Irene Kuo's Stir-Fried Celery in Meat Sauce

I never met a vegetable I didn't like. Zucchini, with its sweet, creamy flesh; swiss chard, thick and papery to start, then soulfully silky to finish; kohlrabi, with its refreshing, vegetal snap; eggplant, spongy in one moment, melting the next. Green beans and Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoletti, artichokes and spinach - I love them all, truly madly deeply.

But there is one little exception to the rule that I must confess doesn't exactly knock my socks off. In fact, I usually find it downright disappointing. Perhaps because my first encounters with it were when it appeared, chopped up fine, in alarmingly mushy tuna-fish sandwiches (the filling mashed down wetly into a hot dog bun, of all things), or as a stubby little vehicle for palate-gumming peanut butter at my elementary school cafeteria. When I learned to cook, the only time I ever came in contact with celery was in the base for meat sauce and I quickly learned that leaving it out rarely, if ever, harmed the sauce at all.

There's just something so strange and awkward about celery, isn't there? Its stalks flail about like a gangly boy's legs. I never seem able to finish a bunch of it before it goes all limp and wobbly in the fridge. And the taste, well, it's never been something I've craved. But after the spate of baking I did over the past few weeks and a run of days in which turkey, stuffing and more turkey featured largely in our daily meals, I took one look at my recipe clippings last night and plucked this one straight from the top.

If anyone could get me to like celery well enough to make it my entire meal, I figured, the Chinese could.

First, I had to wrestle my way through the thicket of celery lying on my counter. And you know what I found out? Peeling celery, folks, must be right up there with training fleas as one of the jobs I'd least like to have on this Earth. But I soldiered through, convinced that celery nirvana awaited me on the other side of that swiftly growing pile of slimy, stringy peels lying in my sink.

A quick plunge into the hot, oily depths of my frying pan softened up the celery before it got tossed with a smashed garlic clove, a smattering of minced ginger, ground pork, and the pungent combination of chili sauce and soy sauce (my nostrils are still smarting). I gave the pan a good toss (there is something so satisfying about lifting a pan off the stove and shaking it so hard that everything flies up in the air and neatly falls back down again, just where it should, isn't there?) and then put the lid on to steam the celery into submission. White rice cooked away, plainly, on the stove.

As I waited for the celery to finish, I stood back and contemplated my apartment. It smelled like a Chinese restaurant. That in theory is better than in real life, truth be told. A few minutes later, I turned off the heat and stirred toasted sesame oil into the panful of pork and celery, fragrant and spicy. Then I stabbed around in the pan with a fork and brought a forkful to my lips.

And holy God, was it ever salty. And spicy. But mostly salty. And actually a whole lot spicy. Salty, spicy, salty, spicy, help, help, help - oh wait, what about that white rice? Man, it was like a cooling balm, that good white starch. The first bowl I ate had me mostly in pain with all that spice and salt. But then I found myself hankering after a second bowl, which was tastier and calmer than the first. I have a feeling this stuff will really shine tomorrow, after an overnight rest. The celery was muted, tamed - its stringiness gone, but its assertive crunch still there and its bold, grassy flavor tempered by all that heat, oil, and salt.

I'm still not sure I'll ever really love celery, but this brought me a whole lot closer to liking it.

Stir-Fried Celery in Meat Sauce
Serves 3 to 4

1 large bunch celery
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons sriracha or other hot chili sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ cup canola or peanut oil
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large clove garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
2 teaspoons minced ginger
¼ pound ground pork
½ cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Using a peeler, remove the strings from the outer layer of the celery stalks. Trim the leaves, then slice the stalks into ¼ -by-1 ½ -inch sticks. (You should have about 4 cups.)

2. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, chili sauce, sherry and sugar.

3. Heat a wok or a large, heavy skillet fitted with a lid over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the celery and stir a few times; then add the salt and cook for 1 minute. Transfer the celery to a dish; clean and dry the wok.

4. Reheat the pan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. After about 30 seconds, add the garlic clove, flipping a few times; then add the ginger and the pork, stirring to break up the lumps. Stir in the soy-sauce mixture. Return the celery to the pan and toss. Add the chicken stock, cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Steam to reduce the liquid, about 2 minutes.

5. Remove the lid, increase the heat to high and stir until the liquid has evaporated. Add the sesame oil and toss well. Discard the garlic clove.

Comments

[Shauna]

Hmm! Celery, who knew?

