Choy Sum

Why choy sum is rated low

Choy sum is low at any typical portion, with no FODMAP group building to a meaningful level, which makes this tender Asian green a straightforward one to cook with. A normal helping in a stir fry, a noodle bowl or a soup needs no weighing. 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

• Portion is not the issue Choy sum is low at any typical portion, so the amount of greens on the plate is not the thing to manage. The rest of the dish is where the FODMAP load comes 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 a big bunch. That matters less for the greens themselves than for judging how much of the sauce they have soaked up.
• 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 onion and garlic.
• 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. Choy sum is as low cooked as it is raw, so the ingredients cooked with it are what decide the dish.

What else works

Choy sum is low at any typical portion, so the useful comparison is with the greens and lookalikes around it. Bok choy, baby spinach, green beans, zucchini and carrot are all low at a normal serve and will stretch a plate of vegetables, though each has its own low serve 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 and mushroom. 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. There is no need to weigh the greens, since any typical portion is low. 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

Choy sum is low at any typical portion, so a normal helping needs no weighing. The sauce or stock it is cooked in is the part to check.

is choy sum the same as bok choy for fodmaps

Both are useful low FODMAP greens, but they are not interchangeable measurements. Choy sum is low at any typical portion, while bok choy has a set low serve and climbs at larger portions.

can i eat choy sum on the elimination phase

Yes, choy sum is low at any typical portion. 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 the FODMAPs in garlic are water soluble and do not move into the oil. Ginger, spring onion greens and a pinch of asafoetida add depth alongside it.