Saucy, spicy and tender bok choy
Hi! I'm Jameson, traditional Chinese restaurant kid turned queer plant-forward food lover. I am so happy you are here and I hope you stay for some tea.
Jameson Hsu
•
April 15, 2024
One of the most delicious ways to have bok choy. I absolutely love how saucy this is and how it can be eaten all in one sitting with some rice and be so nourishing for your body. Unless you’re me and recently realized your gut is sensitive to garlic/alliums and spicy so this was a bit of a sacrifice to enjoy all the flavors…
Around this time last year, I tried making a version of this but I didn’t cook anything. That was the biggest mistake because the bok choy retained a heavy metallic aftertaste, and all the raw garlic and onion was really pungent. It overshadowed everything else and wasn’t balanced at all. Almost an exact year later, I coincidentally tried again with adjustments and this is wayyyyy better.
In a pot of salted, boiling water, blanch your bok choy (1 lb) for 30 seconds and remove. Immediately place in an ice bath or run under cold water to stop the cooking.
Prepare your aromatics by slicing the base of the spring onion (⅓) and finely mincing your garlic cloves (3 cloves). Add both into a bowl along with the gochugaru (1 Tbsp) and mix.
Heat up a skillet or small saucepan. Add neutral oil (2 Tbsp) and then your aromatics and gochugaru mix. Let that sauté until fragrant. Add some water to deglaze the pan. Add sugar (½ Tbsp), light soy sauce (1 Tbsp), and Yondu (1 Tbsp). Add about a tablespoon of water and mix well. Let that cook down until you get a thick but runny sauce.
Drain the bok choy and squeeze out the excess liquid. Add in your sauce and mix well with your hand. Add toasted sesame oil (2 Tbsp) and sesame seeds (2 tsp). Mix one final time and serve with a bed of steamed medium grain rice.
Enjoy~
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