- Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add celery and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- In a frying pan, cover bite-size pieces of celery with water, cover the pan with a lid, and let steam on medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
- Saute celery in cooking oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.
Boiling
Rinse off the celery and chop it into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces. Give the celery stalks a quick rinse to remove any dirt and debris, then place them on a cutting board and pat them dry. Use a sharp knife to chop off the tops and the roots of the stalks. Discard those, and chop the remaining stalks into roughly bite-size pieces. You don’t have to pat the celery dry, but it can prevent your hand from slipping accidentally, which can result in injury. If your celery has any leaves on the stalks, remove those.
Put the celery in a medium saucepan and cover it with water. Transfer the chopped celery to a saucepan and add just enough water to cover the pieces completely. Try to arrange the pieces in a single layer, but it’s okay if they overlap a little, as long as they’re fully submerged in water.
Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Set the saucepan on a stove burner and turn the heat to high. Let the water come to a rolling boil, which will probably take 5-10 minutes, depending on how much water you’re boiling. You'll know the water is at a rolling boil when you can stir it and it doesn't stop bubbling.
Lower the heat and simmer the celery for 10-15 minutes. After you turn down the heat, cover the saucepan with a lid. Let the celery simmer in the water until it becomes tender, which usually takes 10-15 minutes.
Drain the celery and serve it immediately. Remove the pan from the heat. Place a colander in your sink and pour the contents of the saucepan into it. Allow the water to drain completely. Then, season the celery with your favorite spices and serve it warm. Salt, pepper, butter, and a little sugar are popular options, but you can use any spices you like! Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container and consume them within 3-5 days.
Steaming
Wash off the celery stalks and cut them into bite-size pieces. Run the celery stalks under your faucet to remove any lingering debris. Then, put the celery on a cutting board and pat the stalks dry with a paper towel. Chop off the tops and the roots of the stalks with a knife. Then, cut the stalks into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces. It’s best to remove any leaves that are on the celery stalks, but you don’t have to—they’re edible!
Add the celery to a frying pan and cover them with water. Transfer the celery pieces to a medium-sized frying pan in a single layer. Add just enough water to cover the pieces completely. For additional flavor, you can use vegetable or chicken stock instead of water.
Turn the burner to medium and steam the celery for 5-10 minutes. Place the frying pan on a stove burner and put a lid on the pan to cover the celery. Turn the heat to medium and steam the celery until it softens.
Strain the steamed celery before serving it. Place a colander in your sink. Remove the pan from the heat, take off the lid, and pour the contents into the colander so the water can drain away. Then, season the celery with your favorite spices and enjoy. Put your leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate them. Be sure to enjoy the leftovers within 3-5 days.
Sautéing
Rinse off the celery and cut the stalks into thin matchsticks. Run water over the celery to get rid of any dirt on the stalks. Put the celery on a cutting board and chop off the tops and roots. Julienne the stalks so that you end up with thin, matchstick-size strips. Celery is a root vegetable, meaning it grows in the ground, so definitely rinse the stalks off thoroughly before cooking them! Matchsticks work better for sautéing than bite-size pieces because they cook quicker and more evenly.
Heat a skillet or frying pan over high heat. Before you add anything to the skillet, go ahead and let it heat up on your stove’s burner. Turn the heat to high and let the skillet get hot. It’s ready when you can flick a droplet of water into the pan and it evaporates right away.
Add 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. You don’t have to use exactly this amount of oil--just make sure the bottom of the skillet is completely covered in a thin layer of oil. Heat the oil over high heat until it starts to shimmer. You can also use peanut or canola oil instead of vegetable oil for this. Any oil with a high smoke point will work great!
Sauté the celery pieces for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the matchsticks to the hot oil carefully. Let them saute for several minutes, stirring a few times to prevent sticking and to ensure the pieces cook through evenly. Remove the skillet from the heat when the celery becomes tender-crisp. You want the celery to be softened, but not so tender that it becomes floppy. If you want a little more flavor, add 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) of soy sauce to the skillet while you saute.
Season the sautéed celery however you’d like and serve it. Sautéed celery tastes best when freshly cooked or at room temperature, so season it with your favorite spices and try to get it on the table quickly so that it doesn’t get cold. You can enjoy the celery on its own or alongside your favorite stir-fried veggies and meats. You can season the celery with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, or any other spices that you enjoy! You can also serve your stir-fry over brown rice or with whole wheat pita bread for a more filling meal. Keep leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container and eat them within 3-5 days.
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