Baby Bok Choy with Sesame and Ginger

​Have you ever cooked with bok choy?  It's quite similar to celery and very delicious!  I think it's what makes home cooked Chinese food taste similar to dishes from a Chinese restaurant (better really!)

I prepared this recipe for an assignment of a school course in holistic nutrition. It was absolutely delicious!  I altered the recipe in a few ways; I only had 3 heads of bok choy, so I first stir-fried 8 oz. of mushrooms.  I substituted Bragg liquid aminos for the tamari, and white cooking wine for the mirin.  I omitted the brown rice vinegar, maple syrup and lime juice.  It shrunk up quite a bit after cooking.  I ate half of the recipe topped with a piece of salmon.  The leftovers were just as yummy topped with chicken breast!

This was a very nourishing experience!  Cooking Chinese food can be intimidating, but this was easy when I had all ingredients chopped before I began cooking.  I think it was the bok choy that helped it taste authentic.  I also learned that just a little sesame oil goes a long way for flavor.  The recipe gave me lots of ideas of various stir-frys I can invent with ingredients already found in my kitchen.

​Baby Bok Choy with Sesame and Ginger

(by Rebecca Katz)
Bok choy is Asian cabbage, a staple in Chinese cuisine. It’s also a cruciferous vegetable. That means it’s very, very, very good for you. Bok choy’s flavor is naturally pungent; the sesame and ginger in this recipe temper it beautifully.

• 4 to 6 heads baby bok choy (about 1 pound)
• 11/2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
• 11/2 tablespoons tamari
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• P inch of red pepper flakes
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 2 scallions, both white and green parts, sliced
• Squeeze of fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions:

• Trim the bases off the bok choy heads. Separate the bok choy into individual leaves and cut crosswise into bite‐size pieces, keeping the stems and leaves separate. 
• Combine the vinegar, tamari, mirin, maple syrup, and toasted sesame oil in a bowl, set aside. Stir‐frying is very fast, so have everything ready to go.
• Preheat a wok or sauté pan over high heat, add the sesame oil, and swirl to glaze the pan. Add the bok choy stems, red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, and scallions. Stir‐fry for 30 seconds.
• Add the sauce mixture and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. 
• Add the bok choy leaves and continue to cook another 30 seconds, until the bok choy is just wilted.
• Transfer the bok choy to a serving bowl, add a squeeze of lime, and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

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