1. Make sure there is enough water when blanching the vegetables.

When blanching or boiling leafy greens, the cooking time is crucial; overcooking can destroy vitamins. As long as there's enough water, not too many nutrients will be lost. How much water is enough? At least five times the volume of the vegetables being blanched.

2. Oil cabbage

It is recommended to dry-fry the vegetables in the wok first to dehydrate them and reduce their volume. Once the vegetables are cooked, turn off the heat before adding oil and mixing well. Because the amount of oil used is small and only coats the surface of the vegetables, the actual amount of oil we consume is minimal. Furthermore, since the oil is added after the heat is off, regardless of the type of oil used (saturated or unsaturated), there are no issues with oil fumes, oxidation, or acidification, ensuring the health of the oil.

3. Stir-frying instead of blanching

Oil-soluble vitamins in vegetables, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K, require oil to be released. While blanching vegetables reduces calories, it also causes a significant loss of vitamins and nutritional value.

It is recommended to sauté the vegetables in a small amount of oil (about one teaspoon) first, then add water to cook them, or simmer them until cooked through. If the vegetables are easy to absorb oil, such as eggplant or wood ear mushrooms, you can blanch them first before mixing them with oil, which can significantly reduce calorie intake.

If you're worried about the oil drying out too quickly, you can mix 2-3 tablespoons of water with a teaspoon of oil and heat it to sauté the vegetables. This will retain 70-80% of the aroma, but you'll need about two-thirds less oil. After blanching, you can put the vegetables in ice water to help remove their spiciness and bitterness.

4. Steaming/boiling method

Here's another little trick: first, drizzle a little oil and stir-fry the vegetable stems until fragrant, then add the leaves, water, and cover to steam. Steaming is just as refreshing and not greasy, and it retains more nutrients than blanching. This recipe also includes steaming and microwaving methods for vegetables. Try these methods for your next dinner; they're still low-calorie and delicious vegetable dishes.