⏱ Prep: 5 min 🔥Cook: 5 min 👤Serves:4 🌿 Diet: Vegan-friendly
Garlic bok choy turns a vegetable people often aren’t sure what to do with into one of the easiest, most reliable sides in the entire kitchen. Bok choy stir-fried hot and fast with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and a finishing touch of sesame oil, ready before the rice even finishes steaming. Crisp stems, silky leaves, gone from the plate faster than almost anything else on the table.
Ingredients
- 1 lb bok choy, baby bok choy or regular, halved or quartered lengthwise; wash thoroughly between the layers since dirt tends to hide near the base
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, or avocado oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar, balances the slight bitterness of the bok choy
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, added at the end, off the heat
- Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish, optional
- Red chili flakes, optional, for heat
Step by step
- Dry the bok choy thoroughly. After washing, pat the bok choy completely dry with a clean towel or paper towels.Excess water causes the oil to splatter and keeps the bok choy from getting any char, it steams instead, and the result turns soggy rather than crisp-tender. Don’t skip this step.
- Sauté the garlic and ginger. Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger, stirring constantly for 30–45 seconds until fragrant. Watch closely, they burn fast and turn bitter if left too long.
- Stir-fry the bok choy. Add the bok choy, cut side down if using halved baby bok choy. Let it cook undisturbed for 1–2 minutes to pick up a little color, then toss.
- Add the sauce. Pour in the soy sauce and sugar. Toss to coat evenly. Continue cooking for 2–3 minutes, until the stems are tender-crisp and the leaves have wilted but are still bright green.Bok choy goes from perfectly crisp-tender to mushy quickly, start checking at the 2-minute mark and pull it as soon as the stems give just slightly to a fork.
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Drizzle with the toasted sesame oil and toss once more. Garnish with sesame seeds and chili flakes if using. Serve immediately.
The two things that matter most
Dry the bok choy completely before it goes anywhere near hot oil, wet bok choy steams and turns soft and watery instead of developing any char. And don’t walk away once it’s in the pan: the window between crisp-tender and overcooked is short, often under a minute, so stay close and check it often near the end.
Make it your own
Claire’s note
A splash of oyster sauce alongside the soy sauce adds extra savory depth if you want it. For heat, a drizzle of chili oil at the end works well alongside or instead of chili flakes. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2–3 days, though the texture softens, reheat gently in a hot skillet rather than the microwave to bring some of the crispness back. This dish is best eaten fresh, so consider it a make-right-before-serving side rather than a make-ahead one.
Serve with
Garlic bok choy pairs naturally with just about anything from the Asian collection, try it alongside the beef and broccoli stir-fry or the dan dan noodles. For more from the collection the complete Asian recipes guide has it all.
Add garlic bok choy to your weekly meal planner, a fast, reliable green side for almost any meal. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.
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Garlic Bok Choy
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A quick and easy garlic bok choy recipe, perfect as a side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb bok choy, halved or quartered lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, or avocado oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
- Red chili flakes, for heat (optional)
Instructions
- Dry the bok choy thoroughly.
- Sauté the garlic and ginger.
- Stir-fry the bok choy.
- Add the sauce.
- Finish and serve.
Notes
Ensure bok choy is completely dry before cooking to prevent steaming. This dish is best served fresh, but leftovers can be reheated in a skillet.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stir-frying
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
