Sautéed Bok Choy
青江菜 (Qing Jiang Cai)
Bok choy is a cruciferous vegetable, an East Asian member of the family Brassicaceae—humanity’s favorite easily domesticated leafy vegetable.[1] Archeological excavations in the Yellow River Valley indicate that bok choy may already have been domesticated 6,000 years ago. It is a staple vegetable in East Asian cooking, in Southern China in particular.[2] The traditional stir-fried preparation of bok choy requires a fair amount of oil. The method I prefer to use is a hybrid stir-fried and steamed method, which results in a lighter, healthier dish.
Ingredients
½ lb baby bok choy
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp vegetable oil
salt to taste
I prefer baby bok choy, which is sweeter and more tender than other varieties of bok choy, but this preparation works for most varieties. Separate the heads of bok choy into individual leaves and wash them, taking particular care near the base of the spoon-shaped leaf, which tends to collect dirt.
Mince the garlic, and heat a teaspoon of vegetable oil in a pan with a lid. Once the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and fry until fragrant, approximately 30 seconds. Don’t let the garlic burn, as burnt garlic can introduce an unpleasant astringency, which is particularly evident in a lightly flavored dish.
Add the leaves of bok choy, and stir briefly to coat them in the oil. Then, add about a tablespoon of water to the hot pan, and immediately cover with the lid. The small amount of water will flash nearly immediately to steam on contact with the hot pan, allowing us to cook the vegetables through without either a large amount of oil or a large volume of boiling water, both of which have unsavory side effects.
Keep the pan covered for 5-7 minutes, until the leaves begin to wilt. As with other cabbages, take care not to overcook the bok choy, which will turn it bitter.[3] The leaves should be soft but not mushy, with a slight crunch to them. When the leaves reach the desired texture, remove the lid, stir once again, and salt to taste.
Substitutions
This is a very simple vegetable preparation with a neutral flavor profile, meant to be served alongside other dishes as part of a meal. If you wish to jazz up this recipe, some interesting additions include minced ginger (cooked with the garlic), chili flakes, or sesame oil (stirred in at the end).
At Chinese restaurants, stir-fried vegetables often appear to have a glossy sheen. If you want to replicate this effect at home, prepare a cornstarch slurry and add it to the pan as the vegetables finish cooking. This turns the cooking liquid into a thick and glossy sauce of sorts.
This preparation works well with most leafy greens, though the cook time will have to be adjusted accordingly.
[1] Cruciferous vegetables include mustard, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, watercress, arugula, radish, and many others.
[2] Bok choy was predominately cultivated in Southern China, which is why the common Anglicization of the species is based on the Cantonese word for the plant.
[3] Like many cabbages, bok choy contains glucosinolates, compounds which taste bitter at high concentrations.
Recipe
Prep Time: 3 min Cook Time: 7 min Total Time: 10 min
Difficulty: 1/5
Heat Sources: 1 burner
Equipment: pan
Servings: 4
Ingredients
½ lb baby bok choy
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp vegetable oil
salt to taste
Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil comes up to temperature, add the minced garlic, and fry until fragrant, approximately 30 seconds.
2. Add the washed bok choy leaves to the pan, and stir. Add 1 tablespoon of water and cover the pan immediately, letting the bok choy steam until tender, approximately 6-8 minutes.
3. Remove the pan lid, stir, salt to taste, and serve.
