Bok Choy with Garlic Sauce

ByKatie July 10, 2023July 7, 2023

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Tender Bok Choy in Garlic Sauce is fresh and loaded with flavor! Perfect as a side dish, takeout copycat, or quick dinner served with rice or noodles. In just 15 minutes you’ll have a healthy, Chinese favorite.

bok choy served on a plate with garlic sauce

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This is a quick, easy, and healthy spin on Chinese-American takeout that you can make at home. Whether you got it in your Misfit’s veggie box, your CSA, or your own garden bok choy is a beautifully tender green that comes in both baby and large form. Bok choy is a cold weather crop signifying both the start and end of summer.

This recipe includes a quick blanching of the bok choy to retain both texture and nutritional value while making it easier to eat. It all moves along very quickly. Reduce the sauce while waiting for the water to boil for blanching the bok choy for an even quicker recipe!

you didn’t know you needed this

1-quart sauce pot

Yes! Small cast iron is a thing and a thing you need! This 1-quart sauce pot is perfect for, well, making sauces! Whether you pick traditional or enameled, you’ll be happy to have this in your collection.

traditional

enameled

Ingredients

Bok Choy: If using the larger size of bok choy, quarter the pieces prior to blanching. No matter the size, trim the bottom of the vegetable and soak or rinse in water to remove any debris between the leaves prior to blanching.
Soy Sauce: or coconut aminos can be used. This is the primary liquid in our sauce.
Fish Sauce: provides an umami flavor to the dish for balance.
Ginger: I recommend freshly grated ginger even though you’ll see me use a paste in the video.
Sesame Oil: a traditional flavor in Asian cooking.
Szechuan Pepper: a citrus pepper, not to be substituted with black pepper.
Brown Sugar: for sweetness.
Rice Wine Vinegar: for tang.
Garlic: minced garlic is the star of the show. Use high-quality fresh garlic.
Oil: Go neutral like peanut oil.

Video Instructions

Boil and blanch the halved baby bok choy. Be sure it is rinsed and rubbed well prior to cooking to remove any dirt or hidden bugs.
While the bok choy is cooking, make the sauce by combining ingredients in a small sauce pot or skillet. Reduce until your desired consistency.
Drain the bok choy and plate. Pour sauce over while warm and enjoy.

Equipment

Dutch Oven for blanching
1-quart sauce pot for sauce
Stirring Spoon
Knife
Cutting Board
Collander or large bowl for cleaning bok choy

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FAQ’s

How to make a full meal

There is enough sauce to go around! Try serving this on a bed of rice or ramen noodles. You can also serve with roasted eggplant, carrots, mushrooms, beef, chicken, pork, or shrimp.

How to clean bok choy

Baby bok choy can be halved while larger ones will need to be quartered. Soak in a sink full of cold water for a few minutes, then rub your fingers gently over the leaves into the stem. Bok choy can gather a lot of debris and small insects. Rinse and rub well to remove as much as you can prior to blanching.

Do you eat the white part

Bok choy is also known as white cabbage. The entire vegetable from the green leaves to the white root is edible both raw and cooked. Treat it the same way you would a cabbage, and you’ll quickly learn to love bok choy.

copycat chinese takeout bok choy with garlic sauce

Katie’s Tips

Make extra of this sauce. You’ll want to put it on everything! Feel free to customize it. If you like more heat, add more pepper. If you want it less salty use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce and a higher ratio of oil to soy sauce.

Storage

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2 days. For best results texturally, saute leftovers in a skillet over medium heat. Does not freeze well. The sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for about 1 month or frozen into cubes and stored in a ziploc bag for multiple months.