Sprout

While choy sum is probably the most common kind of vegetable I have in Hong Kong, my personal favorite is Brussels sprout.

I first encountered this tiny variant of cabbage when I was doing my overseas training in Bristol. It appeared two or three times each week as the side dish in the hospital canteen, and, I must say, the taste was horrible. British people have absolutely no idea how to cook the veg and these little green spheres are always put into boiling water - which invariably results in overcooking.

(Specific for Brussels sprout, overcooking does not only mean making the veg gray and way too soft; it releases glucosinolate sinigrin, a special chemical you find in this tiny green balls, resulting in a repelling sulphurous smell.)

Fortunate for my taste bud, I was not put off by the clumsy chef of the hospital canteen. Soon after I settled, I find this lovely spheres in a local supermarket, selling in discount. I bought some, tried stir-frying them that evening with a bit of soya sauce - and, hooray! There's no pungent smell, and, yes, the center was slightly bitter. But if you like the taste of bitter melon (苦瓜), the little green balls are certainly more chewy, and, because their taste is less sharp, you do not need to mop up the bitterness (and therefore the freshness of veg) by douchi (豆豉) or other strong seasoning.

PS. Oyster sauce was even better than soya sauce for enhancing the flavor, as I subsequently found out.