bok choi recipes

Again I have LOTS of bok choi. I just love the flavor of it and how nice it looks in the garden. Tonight I am thinking about how to prepare it.

My usual recipe is to sauté minced garlic and ginger, maybe adding a dried chili pepper, in a high heat oil like peanut or sunflower. Then I add the coarsley chopped stems of bok choi and stir fry a few minutes. Next I add coarsley chopped bok choi leaves and stir 'til they wilt. Then I add some corn starch stirred with water, maybe a splash of white whine or vermouth, and a good splash of soy sauce. I stir over heat until the sauce is the right thickness. I like to serve it with fried rice and a roasted meat.

A variation is to use the same preparation, but leave the bok choi whole if they are tiny, or just halve or quarter them. I've also added mushrooms. When my son is home, I add broccoli and he eats that and leaves my husband and me the bok choi.

I'm looking for something new tonight. I'll google and see what Epicurius, Allrecipes and the other usual sites suggest. I'd love to hear ways other gardeners prepare bok choi.

bumper crop of bok choy

I harvested 16 heads of nice big bok choy today. Much more than I could eat, thought I do love bok choy. I washed it all, boxed it up and donated it to a local shelter for battered women. They were thrilled to get it. They varieties are both from seed from Johnny's. Win-win choy and Mei-qin.

today's harvest

today's harvest

Baby bok coy - one of my favorites! I wore a head lantern to go out and find my cold frame in the 5 pm winter darkness this evening. The greens in the frame are looking really nice.

Our dinner tonight was bok choy stir-fried with garlic, sauteed garden sweet potatoes and kielbasa. It was a yummy winter meal. We are waiting for 4-6 inches of snow to fall on us tomorrow.

2012 crop review

Beets. I grew a lot of different varieties this year. Bulls Blood, Detroit Red and White, Chiogga, Lutz, Cylindra, Early Wonder, Red Ace, Round Red Merlin, Blankoma. I like them all! But it was not a great year for my beets. I just never had enough of them. I planted a great crop for my parents. In March, I direct seeded a good thick row of Detroit Red in their garden. They came up well and produced all season and my parents were really happy with them. They gave me several bunches. Next year - MORE beets in my garden!

Broccoli. Super crop, again. I have have several really good years of broccoli. I grew "Diplomat" this year. Very nice. I plant it early under lights and it gives a nice big head and them side shoots til October. My fall crop was not worth the effort, especially since the spring one was still producing and I love the small side shoots. I had a 4 x 4 foot patch with 12 plants.

Bok Choi. I am almost jumping up and down about finding two SUPER varieties of bok choy this year! I love bok choy stir fried with garlic and ginger and in a nice sauce, in fried rice, or grilled outside with a peanut marinade. Win-Win Choi is a big plant with lovely white stems and deep green leaves. Mei Qing Choi is a "baby choi" that doesn't bolt even if its gets big - super for grilling. Yummy, yummy, yummy .....

Cabbage. Another super crop. I grew Savoy (Alcosa), Napa, and Red (Super Red 80). These worked well both as spring and fall crops. I love these three varieties for cole slaw and salads. Also braised along side a roast. I don't eat that much cabbage, but a few heads are really nice to have as they are one of the prettiest plants in the garden.

bok choy varieties

Bok choy, Win-Win Choi

Bok choy, Mei Qing Choi

I have finally found a really great bok choi variety. Win-Win Choi is sooooo good! It looks beautiful in my garden and is fantastic stir-fried with garlic, ginger. One of my favorite vegetables!

I haven't tried my Mei Qing Choi yet. It seems maybe its taking longer to mature and doesn't have the nice white stems. I am looking forward to trying it.

Other varieties I have tried have bolted fast, or have been too cabbagy. I may fill my garden with yummy Win-Win!

wok cooking

Encouraged by my pretty little bok choy, I have taken up wok cooking. I think this will be my preferred method this summer. So versatile:

- only one pot to clean
- I like to see everything cut up and laid out ahead of time
- QUICK!
- delicious

My Mom gave me this recipe:

sliced pork lion
chopped garlic (I used scapes)
cooked thin spaghetti noodles
chopped greens (bok choy or cabbage)
chopped carrots
chopped onions
cilantro
peanut oil

Cook the spaghetti and drain. Add some oil and garlic to wok then add spaghetti noodles. Stir fry briefly. Transfer to bowl and place in warming oven. Add more oil to wok, add pork


Its a great basic recipe that I have tried with a couple different substitutions now. Try chicken instead of pork. Add some soy sauce and hot sesame oil. Try rice in place of noodles.