauce. Serve.
Notes
"Stir fry 2 to 3 minutes" - when you first add something to the pan, toss it to coat it with the oil, then let it sit for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until it starts to brown on the underside. Then keep it moving, flipping and stirring until it is crisp-tender.
A lemon-based sauce goes great with this - chard, garlic and lemon are a great combination. Replace the hoisin in the sauce with the juice of ½ lemon and 1 teaspoon of corn starch.
This is also how I cook bok choy - the stems are thicker and the leaves smaller, but the technique is almost exactly the same.
This recipe follows my basic stir fry technique for a vegetable side dish.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
Click here for my Stir-Fried Bok Choy recipe, Swiss Chard Gratin, or check out my Brussels Sprouts recipe.
Click here for my Basic Technique: Stir Fry
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