Braised Bok Choy, a Simple Shanghainese Dish | Hong Kong Food Blog with Recipes, Cooking Tips mostly of Chinese and Asian styles (2024)

This cooked vegetable tastes so nice that I think you may not believe it is nothing but only bok choy (白菜), dark soy sauce and sugar simmered together with water and oil.

The braising is also unbelievably easy. Boil sauce, sit vegetable in pot, adjust heat and, time. From boiling to simmering, all it takes is about 10 minutes or so!

While it is quick to prepare, enrichment is also simple. Just dump a few pieces of crashed garlic and/or ginger into the sauce, you can then easily have the vegetable come with more flavors.

Here, I keep this homey Shanghainese dish most basic. Perhaps I’m in the mode of multi-tasking myself: thinking to make the turnip cake, the water chestnut cake and maybe to catch up another custom for the Chinese New Year – have a haircut.

We are just nine days away from the Chinese New Year, have you started counting down for the Rabbit Year to come on February 3?!

Ingredients
300g bok choy
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp oil
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

Method

Soak whole pieces of bok choy in sink with sufficient water for about half an hour. As we are not going to cut off each stalk one by one, soaking makes dirts come out between leaves. Swish them in water and change water until clean. Give each bok choy the last rinse under running water if required.

Half each bok choy lengthwise, drain in a colander. If you have drained your vegetable to very dry, say more than an hour, you may need to increase the water amount from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup for making the sauce.

Mix water, dark soy sauce, sugar and oil in a pot or wok. Bring it to the boil over medium heat.

Put halved bok choy in the boiling sauce, with stalks touching the sauce. Slightly press down the vegetable if required. Cover.

Turn to low flame and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. My cast iron pot conducted and retained heat pretty well, so I checked the bok choy after it was simmered for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste and mix well (the boy choy are rather tender at this point, so be gentle if you do not want to break them). Dish up, with or without sauce, and serve hot.

Comments

Thank you for visiting, I would love to hear from you as much as I love to put up posts here ...

