Stir-fried Bok Choy

Name: Stir-fried Bok Choy
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 lb bok choy (stems and leaves separated, stems sliced on the bias); 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil; 3 clove garlic (sliced); 1 tbsp ginger (julienned); 2 tbsp water (for the covered steam); 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp sesame oil (toasted, off the heat); ¼ tsp salt

Vegetables & Salads · East Asian

8 ingredients · 15 minutes · 4 servings

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77kcal2.2g protein6.5g fat3.7g carbs~$0.65/ serving*

Contains sesame, soy · usually contains gluten · only in an optional ingredient: shellfish

Restrictions

Containssesame · soyIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.

Usually containsgluten (soy sauce → Tamari)The usual version has it. One without it exists — it is the one named here.

Only if you add itshellfish (oyster sauce)Leave that ingredient out and the dish does not have it.

Diets

Vegetarian · without oneVegan · without onePescatarianNo porkNo alcohol · without one

Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.

Ingredients

Servings:

1 lb	bok choy (stems and leaves separated, stems sliced on the bias)
1 ½ tbsp	vegetable oil
3 clove	garlic (sliced)
1 tbsp	ginger (julienned)
2 tbsp	water (for the covered steam)
1 tbsp	soy sauce
1 tsp	sesame oil (toasted, off the heat)
¼ tsp	salt

Optional

Not counted above. The dish works without them.

1 tbsp	oyster sauce
1 tbsp	shaoxing wine
½ tsp	cornstarch (slaked, for a glossy sauce)
¼ tsp	chili (red pepper flakes)
½ tsp	sugar

Steps

Slice6 min
washed between the layers, stems and leaves in separate piles, dried
- bok choy
bok choy split at the point where the white stem becomes green leaf, stems cut on a long bias. Grit collects deep in the base and is worth chasing. Dry both piles: water on the leaves will drop the pan temperature exactly when you need it highest
Saute2 min
pan very hot, oil swirled, aromatics 15 seconds only
- garlic
- ginger
oil + garlic + ginger (+ chilli flakes), moved constantly for about fifteen seconds until fragrant. This is measured in seconds, not minutes — sliced garlic in a smoking pan browns and turns bitter faster than you can fetch the vegetables, so have them within reach before the oil goes in
Saute2 min
stems only, high, tossed
- shaoxing wine
+ stems (+ shaoxing wine), tossed for a minute and a half until the cut faces are translucent at the edges. The stems are dense and mostly water; the leaves are thin and would be destroyed in this time. Separating them is the entire technique of the dish
Steam1 min
water in, lid on, 30-45 seconds
+ water, covered immediately so the steam drives heat into the thick part of the stems. Dry heat alone cannot get to the centre of a bok choy stem before its surface scorches — this brief covered moment is what makes the stem tender and the whole dish work
Fold2 min
lid off, heat high, leaves added, 30 seconds
+ leaves + soy sauce + salt (+ oyster sauce, + sugar, + cornstarch slurry), tossed just until the leaves have collapsed and gone glossy dark green. Lid off first so the remaining water boils away rather than pooling; if using the slurry, it needs to reach a boil to thicken properly
Season2 min
off the heat, sesame oil last
- sesame oil
+ sesame oil, tossed once and served immediately. Toasted sesame oil goes in off the heat every time: its aroma compounds are volatile and it has a low smoke point, so added to a hot pan it turns from nutty to acrid and the reason you bought it is gone