I too have been on a bit of a carb bender, during main meals in addition to my usual dessert indulgence...ugh. For me, protein/veggie meals have been the answer the past couple days. Thanks for an idea beyond my usual greens and chicken or spaghetti squash with meat sauce crutch!

[Lydia]

I love that the Chinese stir-fry vegetables we never think to cook, like celery and lettuce. Wonder why this was so salty? Maybe try it with low-sodium soy? Homemade (salt-free) chicken stock? And hot -- well, 2 TBsp of hot chili sauce for this amount of celery is quite a lot -- I think I'd like that!

[Christine]

I'm not a huge fan of cooked celery either (except in soups)...But salty and spicy are some of my favorite tastes. Maybe I'll do this up with some fresh string beans. If I do, I'll let you know how it goes.

We made the apple cranberry cake a bit before Thanksgiving. And hoo boy did we love it.

[nemoDreamer]

Celery does have quite an overwhelming taste. I really like it, but it's true it needs outside help to tone it down :)
I've just discovered you blog, and I LOVE the way you write... I'll be coming back, at a meal-by-meal rhythm ;)

[Belinda]

Hi Luisa - I am new to your blog and have really enjoyed reading about your culinary adventures the last couple of days. I love stir-fried celery and wanted to offer a suggestion. If you ever want to try this dish again, try using Chinese celery. You can get it at any chinese grocery store. The stalks are thinner and more tender (no peeling necessary) and it has a stronger celery flavor. It's one of my favorites. Thanks again for the great write-ups!

[EB]

I personally came to love celery only recently. For some reason I can't find flat leaf parsley lately and celery tops seem to work pretty well as a substitute. You'll have to let us know how it tasted the second day!

[Tammy]

I always prefer celery root to actual celery. BUT, I do a Cambodian stir-fry of beef, celery, garlic, and tomatoes with fish sauce that is SOOOO good (and not spicy), I can't bring myself to swear off celery forever.

[danny]

Just want to echo what Belinda said above, Chinese celery is the type of celery that is used in most Chinese homes for stir fry. It is more pungent and carries a stronger flavor that holds up well during a stir fry. You also do not have to worry about the stringiness factor either.

[Julie]

I'm actually pretty fond of celery, although I too find that if I don't have it in the house, it's okay; it's not really a deal-breaker for most dishes. But I really love it in Chinese-style stir-fries.

Another amazing use for it was a side dish I had at Prune late last winter -- braised celery in a meaty ragu bolognese. It was outstanding -- who knew? I haven't tried to re-create that one, but your dish sounds a bit like the Asian version...

[Luisa]

Lydia - I did use low-sodium soy sauce. I actually think the dish doesn't really need that 1 teaspoon of added salt. Celery is one of those weird vegetables that actually already tastes salty as it is. Don't you think?

Christine - green beans in this sauce sound great! Something is nagging in my mind that Fuchsia Dunlop has a similar dish in her Sichuan cookbook. Glad you liked Teddie's cake!

NemoDreamer - thank you! I'm glad you've found it.

Belinda - thank you for the suggestion, I'll keep that in mind.

EB - I had the rest for lunch today, and hoooo boy was it salty. Even more so than last night. So for God's sake, if you make this, leave out the added salt, or lessen it considerably!

Tammy - that sounds delicious. Have you blogged about? I really like Cambodian food, but have never cooked it myself.

Danny - I suppose Irene Kuo or the NYT just figured telling people to peel their celery would be easier than telling them to go to Chinatown or something...?

Julie - it's funny, I actually have two Italian braised celery recipe clippings around here somewhere - I was going to throw them out after this post, but I think I'll hold on to them a little longer... Oh, Prune - that place is magical.

[shauna]

Luisa, you amaze me, again. I love this sentence most:

"Its stalks flail about like a gangly boy's legs."

Oh yes.

I have never thought of it until you wrote it. Celery does have its own faint saltiness. See? You keep teaching me.

[Bobbie]

Actually, as I recall, celery contains a lot of sodium -- I never thought of it as tasting salty, so this was a surprise to me, but maybe it's contributed to the extra-saltiness of your dish. At any rate, I definitely wouldn't add extra salt to a dish that includes soy sauce....

Wow. Celery as a primary ingredient, as opposed to a flavor basic (like in last night's soup, which started with sauteed onions, garlic, celery, carrots, & red peppers). Who'd a thunk?

[Caroline]

Girl, you are singing my song! I am so disappointed and upset with celery I can't stand it. I ALWAYS leave it out and find myself saying "who put it in anyway?"

