Ginger & Garlic Stir-Fried Bok Choy

Flavored with ginger and garlic, stir-fried bok choy is quick to prepare and can be served on its own or over rice, quinoa, or noodles.

Use any kind of bok choy: As long as you use 12 to 16 ounces of bok choy, any variety works in this dish — baby bok choy of any size, or the type of bok choy with the large white stalks and darker green leaves. The latter is the kind that seems to be more commonly found in supermarkets.

A Bit About Bok Choy

An easy vegetable to prepare: Calcium-rich bok choy is one of the easiest greens to use because you needn’t bother trimming stems away — just slice through the crispy whole stalk and the leaves, and give them a good rinse. The less time it’s cooked, the better!

Bok choy is arguably one of the most widely available variety of Asian greens in western markets. In Western markets, “bok choy” often refers to the larger kind, with the crisp white stalks and dark leaves.

Baby bok choy is the smaller version, with stems and leaves of a fairly uniform, pale green hue. Either variety is a kind of two-fer: A crisp veggie and leafy greens in one neat package.

Here’s lots more in our Guide to bok choy, a versatile Asian vegetable, and dozens of ways to use it in this roundup of dozens of Delectable Plant-Based Bok Choy Recipes.

Explore more …

• Wine and Mustard Braised Bok Choy
• Tofu and Bok Choy Stir-Fry
• Hoisin Ginger Udon Noodles with Bok Choy
• Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Shiitake Mushrooms with Snow Peas
• Gingery Bok Choy Fried Rice

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Yield: 4 to 6

Ginger & Garlic Stir-Fried Bok Choy

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Stir-fried bok choy, flavored with ginger and garlic, is super quick to prepare and can be served on its own or over rice, quinoa, or noodles.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes

Total Time 17 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon safflower or other high-heat vegetable oil
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 to 16 ounces bok choy (regular or baby bok choy)
• 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce, Korean BBQ sauce, or Bulgogi sauce (see note)
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh or squeeze-bottle ginger
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot, optional
• 2 to 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a stir-fry pan. Add the garlic and sauté over low heat for a minute or so.
2. Add the bok choy and turn the heat up to high. Stir-fry for another minute or so. 
3. Stir in the teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, and ginger. Stir-fry until the bok choy is tender-crisp. Err on the side of less time than more; it should take only another minute or two.
4. If you find that liquid has pooled in the bottom of the pan, dissolve the cornstarch in a little water, and drizzle it into the pan. This should do the trick to thicken a small amount of liquid into a sauce.
5. Sprinkle in the the scallions and sesame seeds and serve at once.

Notes

If using the common variety of bok choy (with the white stalks and dark green leaves) or the larger form of baby bok choy, stem them and slice the stalks and stems crosswise or diagonally. If using tiny baby bok choy (about 3 to 4 inches long), simply cut in half lengthwise. Whichever kind you use, make sure to rinse well, as bok choy tends to harbor a bit of grit.

Korean BBQ sauce and Bulgogi sauce can be found in the Asian foods section of well-stocked supermarkets.

See lots more easy vegan stir-fries.