How to cook baby bok choy

Preparing baby bok choy

Baby bok choy can be eaten whole or cut into smaller portions. Start by adding them to a large bowl of cold water and plunge a few times to remove any excess dirt. You can also rinse under running water. Shake off excess moisture and thoroughly dry the exteriors.

It has a round tender white bulb on the bottom with long celery looking stalks and dark leafy greens on top. The entire vegetable is edible and can be enjoyed either raw or cooked.

Cut some baby bok choy in half and braise with a mixture of your favorite stock, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and red pepper flakes for an elegant side dish. Salads & Sandwiches. Use raw bok choy leaves in salads or on sandwiches. It has a sweet flavor and is a tasty addition to spinach or mixed green salads.

In a medium skillet, bring water to a boil. Add bok choy. Cover; simmer over medium-low heat until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover; cook over high heat until pan is dry, 2 to 4 minutes.

Remember, you can eat bok choy stalks raw with dip or chopped fresh for salads. Otherwise, depending on your recipe, you’ll want to cook it quickly so the stalks stay crisp and the leaves get tender. For stir-frying, add stalks first and green leaves a minute or two later, towards the end of cooking.

Slice your bok choy into 1-inch sections from the base all the way to the top of the leaves. For this technique, remove the leaves from the stem. Some remaining smaller leaves are OK, but be sure to cut off the biggies. Select a single stalk and make a lengthwise cut down the middle to make two halves.

Cooking It

Bok choy, known for its mild flavor, is good for stir-fries, braising, and soups. You can also eat it raw.

Adult bok choy is used in soups. So sometimes it’ll depend on the vegetable itself, you can get some that’re a bit more bitter. Next time, try blanching the Bok Choy first before frying. For now, you could try making a little ‘sauce’ of stock/water, sugar, and cornstarch.

Add the greens and a splash of soy sauce or water. Cook for another 2 minutes, covered, until the greens are wilted. If you’re using baby bok choy, the dish is finished if the stems are tender when pierced with a fork.

Bok choy has a mild, cabbage-like flavor. As with most dark leafy greens, the green part of bok choy has a slightly bitter mineral flavor. The white stalk is full of water and has a crunchy yet juicy texture. The flavor of bok choy also depends on when it’s harvested.

So yes, bok choy and baby bok choy are basically the same. The real difference is in the smaller leaves and even earlier harvest of these tender leaves. Because the leaves are small and tender, they have a sweeter flavor than that of full sized bok choy and can be used in place of other greens in salads.

Raw bok choy, like all cruciferous vegetables, contains an enzyme called myrosinase. Myrosinase can hinder thyroid function by preventing the body from absorbing iodine. Cooking deactivates it. Eating raw bok choy in moderate amounts does not pose a hazard.

It offers a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, as well antioxidants and fiber that are good for your health. In fact, bok choy may be beneficial for heart health, bone health, and thyroid function. It may even have anticancer properties.

Bok Choy

Most anti–inflammatory foods contain antioxidants and bok choy has a special antioxidant called indole-3-carbinole. Research has shown that I3C operates on a genetic level to help prevent inflammatory responses at early stages of disease.

Bok choy has 62% less calories than broccoli. Bok choy has more beta-carotene than broccoli, however, broccoli contains more alpha-carotene and lutein + zeaxanthin than bok choy. Bok choy is an excellent source of Vitamin A. Broccoli is a great source of Vitamin K and dietary fiber.

Cruciferous Vegetables

Broccoli and cauliflower have glucosinolates, which help the liver produce detoxifying enzymes. Leafy vegetables, such as kale, bok choy and arugula, can get rid of toxins out of the blood stream and neutralize heavy metals – helping to protect the liver.

Cruciferous vegetables

“Sulphur-containing vegetables including broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower are extremely gassy and are common culprits of bloating,” Bingley-Pullin said. Other cruciferous veggies include rocket, radish, wasabi and bok choy.

Berries. Many dark berries, such as blueberries, raspberries, and cranberries, contain antioxidants called polyphenols, which may help protect the liver from damage. As a study in the World Journal of Gastroenterology suggests, regularly eating berries may also help stimulate the immune system.

Bok choy is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), potassium, folate, vitamin B6, calcium and manganese.