What does good bok choy look like?

Look for stems that are firm and bunched together. The heads of the bok choy should be close fitting and the leaves should be green. Avoid picking bok choy with wilted leaves that are separated from the bunch, or that have any black or discolored spots.

What part of the bok choy do I use?

For baby bok choy, you can use the whole thing. For regular bok choy, the base can get a little hard so I recommend cutting off part of u003cspan class=u0022s1u0022u003eit where the stems all come to a point. u003c/spanu003e

Baby Bok Choy Soup (青菜湯)

Description

A light and comforting baby bok choy soup full of umami and savory flavors.

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 baby bok choy or 1 regular bok choy
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and chopped into thin strips
2 dried shiitake mushrooms
4 ounces dried rice noodles
sambal oelek or other chili paste, to taste

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Instructions

Clean and slice the bok choy. Start by rinsing the bok choy under water to remove any sand or dirt. Chop the bok choy into bite size pieces and put the pieces in a bowl filled with water. This will remove any hidden dirt that might have been hiding between the leaves. Take the bok choy out of the water using your hands – do not drain, you want the dirt to stay at the bottom of the bow – and transfer it to another bowl.
Cook the garlic and shallots. In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil, garlic and shallots. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent.
Simmer the broth. Add the broth, soy sauce, ginger, and shiitake mushrooms, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Cook the bok choy. Add the bok choy and turn the heat to a low simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 4 minutes.
Cook the noodles. Meanwhile, bring another pot of water to boil and turn the heat off. Add the rice noodles, cover, and let sit for a few minutes until they have softened. There should be instructions on the package – the average soaking time is around 6-7 minutes.
Put the dish together. Drain the noodles and divide them among two bowls. Add the broth and baby bok choy to the noodles.
Add some heat. Start by adding 1/4 teaspoon of sambal oelek and do a taste taste (a little goes a long way, it’s very hot!). Add more if you like it very spicy. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 323
Sugar: 2.6g
Sodium: 867mg
Fat: 3.9g
Saturated Fat: 1.3g
Unsaturated Fat: 0.9g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 61.4g
Fiber: 2.8g
Protein: 6.1g
Cholesterol: 3.5mg