The term “smothering or smothered” is the nearest Fuschia can get to the describing the cooking method known in Chinese as ‘men’. The Chinese character for men consists of the sign for fire next to the sign that means stuffy, stifling or tightly covered. A smothered dish is one that is first cooked in an open wok, then covered with a lid which traps both heat and steam and allows the dish to continue cooking slowly until done. Fuschia says that it is a good way of cooking tougher greens such as rainbow chard, Swiss chard, kale and cavolo nero.

YOU WILL NEED 225g rainbow chard which you will find at a farmers’ market 2-3 tbsp cooking oil 2-3 garlic cloves peeled and sliced Salt.

METHOD Trim the chard leaves and cut both leaves and stems into ‘chopstickable’ lengths. Wash them well and shake dry in a colander.

Pour the oil into a seasoned wok over a high flame, swirl it around then add the garlic and sizzle for a few moments until fragrant but still white.

Add the chard and stir-fry until the leaves are wilting, then season with salt to taste, cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat for five to ten minutes, until even the stems are tender. n Stir them once or twice to make sure they don’t brown and add an extra tablespoon or so of hot water, if needed to prevent catching.

n Serve as a side dish.