Choy Sum

Why choy sum is rated low

Choy sum comes in low at 1 cup (75g), with no FODMAP subgroup recorded as raised at that serving, which makes this tender Asian green a straightforward one to cook with. That single cup is the only serving with published data behind it, so larger heaps are untested here rather than known to be a problem, and the sensible reading is that 1 cup (75g) is the amount you can count on. In a real meal, choy sum is almost never the thing that causes trouble. It turns up in stir fries, noodle bowls and soups whose base is usually onion, garlic, a stock powder or a bottled sauce, and that base carries far more FODMAP load than the greens sitting on top of it.

What changes your risk

• One tested serving 1 cup (75g) is the only published serving for choy sum, so it is the figure to portion against. There is no larger tested amount to point to, which is a good reason to treat the cup as the plan rather than as a floor to build up from.
• Wilting disguises the portion Choy sum collapses to a fraction of its raw volume in a hot wok or a bowl of broth, so a cooked heap that looks small on the plate may have started as several cups. Measure the raw greens before they go in, not the cooked pile afterwards.
• The sauce and the stock carry the load Oyster sauce, hoisin, black bean sauce, stir fry blends and stock powders are built on onion and garlic. Cooking the greens in garlic infused oil with ginger and finishing with soy or tamari gives the same savoury depth without the fructans.
• What is under the greens A noodle bowl is more than the vegetable in it. Wheat noodles, a sweetened broth and several other vegetable servings in one sitting add up to a heavy total even when each part is low on its own, so rice noodles and a clean broth do more for the meal than trimming the choy sum would.
• Heat changes nothing chemically Steaming, blanching, stir frying and freezing do not break FODMAPs down. Cooking choy sum longer or hotter does not make a bigger serving behave like a smaller one.

What else works

Choy sum is low at its tested serving, so the useful comparison is with the greens and lookalikes around it. Bok choy, baby spinach, green beans, zucchini, bell pepper and carrot are all low at their own tested servings and will stretch a plate of vegetables while the choy sum stays at 1 cup (75g), and each has its own tested amount rather than borrowing this one. The ingredients in the same dishes that are not low FODMAP swaps are onion of any colour, shallot, leek bulb, the white part of spring onion, garlic, mushroom, cauliflower and celery. Under the greens, rice noodles or gluten free noodles work where wheat noodles do not. For flavour, garlic infused oil with no solid pieces left in it, ginger, spring onion greens, leek leaves or a pinch of asafoetida all pull their weight.

How to keep it low

Choose bunches with firm, snappy stems, deep green leaves and tight yellow flower buds, since open, fading flowers are the sign the bunch has been sitting around. Store it unwashed in a loose bag in the crisper and use it within a few days, because the leaves go limp quickly. Trim the woody stem ends, split the thicker stalks lengthways so they cook at the same rate as the leaves, and wash well, as grit collects where the stems meet. Weigh out 1 cup (75g) of raw greens per person before cooking, which is the only reliable moment to judge the serving. Start the pan with garlic infused oil and sliced ginger, add the stems first and the leaves for the last thirty seconds, then finish with soy or tamari and a splash of water to steam. Ordering out, ask for the greens cooked without garlic and onion and the sauce served on the side.

Common questions

how much choy sum is low fodmap

1 cup (75g) is the tested serving and it comes in low. That is the only published amount for choy sum, so larger servings are untested rather than measured.

is choy sum the same as bok choy for fodmaps

They are both low at their own tested servings, but each has its own published figure and they are not interchangeable measurements. For choy sum the tested serving is 1 cup (75g).

can i eat choy sum on the elimination phase

Yes, at 1 cup (75g) choy sum is low with no raised subgroup recorded. The part to change during elimination is the sauce or stock, since most stir fry bases start with onion and garlic.

how do i get garlic flavour in a choy sum stir fry

Use garlic infused oil with no solid garlic pieces left in it, since fructans are water soluble and do not move into the oil. Ginger, spring onion greens and a pinch of asafoetida add depth alongside it.