I have a huge stalk of it in my fridge from my weekly produce delivery and I don't like to waste so i just keep LOOKING at it. This recipe and post might.... just might... get me to give it fighting chance.

[Luisa]

Shauna - thank you, friend. :)

Bobbie - it actually doesn't surprise me that celery is high in sodium, at least flavorwise.

Caroline - you know, after eating this dish two days in a row, I'm still not convinced that celery is really worth the trouble ;) make this dish with green beans and throw that crazy stalk of celery in your fridge out (it'll decompose and add wonderful minerals to the soil - no waste! :)

[ann]

I'm with Julie, I'm actually quite fond of celery as well. Not sure why... I just find it compellingly comforting, if that makes any sense. I like the flavor, and love the aroma, and the crunchiness is great too.
Where's this recipe from? I recently saw a book by Irene Kuo but didn't pick it up for lord knows what reason.
Whomever suggested Chinese celery above is right on. It's really delicious stuff, slightly less awkward than our American stalks.

[Mercedes]

Ha, I love your sentiments about celery. Because I lived in the Middle East for years, where celery is virtually unavailable, I always considered it to be a rather disposable vegetable. This shocked my mother, who is a celery fanatic (as many Southerners are), and always keeps it around for snacking. The one thing she tauight me is that celery has to be really fresh to be good. (there's even an Amish celery farm in Pennsylvania) I have slowly come to appreciate the vegetable, for mirepoix and in cornbread stuffing, but like you I'll never love it.

[Meg]

Weird that the recipe suggested salt and soy sauce. I'm only, what, the 40-somethingth person to say it, but celery is, indeed, a rather strange vegetable. I'm pretty okay with it in a soffrito/battuto, but recipes tht require peeling it... meh. Tedious. Still, with the extra notes about chinese celery, the recipe looks great, vegetal with a meaty taste and spicy.

[piccola]

I'm not generally a celery fan, but I love it as a simple salad: thinly sliced on the diagonal, tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and chopped parsley. Maybe even some shaved parmesan.

Granted, it's not quite seasonal, but I love it as a side dish for heavy holiday meals.

[deb]

Can't believe I forgot to comment on this! Every time I look at the top picture, I start craving Grand Sichuan's Chicken with Cashews. It has chunks of water chestnuts and lightly sauteed celery in it, and I'm marginally obsessed with it. Before that, I didn't think I'd ever like cooked celery outside a sauce or soup stock, now I can't get enough.

If I remember correctly, French Laundry at Home had a similar celery breakthrough when she made a recipe that involved peeling it.

[Hillary]

Very interesting concept! I never would have thought to stir fry celery....

[Anne]

Great find, Luisa. Such an original and tasty concept. I can clearly imagine how tedious peeling celery must be. I'll bet it's even more annoying to peel than broccolini stalks.

[wheatlessbay]

Some thoughts on the saltiness: I think that the ratio of stir-fry-to-rice in a meal is often different in Asia than in North America, and so what seems like a lot of saltiness on the plate wouldn't be if there was more rice and less meat-and-veg. Also, Chinese meals are often finished with a thin soup, in other words, a drink to quench your thirst. Most importantly, every culture has a different taste for salt. Electricity only came to my hometown a few decades before I was born, and there is still a great appreciation for salt back there (and stroke rates to match in the population), where many people grew up before modern refrigeration. I think these sorts of things can be a problem when translating food across cultures.

[Nora]

Luisa,
This is a terrific dish! I never thought of using celery as one of the main flavours. Celery seems to something I throw in to enhance the overall flavour of food, so with this dish celery finally gets to be the main player ;-)

I love you blog! I just discovered your blog recently when I made the Ukrainian honey cake from the Home Baking book (by Alford and Duguid) and was looking around to see if anyone had posted about it before. I think i might still post about it because I made a few mistakes so it was quite funny. When I post it, I will link my post back to your cake because your crumb was perfect.

Take care,
Nora

[Laura]

A million days behind in commenting, but as I was perusing the lovely pictures, this one jumped out. I had an almost identical version while living in Hong Kong, except it added whole fried cashews. Crunchy (celery) + crunchy (cashews) + crunchy (ok, crispy edged meat) = delicious! Thanks, as the song goes, for the memories...

[Honeybee]

I adore celery and printed this recipe out when you first wrote about it. I finally made it last night and loved it! I reduced the quantities of soy sauce and chili sauce a little bit and it was perfect.