This easy garlic ginger bok choy recipe features sautéed bok choy with minced ginger and garlic. A quick and delicious side dish for any Asian-inspired meal.
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What is bok choy
Bok choy, also spelled pak choi or pak choy, is a Chinese cabbage that’s in the cruciferous vegetable family.
Other vegetables in the same family include kale, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.
There are a couple different types of bok choy. Most recipes you’ll find online call for baby bok choy, which are small and have tender green stems.
Native to China, it appears widely in Chinese cuisine and pairs great with Asian-inspired flavors.
Try this easy bok choy recipe as a side dish to this lemon tofu, teriyaki tofu, or miso soba.
Bok choy is also a great addition to your favorite vegan ramen recipe and this gyoza soup.
Easy bok choy recipe
If you’ve never cooked bok choy before, don’t worry, it’s very easy!
For beginners I think it’s easier to separate the stalks from the leaves so that each can be cooked to perfection since the leaves cook faster than the stalks.
There are many different condiments and seasonings that can be added to sautéed bok choy.
This recipe is very simple and just calls for garlic and ginger so you won’t need any harder-to-find ingredients like mirin or toasted sesame oil.
Ingredients
This sautéed bok choy recipe is as easy as it gets with just a handful of ingredients and a few minutes in the pan.
Bok choy: I buy bok choy at Asian supermarkets since regular supermarkets don’t sell it where I live. Sometimes they have baby bok choy and sometimes it’s medium-sized. Today they only had medium bok choy so the best way to cook it is to chop it into bite-sized pieces and sauté the stalks and leaves separately.
Garlic: This recipe is great for garlic lovers with its one tablespoon of minced garlic. That equals about two large cloves or three small ones.
Ginger: This recipe would be great just as garlic bok choy alone but I also added a tablespoon of minced fresh ginger to give it a more Asian flavor profile.
Oil: A neutral-flavored oil is better for sautéed bok choy. Something like sunflower, vegetable, avocado or canola oil. I don’t like olive oil because it adds a different flavor profile and isn’t good for stir frying vegetables.
Salt: This garlic ginger bok choy is seasoned just with salt instead of soy sauce. Adding half the salt to the stems as they sauté and then the other half with the leaves ensures that the bok choy will be well-seasoned.
How to cook bok choy in pan
You will need a large skillet in order to sauté this quantity of bok choy. It’s very easy, just follow these steps:
Prep: Bok choy can sometimes hide dirt deep within it’s leaves.
Clean your bok choy by first slicing each head in half from top to bottom.
Rinse the halved bok choy under running water, gently pulling apart the leaves to rinse out all the dirt.
Now give it several vigorous shakes to remove as much water as possible.
Some people use a salad spinner for this.
Peel and finely mince your ginger and garlic.
Chop: If your bok choy has a large stem sticking out, you can chop it off and discard it.
Chop the stalks into bite-sized pieces of about half and inch wide. Since I had medium bok choy today, I first cut the heads into quarters and then chopped the stems up.
If you have baby bok choy, you probably don’t need to cut it into quarters before chopping it up.
Move the chopped stalks over to one side and then chop up the leaves as well.
Keep the stalks and leaves separate.
Fry: Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Add the minced ginger and garlic and fry, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Sauté: Now add the chopped bok choy stalks and half the salt. Spread them out into a single layer, if possible.
Cook the stems, stirring from time to time, until done to your liking. For me, that’s about 5 minutes. If you prefer the stalks a bit more crisp, cook them for 3 - 4 minutes.
Add the leaves and the remaining salt. Continue stir frying for another minute or two until the leaves are wilted and tender.
Serve hot.
Substitutions and variations
Seasonings: Bok choy is a vegetable that can take on many flavors. Asian seasonings are often preferred for this vegetable so a splash of soy sauce, sesame oil, chili flakes, rice vinegar, mirin, green onions, or sesame seeds can all be added.
Sugar: Some people find bok choy to be slightly bitter. Personally, I don’t but you can add a pinch of sugar if you need to balance out the bitterness.
Baby bok choy: Most recipes for sautéed bok choy call for cooking the heads as halves instead of chopping them up. You can absolutely do it this way if you have baby bok choy with tender stalks. Place them in the pan cut side down and allow to fry until browned, then flip. You can add a splash of water and the lid to help them steam through if they’re taking a long time.
FAQs
Bok choy is cooked when the stems become slightly translucent and are tender to your liking. Some people like them a bit crisp, while others prefer them tender all the way through. The leaves will also be tender and bright green.
Dirt can hide deep within the leaves so bok choy should be rinsed thoroughly with fresh water. I like to cut them in half (or quarters if large) from top to bottom and gently separate the leaves while rinsing under running water.
Keep bok choy fresh by storing it in an open or perforated plastic bag in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer until ready to use. Do not wash it until you are ready to use it and it will keep for up to a week.
Make ahead and storage tips
Store ginger garlic bok choy in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Sautéed bok choy can be reheated in the microwave or in a pan on the stove.
How to serve garlic ginger bok choy
My favorite way to enjoy this garlic ginger bok choy is on a bowl of white rice alongside some kimchi, crispy tofu, and avocado. This makes for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
It makes a great side dish to many recipes but in particular Asian-inspired dishes such as vegan potstickers, vegetable spring rolls, or vegan dumplings.
Any fried rice recipe or stir fried noodles such as chow mein or lo mein would go great with this sautéed bok choy recipe.
Garlic Ginger Bok Choy
Ingredients
- 20 ounces (575 grams) bok choy
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided
Instructions
- Slice the bok choy in half from top to bottom (or into quarters if your bok choy is big). Rinse under running water while gently pulling the stalks apart to remove any dirt hiding within. Give them several good shakes to remove as much water as possible.
- Chop the stalks into bite-sized pieces - about ½ to 1 inch wide. Move to the side and chop up the leaves too. Keep the stalks and leaves separated.
- In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and garlic and fry, stirring, for about 30 seconds. Add the bok choy stalks and half the salt and stir to coat in oil. Let them fry, stirring from time to time, until soft and translucent - about 5 minutes.
- Add the bok choy leaves and the remaining salt and fry for an additional 1 - 2 minutes until the leaves are tender and bright green.
- Serve hot.
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