>bok choy vs. yu choy

One of the most overused vegetables on the menu is bok choy (白菜: "white vegetable"). One of the most overlooked vegetables on the menu is yu choy (油菜: "oil vegetable") or yu choy sum (油菜心 yu choy "heart")

The humble bok choy routinely makes it into upscale restaurant dishes. Tangier in L.A. serves miso glazed black cod with wasabi mashed potatoes & baby bok choy. Roasted Plainwell beef strip loin at Tribute restaurant in Michigan is offered with stir-fried baby bok choy, fingerling potato, caramelized shallots and wild mushrooms and balsamic-veal.

Baby yu choy is delicate, firm, and cooks beautifully in high heat. Its lovely yellow flowers are edible, too. It reminds you of rapini (broccoli rabe). Currently in America's Chinese restaurants, there seems to be one yu choy for every 10 baby bok choy dishes. At Mars restaurant in Austin, you find chicken supreme with hoisin, fois gras butter, basmati rice and yu choy.

Enchoy. (I can't believe I said that.)