Sesame-Miso Sous Vide Bok Choy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should I soak bok choy before cooking? ›

The simplest way to prep bok choy is to cut it in half lengthwise and submerge it in cold water for a few minutes. This will soften the dirt and allow you to remove it easily. Drain the water, check for dirt between the stalks, and run each half of bok choy under cold water.

You can find two main types of bok choy, Shanghai Bok Choy and Baby Bok Choy. Baby Bok Choy has white stalks and dark green, crinkly leaves with a more mineral taste. Shanghai Bok Choy has wide, jade-colored stalks shaped like soupspoons and light green smooth leaves with a more mild, celery-like flavor.

DESCRIPTION: Shanghai bok choy sum has a stronger taste than other varieties of bok choy. It has thick, crunchy stalks and lush green leaves.

Varieties. There are two main varieties of bok choy, regular and Shanghai. Regular bok choy has white stalks along with darker, crinkly leaves, whereas Shanghai bok choy features leaves that are smoother and oval-shaped, with light green stalks.

Traditional bok choy has dark, crinkly leaves and crisp, white stems; Shanghai bok choy has spoon-shaped leaves and jade green stems. The cool thing is that both the leaves and the stalks can be eaten, and this wonderful little plant is an excellent go-to for fiber, as well as for beta-carotene and vitamins C, K and A.

Acidity can really bring a pleasant flavor out of bitter greens. If they're being used for a salad, it's good to add a vinaigrette with plenty of acidity to brighten it up. If you are sauteing, add some vinegar or citrus to the greens to finish them off.

One case study suggests that eating bok choy raw in very large amounts may interfere with thyroid function, but this is probably not a concern with typical serving sizes. If you take blood thinning medication, you may want to watch your intake.

A meta-analysis and review of research in the journal Food Chemistry found that eating 100 grams of cruciferous vegetables, such as bok choy, every day was associated with a 10% reduction in the risk of death from any cause. (100 grams of cooked bok choy is a little more than a half-cup.)

Like other dark, leafy greens, bok choy is an excellent source of the flavonoid quercetin. Quercetin can help to reduce inflammation in the body, which may help to reduce your risk of developing a variety of chronic health issues such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Most varieties of en choy are easily identified by their dark red and bright green leaves. En choy is related to beetroot. Like beetroot, its bright red colour comes from antioxidants called betalains, which colour the water during cooking.

What Chinese vegetable is similar to bok choy? ›

Yu Choy, choy sum, or yao choy is a Chinese flowering cabbage with oval, green leaves and thin, light green stalks. It may not look like a bok choy, but it sure does provide you with sweet and slight bitterness just like a bok choy. It also has a hint of pepper and a mild, earthy taste.

Bitter melon: Bitter melon looks like a cucumber with light green, warty, wrinkled skin.

Apart from a small supply volume from the northeast, most bok choy comes from Hebei production areas. The production volume there is significantly reduced. In addition, the bok choy season in the northeast is almost over, while the season in Hebei is just starting.

In equivalent raw weight, bok choy contains more vitamin C, vitamin A, and some other nutrients than spinach and around the same amount of calcium. Spinach, however, contains higher amounts of some other nutrients, including vitamin K, than bok choy.

When you're done picking the leaves off, if you have time, soak them for 10-20 minutes. It'll make the next step of rinsing a little easier. Rinse the bok choy by holding them under the water and rubbing the stalk with your fingers to scrub off the dirt.

The whole bok choy is edible. Bok choy stalks are crisp and have a mild flavor whereas the crinkly leaves are tender after they are cooked a little bit.