Quick Bok Choy Stir Fry

Name: Quick Bok Choy Stir Fry
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon neutral oil such as vegetable oil or grapeseed oil; 16 ounces bok choy or baby bok choy; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 teaspoon shrimp paste or granulated chicken or vegetable stock; Sprinkle of msg (optional); 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil; Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

When I’ve got an urge for flash fried greens, hot and smoky from the wok, I make this. My bok choy stir fry is pungent and umami, like a stir fry from a hawker centre in Singapore. Get those rice bowls ready! It never takes me more than 15 minutes from start to finish.

I made this bok choy stir fry on a day I was feeling particularly nostalgic for the meals I used eat in Singapore. Back in the day, I’d order a bowl of laksa from one vendor, chili crab from another – and then beeline it to a third vendor who specialized in stir frying vegetables like kankung and bok choy. When I’d order the bok choy, I loved how it managed to be seared and smoky, while still retaining a pliant crunch. And the peppery, fragrant shrimp paste would send me into sensory overdrive. It blew my mind that it took them 3 minutes tops to wok fry vegetables with so much flavor and texture.

I craved it so often, it drove me to figure out how make it myself at home. Since I already use bok choy in everything from noodle soups to Chinese shrimp chow mein, I knew that I preferred crisp baby bok choy to the full sized variant. But what I learned from this recipe is that cooking bok choy quickly on super high heat preserves the crunch while still delivering the wok hei (or smoky wok breath) I expect from stir fries.

Ingredients
How To Make It
Expert Tips
Recipe Variations
What I Serve With Bok Choy Stir Fry
Storage and Reheating
Frequently Asked Questions

Ingredients

Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full recipe steps and measurements.

Bok Choy: I prefer baby bok choy. It’s a little more tender than the full grown variety. But both absolutely work for this recipe. I just buy whatever looks freshest at the market that day.
Cooking Oil: Just a tablespoon of any neutral cooking oil. Grapeseed is my go to.
Garlic: 2 cloves, finely minced.
Shrimp Paste: I use Vietnamese or Thai shrimp paste for this recipe. It’s full on funky, salty and pungent. Fair warning, cooking with this stuff definitely makes my kitchen smell glorious for a day. A less pungent, but perfectly fine, alternative is granulated (powdered) chicken or vegetable stock.
MSG: This is the stuff restaurants and food manufacturers use to make things taste unbelievably savory and umami. While powdered msg is optional, I always use it for this bok choy stir fry. It’s the ultimate finishing touch.
Sesame Oil: I add a teaspoon of sesame oil right at the end (after the heat is off) for toasted nuttiness.
Salt and Pepper: To taste.

How To Make It

Preheat a wok or deep frying pan. High heat all the way.
Stir fry the bok choy. Add cooking oil and stir fry bok choy for 2 minutes. Toss frequently.
Season and serve. Add the sesame oil last, after the heat is off. Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

Cook quickly on high heat. The key to nailing the perfect texture of the bok choy is to get the pan HOT before adding the veggies. The ripping heat quickly sears the outside of the delicate bok choy – while the actual structure of the veggie remains intact, preserving the crisp yet pliant crunch. Stir frying on high heat also allows me to use very little cooking oil.

Thoroughly clean the bok choy. I’ve purchased bok choy from markets that looked great after a quick rinse. But when I’d slice into it, I’d find grit between the stalks. A good solution is to soak particularly gritty bok choy in a bowl of ice cold water, and agitate it a few times. Most of the grit should sink to the bottom of the bowl. Afterwards, I gently pat the bok choy mostly-dry with paper towels or a kitchen towel.

Recipe Variations

Here are a few plug-and-play options.

Make it spicy. Options include a drizzle of homemade chili oil, sambal oelek or Japanese rayu.
Go vegan. Simply omit the shrimp paste. Use powdered vegetable stock instead for a fully plant based stir fry.

What I Serve With Bok Choy Stir Fry

This is the ultimate when served with a simple side of steamed jasmine rice or fluffy Japanese rice. Sometimes that’s all I’m craving. But I also like to serve bok choy as a side dish to a larger meal. Here are a few of my household favorites.

And these are some of my top Asian vegetable recipes: Szechuan potatoes with vinegar and chili, bok choy with garlic and oyster sauce, stir fried eggplant with seitan, miso glazed eggplant, Chinese green beans with garlic sauce

Storage and Reheating

My bok choy stir fry tastes best hot and fresh out of the pan. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. But leftover bok choy is likely to get limp and watery.

Reheat in the microwave. If the flavor has dulled in the fridge, I add a bit of salt and pepper and a couple drops of sesame oil.

Do not freeze leftovers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my bok choy flimsy?

The heat may not have been high enough. The key is to cook quickly on very high heat. That way the bok choy cooks while still retaining a tender crunch. Cooking for longer on lower heat results in steamed bok choy that loses its texture.

Can I add the garlic first?

I wouldn’t. The reason is that garlic burns quickly. And this recipe is made with the stovetop burners set to high. For that reason, I add the bok choy first – and then add the shrimp paste and garlic for a few final tosses in the wok. The garlic cooks perfectly and perfumes the entire dish, but doesn’t burn in the process.

My stovetop heat is on high, but it took forever to cook this. Why?

You need to allow the pan to sit there and heat up before cooking. At my place (with my induction stovetop), that can take a while. At this point, I basically use the force (I just know). But a good way to tell if it’s is hot enough is to place a drop of water in the pan. If the droplet sizzles and dances around, it’s probably hot enough.

Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!