Ingredients:
4 Cups of water
1 head bok choy, washed and sliced on the diagonal in 1/2- inch cuts
3 large scallions, rinsed and sliced on the diagonal in 1/4- inch cuts
1/4 cup of raw sunflower seeds, rinsed
ume vinegar
a tiny pinch of sea salt
Preparation:
Bring the water to a boil and add the salt.
Systematically blanch each of the vegetables separately for about 1 minute, scooping them out onto a new clean plate to cool down most quickly.
It’s important to keep bringing the water back to a boil before adding the next vegetable variety but making sure not to actually let the water boil while the vegetables are in the pot.
Start with the least-strong flavor, being the bok choy and then the scallions.
Finally, add the sunflower seeds to newly boiling water, and these can actually boil for a minute.
Allow all to cool before mixing gently in a beautiful salad bowl. Scoop out about 4 to 5 tablespoons of the blanching water into a cup, add a few drops of ume vinegar, cool and then sprinkle over the salad.
I will sometimes use the blanching water as a base for making sweet vegetable soup or for cooking pasta or noodles.
This is a very useful and important water- and fuel-saving method/tip that I have adopted in times of need. Other times, the water can be cooled and used to water plants or vegetables in the house and garden.
* Use a variety of different vegetables each time…. eg; Baby bok choy/carrot/scallion, Napa cabbage/watercress/cauliflower florets, Watercress/red onion/sunflower seeds