Roasted Bok Choy

Here's another little-used veggie that I just happen to love. Sure, it's amazing in stir-fries, but it's also just as amazing all by itself as a vegetable side.

While there are many ways you could cook it, one of my favorites is to simply roast it with some garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes.

I'm all about the heat, but you could totally leave those out. It doesn't take long in the oven at all, and tastes divine!

Roasted Bok Choy also goes great with fish, chicken, or tofu or could be served over rice, cauliflower rice, or low-carb noodles as well.

Also, it's pretty commonplace to find this vegetable in just about every grocery now, so you don't even have to make a separate trip to a specialty grocery store to find it.

What is Bok Choy?

Bok choy kind of looks like a leafy celery, or maybe a less-pretty fennel, and it comes in several different varieties, but what IS it exactly?

Well, if you guessed it is a member of the cabbage family, you guessed correctly. Or, more specifically, it's a member of the Chinese cabbage family (Brassica rapa var. chinensis).
 

You might also see it referred to as pak choi or pok choi. It grows in a bunch like celery or romaine lettuce.

It has two common varieties, one that is white on the bottom with ruffly dark green tops, and one that's smaller and smoother, with oval-shaped leaves that are all green. The smaller version is usually known as baby bok choy.

Both types are a good source of vitamins A and C.

What does Bok Choy taste like?

Describing how food tastes is always hard for me, but I'll try my best. It tastes like a less pungent green cabbage to me, and can be slightly bitter when raw or undercooked. It's crunchy and juicy, like biting into raw celery.

How do you roast Bok Choy?

There are a million ways to roast Bok Choy I'm sure, but only one way for me!

What I do is to first preheat my oven to 450 degrees, and prepare a baking sheet by spraying with cooking spray.

Next, I mix together the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and red pepper flakes.,

I put the rinsed, dried, and cut bok choy on the roasting pan, and then pour the sauce over top of it. Pop the pan in the oven and roast for 7-10 minutes, or until the stems are just tender. If you have thicker pieces your bok choy will take longer to roast to your taste.

Finally, remove it from the oven and top with sesame seeds, and serve!

Main Dishes to Serve with Roasted Bok Choy

• Broiled Asian Chicken Thighs
• Grilled Asian Pork Tenderloin
• Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken
• Healthy Mongolian Beef
• Healthy Sesame Chicken

Tips & Tricks

• Double up the sauce and reserve half if you want to use the sauce to ladle over rice, noodles, or a protein (or all of the above). Add the half you reserved to a small saucepan over low heat, and let it reduce by about ¼ to thicken before pouring over your bok choy and other ingredients.
• To keep your vegetable tender-crisp, be careful not to overcook it. I have found that roasting it for just 7-10 minutes is plenty. More than that and you could have some soggy, mushy bok choy on your hands.
• Store roasted bok choy in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in the microwave. I do not recommend freezing.
• Purchase bok choy that is green, and whose leaves are firm. Skip over any that look wilted or have brown spots. If it gets any brown parts or wilted leaves while in your fridge, cut those out or discard those leaves first before cooking and eating.

How to clean bok choy?

Always wash the bok choy first, it can have dirt in the core or leaves. I do this by cutting it first and then soaking in a bowl of water, swishing around to release the dirt, then rinsing again. Or, if you are planning on keeping the leaves long, cut off the bottom and then rinse the leaves around in water and then rinse them. Either way, pat the leaves dry or spin off extra water in a salad spinner.

More recipes with bok choy

• Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry
• Sesame Salmon with Bok Choy
• Teriyaki Veggie Brown Rice Bowls