Once I’ve received an urge for flash fried greens, sizzling and smoky from the wok, I make this. My bok choy stir fry is pungent and umami, like a stir fry from a hawker centre in Singapore. Get these rice bowls prepared! It by no means takes me greater than quarter-hour from begin to end.
I made this bok choy stir fry on a day I used to be feeling notably nostalgic for the meals I used eat in Singapore. Again within the day, I’d order a bowl of laksa from one vendor, chili crab from one other – after which beeline it to a 3rd vendor who specialised in stir frying greens like kankung and bok choy. Once I’d order the bok choy, I cherished the way it managed to be seared and smoky, whereas nonetheless retaining a pliant crunch. And the peppery, aromatic shrimp paste would ship me into sensory overdrive. It blew my thoughts that it took them 3 minutes tops to wok fry greens with a lot taste and texture.
I craved it so typically, it drove me to determine how make it myself at residence. Since I already use bok choy in the whole lot from noodle soups to Chinese language shrimp chow mein, I knew that I most popular crisp child bok choy to the total sized variant. However what I discovered from this recipe is that cooking bok choy shortly on tremendous excessive warmth preserves the crunch whereas nonetheless delivering the wok hei (or smoky wok breath) I anticipate from stir fries.
Elements
Scroll to the underside of this web page for the total recipe steps and measurements.
- Bok Choy: I desire child bok choy. It’s just a little extra tender than the total grown selection. However each completely work for this recipe. I simply purchase no matter appears freshest on the market that day.
- Cooking Oil: Only a tablespoon of any impartial cooking oil. Grapeseed is my go to.
- Garlic: 2 cloves, finely minced.
- Shrimp Paste: I exploit Vietnamese or Thai shrimp paste for this recipe. It’s full on funky, salty and pungent. Truthful warning, cooking with these items undoubtedly makes my kitchen odor wonderful for a day. A much less pungent, however completely effective, various is granulated (powdered) rooster or vegetable inventory.
- MSG: That is the stuff eating places and meals producers use to make issues style unbelievably savory and umami. Whereas powdered msg is non-obligatory, I all the time use it for this bok choy stir fry. It’s the final word completion.
- Sesame Oil: I add a teaspoon of sesame oil proper on the finish (after the warmth is off) for toasted nuttiness.
- Salt and Pepper: To style.
How To Make It
- Preheat a wok or deep frying pan. Excessive warmth all the way in which.
- Stir fry the bok choy. Add cooking oil and stir fry bok choy for two minutes. Toss often.
- Season and serve. Add the sesame oil final, after the warmth is off. Serve instantly.
Skilled Suggestions
Prepare dinner shortly on excessive warmth. The important thing to nailing the proper texture of the bok choy is to get the pan HOT earlier than including the veggies. The ripping warmth shortly sears the surface of the fragile bok choy – whereas the precise construction of the veggie stays intact, preserving the crisp but pliant crunch. Stir frying on excessive warmth additionally permits me to make use of little or no cooking oil.
Completely clear the bok choy. I’ve bought bok choy from markets that appeared nice after a fast rinse. However once I’d slice into it, I’d discover grit between the stalks. A very good answer is to soak notably gritty bok choy in a bowl of ice chilly water, and agitate it a couple of occasions. Many of the grit ought to sink to the underside of the bowl. Afterwards, I gently pat the bok choy mostly-dry with paper towels or a kitchen towel.
Recipe Variations
Listed here are a couple of plug-and-play choices.
- Make it spicy. Choices embrace a drizzle of home made chili oil, sambal oelek or Japanese rayu.
- Go vegan. Merely omit the shrimp paste. Use powdered vegetable inventory as a substitute for a totally plant primarily based stir fry.
What I Serve With Bok Choy Stir Fry
That is the final word when served with a easy facet of steamed jasmine rice or fluffy Japanese rice. Generally that’s all I’m craving. However I additionally wish to serve bok choy as a facet dish to a bigger meal. Listed here are a couple of of my family favorites.
And these are a few of my high Asian vegetable recipes: Szechuan potatoes with vinegar and chili, bok choy with garlic and oyster sauce, stir fried eggplant with seitan, miso glazed eggplant, Chinese language inexperienced beans with garlic sauce
Storage and Reheating
My bok choy stir fry tastes finest sizzling and recent out of the pan. Leftovers can be saved within the fridge for as much as 2 days. However leftover bok choy is more likely to get limp and watery.
Reheat within the microwave. If the flavour has dulled within the fridge, I add a little bit of salt and pepper and a pair drops of sesame oil.
Don’t freeze leftovers.
Often Requested Questions
The warmth could not have been excessive sufficient. The hot button is to cook dinner shortly on very excessive warmth. That means the bok choy cooks whereas nonetheless retaining a young crunch. Cooking for longer on decrease warmth leads to steamed bok choy that loses its texture.
I wouldn’t. The reason being that garlic burns shortly. And this recipe is made with the stovetop burners set to excessive. For that motive, I add the bok choy first – after which add the shrimp paste and garlic for a couple of closing tosses within the wok. The garlic cooks completely and perfumes the whole dish, however doesn’t burn within the course of.
You’ll want to enable the pan to sit down there warmth up earlier than cooking. At my place (with my induction stovetop), that may take some time. At this level, I principally use the pressure (I simply know). However a great way to inform if it’s is sizzling sufficient is to position a drop of water within the pan. If the droplet sizzles and dances round, it’s in all probability sizzling sufficient.
Did you want this recipe? Are there modifications you made that you just wish to share? Share your ideas and suggestions within the feedback part under!
Fast Bok Choy Stir Fry
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Prepare dinner Time: 5 minutes
Whole Time: quarter-hour
Yield: 2 servings 1x
Class: Stir fry
Technique: Stir fry
Delicacies: Chinese language
Eating regimen: Vegetarian
Description
My bok choy stir fry is pungent and umami. Flash fried greens, sizzling and smoky from the wok in simply quarter-hour from begin to end.
Elements
Models
Scale
Directions
- Common or massive bok choy: Slice off the bottom and separate the leaves. Rinse totally to take away any grime. If the leaves are large, chop them into 2 ½-inch items. Child bok choy: Slice child bok choy in half, lengthwise and clear totally to take away any grime. If the leaves are lengthy, chop them into 2 ½-inch items.
- Heat up the wok: Place a wok or a nonstick deep skillet over excessive warmth. When the wok is sizzling, add the oil and swirl it round to coat the floor.
- Stir fry the bok choy: Add the bok choy and stir fry for two minutes.
- Season the bok choy: Add the garlic, msg, and shrimp paste, and toss a couple of occasions.
- End off the dish with sesame oil, salt and pepper: Flip the warmth off and drizzle the toasted sesame oil over the bok choy. Season with salt and pepper and serve instantly.
Notes
My bok choy stir fry tastes finest sizzling and recent out of the pan. Leftovers might be saved within the fridge for as much as 2 days. However leftover bok choy is more likely to get slightly limp and watery.
Diet
- Serving Dimension: 1 serving
- Energy: 125
- Sugar: 3.2g
- Sodium: 65.9mg
- Fats: 9.5g
- Saturated Fats: 6g
- Unsaturated Fats: 1.2g
- Trans Fats: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 8.3g
- Fiber: 2.8g
- Protein: 3.1g
- Ldl cholesterol: 0.8mg
