Bok Choy
Bok choy is a mild, tender Chinese cabbage with crisp white stalks and dark green leaves, a staple of stir-fries, soups, and braises across East and Southeast Asia.
How to buy
Choose heads with crisp, unblemished white stalks and vibrant, unwilted green leaves. Smaller 'baby bok choy' heads are more tender and often cooked whole, while larger heads are better sliced before cooking.
How to store
Store unwashed in a perforated bag in the fridge crisper, where it keeps for about a week; it wilts faster than hardier cabbages, so use it relatively soon after buying.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Mild, slightly sweet, and faintly mustardy, much gentler than many other cabbage-family vegetables; the stalks are sweeter and the leaves a touch more peppery.
- Texture
- The stalks are crisp and juicy, almost celery-like, while the leaves are tender and wilt quickly; stir-frying or steaming keeps the stalks crisp-tender if not overcooked.
- Aroma
- A mild, fresh, faintly cabbage-like smell, much less pungent than mature cabbage.
How to prepare
- Halved or quartered — Baby bok choy cooked whole, often braised or steamed for presentation.
- Sliced — Stalks and leaves separated and sliced for even cooking in stir-fries.
- Blanched — Briefly boiled to soften before adding to soups or noodle bowls.
- Braised — Simmered whole in broth until tender and infused with flavor.
Classic dishes
Chinese
- Stir-fried bok choy with garlic — A simple, fast side dish of bok choy wok-fried with garlic and a little oil.
- Bok choy with oyster sauce — Blanched or steamed bok choy drizzled with savory oyster sauce.
- Vegetable lo mein with bok choy — Egg noodles stir-fried with bok choy and other vegetables in a savory sauce.
- Shrimp and bok choy stir-fry — Shrimp cooked quickly with bok choy for a light, crisp-tender stir-fry.
- Buddha's delight with bok choy — A braised mix of vegetables and tofu where bok choy adds freshness.
- Dim sum steamed bok choy — Whole baby bok choy steamed and served simply alongside dim sum.
- Char siu plate with bok choy — Roasted barbecue pork served with a side of blanched or sautéed bok choy.
- Vegetable fried rice with bok choy — Chopped bok choy stirred into fried rice near the end of cooking.
Japanese
- Shoyu ramen with bok choy — Wilted bok choy is a common vegetable topping in soy-based ramen bowls.
- Udon soup with bok choy — Bok choy simmered briefly in dashi-based udon broth until tender.
- Shabu-shabu with bok choy — Thin bok choy leaves cooked tableside in simmering broth.
- Miso soup with bok choy — Sliced bok choy added to miso soup for body and mild sweetness.
Korean
- Doenjang jjigae with bok choy — A fermented soybean paste stew where bok choy adds body and mild bitterness.
- Bok choy kimchi — A quicker, less common kimchi style made with bok choy instead of napa cabbage.
Vietnamese
- Pho garnish with bok choy — Blanched bok choy sometimes served alongside or stirred into noodle soup.