Bok Choi and Chinese Cabbage Round-up

 

To date we've received a variety of delicious bok choi and some extremely excellent Chinese cabbage. It's really quick and simple to make delicious dishes from these leafy veggies, so I decided to present a number of ideas in 'round-up' format. What does that mean? I am not quite certain, but I think it means they are more like sketches than precision-guided recipes. Try them all!

 Here's a quick idea for bok choy and/or Chinese cabbage.

Just as a disclaimer, I've made this many times but just cook it by instinct. I don't have a written recipe, so here it is from my head without testing the amounts. People should feel free to adjust as needed but this is the basic idea.

-Randy Rabney

Tofu and Bok Choy Stir Fry

The sweetness of the apple juice and saltiness of the shoyu balance each other nicely here.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 inch piece of ginger or more to taste, thinly sliced or diced
• 1/2 a package of firm or extra firm tofu, cubed
• 2 cups loosely packed baby bok choy or Chinese cabbage, in bite size pieces (leaves separated)
• 2 Tablespoons shoyu or tamari (high quality soy sauce)
• 2 Tablespoons apple juice
• Oil for cooking

You can add a few drops of your favorite hot sauce if you like some heat, a few drops of rice wine vinegar and or toasted sesame oil also makes a nice addition (all are optional).

Preparation:

Heat oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring as needed, when onion starts to soften, add ginger and stir again. Add the tofu and let it sit until it's easy to turn then stir and add in the ribs of the cabbage and reserve the leaves. Cook about 2-3 minutes and add the leaves. Cook 1 more minute or so until the leaves start to wilt and add the shoyu and apple juice, you can add more of either liquid if needed (shoyu if you want more salt, apple juice if you want less or equal amounts of each if the flavor is good for you).  Taste for seasoning and enjoy.

-Randy

 

Chinese Cabbage Slaw

Here is another one that works well with both Chinese cabbage and bok choi. I made it a couple of weeks ago with the spicier, dark-leafed bok choi, and I have twice now used our fine heads of Chinese cabbage for this recipe. It's pictured above. Again, this is a prepare-to-taste recipe and can be user-adjusted to accommodate a wide range of palates. Tinker with the vinegar/sweetening ratio to your liking.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup, total, cider vinegar and/or rice vinegar- in any proportion
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• tablespoon soy sauce (I'm deferring to Randy on the shoyu!)
• teaspoon toasted sesame oiil
• 1 head Chinese cabbage chopped coarsely, or equivalent amount of bok choi

Preparation:

Place chopped cabbage in large mixing bowl. Whisk remaining ingredients in smaller mixing bowl. Pour mixture over cabbage and toss lightly. Cabbage will release lots of liquid and wilt before your very eyes! After this process has slowed, remove cabbage and liquid to an appropriately-sized serving dish. Keeps for days in the fridge if you don't demolish it on the first round.

-Clyde

Here are a couple of quickies:

1- This is the simple recipe passed on to me by @EpicureanJourny "grilled baby bok choy: skewer on soaked bamboo sticks, baste with a little Hoisin sauce, and grill [or griddle if you have a good fan!] for a few minutes."

-Jocelyn Ruggiero

2- Sauteed Bok Choi with garlic: wash baby bok choi. Leave whole or slice in half lengthwise. Sauté thinly-sliced garlic in olive oil until it turns golden, just short of brown. Add bok choi. Toss for a few moments over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup water or chicken stock. Cook until bok choi is translucent but  still retains some crunch. Add coarsely ground pepper and salt to taste.