Bok Choy Recipe

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photo of Bok Choy (learn about bok choy) – so vibrant and tender!

I’m going to tell you to do something that is totally contrary to many Asian cookbooks out there. And yeah, it also flips my motto, “Hot Wokky, No Stickky” on its head.

Okay, ready?

Cold Wokky, Very Garlickky.

The problem with using a very hot wok or frying pan to stir fry with minced garlic and ginger is that you’ll probably burn it. Burnt garlic and ginger is big time suckky. When I’m stir-frying vegetables, like bok choy, I add the minced garlic and ginger to COLD oil and COLD wok or pan. As the wok and oil heat up, the ginger and garlic gently sizzles. The longer the aromatics stay in contact with the oil – the more flavor it infuses into the oil. So, now you’ve got a tablespoon of that an incredible garlicky, gingery oil. Toss the bok choy leaves in that oil, so that each leaf of the bok choy is bathed in heavenly flavor.

If you had used a hot wok and hot oil, you only get a few seconds before they burn. What does burnt garlic and ginger taste like?

Bitter.

Bitter can be good sometimes – I LOVE bitter. But when you’re going for a more delicate flavor, especially in a bok choy dish, you might not want bitter.

Now, I do want to say that the rules for cooking meat in a pan or wok are different – (that’s another lesson that I’ve written extensively about at Simply Recipes.)

Young grasshoppa, let me show you the way.

How to cook bok choy

Start by trimming the bok choy stem off – don’t trim too much – just the end. Cutting the thick stem off will ensure that the bok choy cooks evenly. Separate out the bok choy leaves and rinse under running water.

But leave the tender baby that’s in the middle of each bok choy! That’s the golden nugget! Finely mince garlic and grate fresh ginger with a microplane grater. Grating the ginger helps break up the tough fibers! (and yeah, sometimes when the ginger is nice and fresh, I don’t even bother peeling off the paper-thin skin)

Place wok or frying pan on your stove and pour in the cooking oil. Add the garlic and ginger. Turn the heat to medium-high. Let the ginger and garlic gently sizzle in the oil. When the aromatics become fragrant and light golden brown, add the bok choy leaves. Toss to coat each leaf with the garlicky, gingery oil.

I really mean it! Toss, baby, toss! Stir! Faster! You only have like 15 seconds of tossing time! I am super wok-stirring queen!

Pour in broth, water or wine over the bok choy. Immediately cover and let cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and drizzle a bit of sesame oil on top.

That’s it! I hope you try this method – it works for any type of vegetable, like Napa cabbage or broccoli. For thicker vegetables (like broccoli), increase the steaming time by another minute and maybe add a bit more water/broth.

Oh yeah, why tongs instead of a standard wok chan (spatula)? Because it’s easier to use the tongs to toss, flip and turn when dealing with delicate vegetables.

Other Chinese Vegetable Recipes

Chinese Spinach (Yu Choy) Recipe with Toasted Garlic (ooooh….a blast into the past! One of my very very first posts ever! look at the photography! heehee!)

Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (another vintage Steamy Kitchen!)