Bok Choy: Suggestions Welcome

Bok choy is to my Summer CSA as squash was to my Winter CSA.  Not necessarily in terms of outrageous quantities (though that remains to be seen), but in how much I look forward to seeing it. 

Of all the new-to-me Asian vegetables I cooked last year, the only one that didn’t win me over was bok choy.  I made it a bunch of different ways (steamed, sautéed, slowly fermented in the bottom of my crisper drawer), but it never took. 

Recently, though, I overheard the Farmer say he likes bok choy.  He called it “delicious.”  That’s not the word I would have chosen.  Watery and bland with a bitter edge—that’s how I would describe it.  Like celery, but worse.  Still, I thought, maybe I should give it another try.  If anyone was going to get me to change my mind, it was the Farmer.

So at some point in the past week or two (hard to tell since I painted right over the calendar), I made a stir-fry.  I used pork from Stillman’s Farm, and snap peas, bok choy, and komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach, which I LOVE) from Drumlin.  I was hoping that mixing the bok choy in with other, better stuff might help.  Also, in the past, I had always kept the bok choy leaves attached to the stalks, and I had a feeling that was what turned me off.  Since the leaves and stems cook at different rates, I found myself having to guess at some kind of unhappy medium.  This time, I separated the two parts and added them in at different times.  I liked the results much better.

I started by heating some canola oil until quite hot.  I added six or seven smashed garlic cloves until starting to brown, and then the pork, which was just 2 pork chops deboned and cut into ¼-inch-thick pieces.  I stirred that around for a bit, then poured in 3 Tbsp. fish sauce, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 1½ Tbsp. sugar, pre-mixed.  Next, I added the bok choy stalks cut crosswise into boomerang- shaped pieces and the destrung snap peas.  A minute or two stirring, then in went the bok choy leaves, komatsuna, and black pepper, tossed until the pork was cooked through. 

The stalks stayed pleasantly crunchy while the leaves got all wilty.  So clean and crisp, it was a really excellent stir-fry.  How could I have been such a fool?

I always suspected that the Farmer knew his way around the kitchen, and now I’m convinced.  He acts all modest, but if he can make bok choy taste good without even trying, well that’s really saying something.  I have my work cut out for me if I want to get invited to dinner, though.  We should probably get to know each other a little better first.  As friends, I mean.  Or, you know, whatever.  Maybe someday when he doesn’t scare the living shit out of me.

Comments

[Bugs and Brooms]

Yes, yes, yes! I love bok choy stir-fry! I make a huge batch at least once a week with some other yummy vegetables (carrot, green and red bell pepper, shitake mushrooms, etc) and chicken. I think the sauce is the key and I typically use a thai sauce! I love it and so does the family! A great way to get in veggies!

[Adele]

Cooking bok choy leaves and stems separately? Now that's genius. I should pass that tip along to my mother.

[Mary]

I haven't tried cooking bok choy myself, but I've heard grilling it makes it taste wonderful.

[Ann]

I love bok choy! I'll give you my kohlrabi in exchange!

[Tricia]

Sounds delicious! One of my favorite bok choy recipes is Sesame Soy Braised Bok ChoyFrom Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook. That one does have you cook the stems and leaves separately (one of those steps that seems obvious once you learn it!). I have it posted on my blog:

http://jonskifarms.wordpress.com/2006/11/18/we-eats-our-leafy-greens/

[Solanaceae]

I've been a lurker here for a bit now ... really enjoy your posts! I am a big fan of bok choy & the trick (as you already found) is simply to cook the stem first and add the leaves at the end. My DH makes an egg roll filling so good we no longer reserve it for the crispy treats. A ton of ginger, a ton of garlic, Chinese sausage, rice noodles hydrated and chopped, bok choy, carrot, nappa cabbage and bean sprouts stir fried with oyster and hoisin sauces to finish. It's better than any take-out I can find here in town!

[Non-Bacon Tammy]

I recently made a delicious bok choy salad:

Recipe:
http://bostonfoodandwhine.blogspot.com/2008/06/bok-choy-salad.html

Final Outcome:
http://bostonfoodandwhine.blogspot.com/2008/06/final-outcome-of-bok-choy-salad.html

It is SO good. A must try...

[NurseJen]

Try this: marinate cubed beef or pork in minced ginger, garlic, a little oyster sauce and some sesame oil for about an hour. Stir fry it with the bok choy stems for 5-6 minutes, then add the leaves for another 2-3 minutes. Drizzle with a little more oyster sauce and sesame oil. Serve it over rice.

Don't ask for measurements. I can't do measurements (unless "handful," "smidge," and "scoche" count.)

[What A Card]

I was pretty down on bok choi, too, but found a great recipe. It's a pure bok choi side dish...not part of a salad or main dish, so it's a true test of how yummy you can make bok choi.

Here's my blog entry about it (2nd half of the entry, you'll see a picture of it): http://whatacard.blogspot.com/2008/06/three-year-olds-art-museum-not-good.html

Unfortunately, our CSA has had hardly any bok choi. I'll have to head out to Drumlin to see if they have any at their stand as some of these recipes sound great!

[sunny12]

oh I love bok choy, probably because the first time I made it myself I used a recipe out of the Moosewood cookbook called curried noodles (except I did a very un-Moosewood thing and added pork). Bok choy is much like celery but with flavour, I thought it was a bit licorice like. And yes, it makes a big difference to separate the leaves and stems, I do that with swiss chard too (I think of it as getting two vegetables in one shot).
Another good use for bok choy is in any Chinese or Thai soup, it adds a lovely flavour.

[Family Nutritionist]

How about Kimchi? It's just another kind of saurkraut...

[melissa]

I love to use the baby bok choy to make fried rice. I think the stems are small enough that you can cook that all at the same time. And you'd have a good excuse to tell the farmer that you want to have his baby...baby bok choy, that is.

[Tammy]

Melissa: Excellent ideas, both. I have rice on deck. And I'll have to try that pickup line at the pickup today. So far, I've only had luck picking up vegetables. I'm not the smooth talker I always dreamed I'd be.

Family Nutritionist: Another great idea! Maybe that can be my summer fermentation project.

Sunny12: Looks like I came to the right people for advice! Soup sounds good, perhaps with extra coconut milk. And pork.

Whatacard: I bet they'll have some. (I printed out that recipe -- thanks!)

NurseJen: Consider it done. I love beef stir-fried with celery (odd since I don't love celery), so why not with bok choy?

Non-Bacon Tammy: Looks great! Minimal cooking on a hot day = even better!

Solanaceae: Thanks for delurking to share! The idea of Chinese sausage is making my mouth water.

Tricia: Yeah, I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner since that's what I do with every other stem-y green. Better late than never, I guess.

Ann: Wow, I am completely drawing a blank on kohlrabi. And now that I have all these great recipes, no trade!

Mary: Grilling. Now that's something I wouldn't have thought of.

Adele: I bet your mom could teach me a thing or fifteen.

Bugs and Brooms: Yum. Thanks for visiting!

[DocChuck]

My wife and I do not eat asian food of any sort, so if it were to appear in my "CSA box" (is that like "government cheese?") I would return it forthwith.

Or deposit it in the compost heap.

[Tammy]

DocChuck: Crap. I just sent you a care package, too.