BOK CHOY BASICS
In her weekly food column, Margaret Prouse writes about the uses of this versatile vegetable.
Bok choy is variously known as bok choi, celery mustard, Chinese chard, Chinese white cabbage, choy sum, pak choi and pak choy.
A vegetable with that many names must get around. Jacques L. Rolland, my favourite source of information about such things, says in “The Cook’s Essential Kitchen Dictionary” (Robert Rose Inc., Toronto, 2014) that it has been eaten in China for thousands of years, has been known in Europe since the 18th century and was brought to the U.S. by Chinese workers involved in the Gold Rush late in the 19th century.
Rolland doesn’t comment on when and how it arrived in Canada, but it is now known well enough in P.E.I. that the garden seeds are widely available and at least one Island nursery carried the plants this spring.
As a result, I have a row of healthy bok choy in my garden and am cooking them as many ways as possible before they bolt.
When I think of cooking bok choy, it’s stir-frying that I think of first. You can slice, stir-fry and serve it as is or add a few other vegetables and a tasty sauce, like Stefano Faita does in this recipe.
When stir-frying, remember that it’s essential to have all the ingredients prepared before you start cooking. Since the bok choy in our garden is beyond the “baby” size, I usually slice it crosswise rather than halve or quarter it lengthwise as you would baby bok choy.
Garlicky Stir-Fried Baby Bok Choy
From Faita, Stefano: “In the Kitchen with Stefano Faita”, Penguin Canada, Toronto, 2013.
30 mL (2 tbsp) vegetable oil
2 to 3 garlic cloves, sliced or chopped
8 baby bok choy, sliced in half or quartered
1 sweet red pepper, sliced
1 can (113 g/4 oz) baby corn, drained
15 mL (1 tbsp) soy sauce
15 mL (1 tbsp) oyster sauce
15 mL (1 tbsp) chicken stock
Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, add garlic. Stir-fry garlic until just tender, about 30 seconds. Add bok choy, red peppers, and baby corn; stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chicken stock; stir-fry until veggies are tender-crisp, about 1 minute more. Serve.
Makes 4 servings
I have also cooked bok choy under the broiler, and now, while barbecue chefs are enjoying their time in the sun, it can be grilled just as easily on a gas grill. Cut it in half lengthwise, or in quarters if it’s larger, toss it in a bit of seasoned oil if desired and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet for the oven or a greased grill tray for the barbecue. A little drizzle of peanut sauce spooned over the grilled bok choy is tasty, as is this Asian-inspired sauce by Jean Paré.
Citrus Bok Choy
From Paré, Jean: “Everyday Barbecuing”, Company’s Coming Publishing Limited, Edmonton, 2010.
30 mL (2 tbsp) lime juice
25 mL (1½ tbsp) fish (or soy) sauce
25 mL (1½ tbsp) granulated sugar
7 mL (1½ tsp) sesame oil
2 mL (½ tsp) chili paste (sambal oelek)
6 whole baby bok choy, halved lengthwise
Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl until sugar is dissolved. Reserve 30 mL (2 tbsp). Preheat barbecue to medium-high. Place bok choy on greased grill. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, brushing with remaining lime juice mixture, until tender-crisp. Transfer to serving plate.
Drizzle with reserved lime juice mixture.
Makes 12 bok choy halves.
Bok choy may also be steamed, either with a splash of water in a large pot such as a Dutch oven, or in a proper steamer.
It doesn’t take long to tenderize this leafy green by steaming (or other cooking methods), and I like it better when the leaves are just wilted and not overcooked. Serve it with a drizzle of sesame oil for added flavour and a sprinkle of sesame seeds for crunch or do as chef Michael Smith recommends, in his “Make Ahead Meals” book (Penguin Canada, Toronto, 2015) and add a garlicky tahini based dressing to make a hot salad.
Now’s the time, while there’s plenty of locally-grown bok choy in Island gardens, to try it as many ways as possible. It’s this week’s treat.