Juliana January 25, 2011
I love vegetables cooked in this way…they are so tasty and look so pretty 🙂 Love it!
Mary Moh January 25, 2011
This is one of my family’s favourite vegetables. I just got some from the Chinese shop the other day, I usually stir fried it or add them to soup…very delicious.
Little Inbox January 25, 2011
Oh yes, this is tasty! I know that. 🙂
penny aka jeroxie January 25, 2011
If I come visit, will you cook for me and take me out? 🙂 Looks awesome!
TasteHongKong January 25, 2011
@Mary Moh,
Yes, it is great to stir-fry them with garlic. For making soup, I like to boil the fresh bok choy with the dried ones, again a homey Chinese soup.
@penny aka jeroxie,
You come and take me out : ). I’ll flee from cooking.
See Also
Egg Foo Young Recipe - Better than Takeout!
Tastes of Home (Jen) January 25, 2011
Lovely your simple and homey dish! It’s hard to believe that CNY is coming so soon! 😀
noobcook January 25, 2011
I love it when a recipe does not have too many ingredients, yet delicious and beautiful =)
tigerfish January 25, 2011
Agree with noobcook. When it does not have too many ingredients, yet producing a tasty dish, it just calls my name 😉 …Sugar is quite an impt ingredient in Shanghai food – they like it sweet!
I also made a Shanghai dish 烂糊肉丝 which uses cabbage.
TasteHongKong January 25, 2011
@tigerfish,
I just enjoyed reading your recipe on 烂糊肉丝. And I can see how happy you are with the dish, a nice homey dish indeed.
Carolyn Jung January 26, 2011
A great side dish for a busy weekday. You know my other new fave way to cook bok choy? Would you believe in the microwave? It comes out with the perfect crisp-tender texture. Then, I just drizzle on some oyster sauce and sesame oil, and it’s good to go.
Lena January 26, 2011
normally i just simple fry bok choy, never done braising before, thanks for sharing another great idea! I havent done any serious shopping yet for CNY, only bought some waxed duck meat and some sausages 2 days ago.
Lisa H January 27, 2011
Looks yummy… My kids love anything braised in soy sauce n probably won’t notice that this dish has no meat at all … Thank you 🙂
Lori January 27, 2011
So simple, yet so delicious! I definitely have to try this one. It is difficult to find the small bok choy here. It seems everyone wants to grow things big. Perhaps at the farmer’s market this summer though. I absolutely love greens like this.
TasteHongKong January 27, 2011
@Carolyn Jung,
Although I do not have a microwave oven, I do sometimes blanch veggie and serve it with sauce and oil, which also is one of my fave ways to enjoy them.
@Lena,
Hope you enjoy braised vegetables from now on.
@Lisa H,
You are welcome, I do wish both you and your kids will be happy with it.
@Lori,
I wish I could try this with the fresh ones direct from farmer markets, which am afraid are very rare here in H.K. With bigger bok choy, I’ll quarter them. Good luck and enjoy.
mycookinghut January 28, 2011
I love baby bok choy! I have never tried to braise it in soya sauce. Thanks for this yummy looking dish!
pigpigscorner January 28, 2011
I love the colour on the veg! Have to try this method instead of just stir-frying my greens =P
Pepy @Indonesia Eats January 28, 2011
What a lovely dish! I’m counting down for the Rabbit year.
Mei Teng January 29, 2011
Delicious looking. Although I must admit this vegetable isn’t my favourite one.
milkitchen January 30, 2011
Oh another healthy and easy making dish for my 2 year old. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Maria @ Scandifoodie March 23, 2011
I love this! That green has such gorgeous colour, it looks really inviting!
esk March 29, 2011
i tried this recipe for my dinner last night and OMG i LOVED IT
thank you for an amazing recipe! 🙂
TasteHongKong March 29, 2011
@esk,
Thanks for advising me you love this recipe. I’m grateful for your kind words.
Lola November 4, 2011
The salt is not necessary, it has soy sauce in it.
TasteHongKong November 4, 2011
@Lola,
Soy sauce and salt here balance each other. We may need more soy sauce for enough saltiness, but it will make the vegetable too dark.
Megan October 4, 2012
Great recipe! Served this with seared scallops.
TasteHongKong October 4, 2012
@Megan,
That would be a great meal for me too. Thanks for your feedback!
Link Roundup (March 2013) | Brunette à Bicyclette March 4, 2013
[…] things we’ve been cooking lately: these pita breads, this ridiculously simple braised bok choy, and this pasta, perfect forwhen you’re almost too tired to cook but takeout just […]
15 Chinese New Year Recipes: Dumplings, Beef, Pork & Shrimp February 1, 2014
[…] Braised Bok Choy […]
ATT June 17, 2014
Substituted with baby kai lan, nice tasting too
9 x 10 Summer Recipes for that Real Summer Feel | Across the Blank Gap June 28, 2014
[…] 6. Braised Bok Choy, from Taste Hong Kong […]
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer February 19, 2015
I have made this recipe many times now, and love it! I usually eat the entire meal myself which is awful, but I am so greedy when it comes to good food!
TasteHongKong March 7, 2015
@Kacey @ The Cookie Writer,
Who would not be greedy when it comes to good food!?
Sorry for holding this with other spam comments, and my delayed response as I was out of town. Excuse me!

Braised Bok Choy, a Simple Shanghainese Dish | Hong Kong Food Blog with Recipes, Cooking Tips mostly of Chinese and Asian styles (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Shanghai bok choy and bok choy? ›

Shanghai Choy is a special bok choy variety with jade green stalks instead of white. The size is a bit smaller than the regular bok choy, hence the reason why you can often spot them in the market labeled as baby bok choy. Shanghai choy has wide pale green stalks shaped like a soup spoon and smooth oval-shaped leaves.

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How do you eat Shanghai bok choy? ›

How to prepare bok choy. 2 Shred or cut across the leaves, and cut stalks into small slices along the diagonal. Stir-fry bok choy for a minute, season with salt, then add a small amount of water or chicken stock and simmer for a few minutes. Add fresh ginger and sesame oil to liven up this easy stir-fry.

Read On ›

What is the difference between pac choy and bok choy? ›

Also known as Pac Choi, this type of Chinese cabbage is a member of the brassica family. The names Pak Choy and Bok Choy are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference, and it's all in the stem. Bok Choy has a white stem, whereas Pak Choy has a green stem.

Is bok choy better than spinach? ›

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.

Learn More Now ›

Is bok choy healthier than cabbage? ›

It is substantially higher in folate, vitamin C, vitamin A, and calcium than its cruciferous cousin napa cabbage. One cup of cooked shredded bok choy contains 69.7 micrograms of folate, 44.2 milligrams of vitamin C, 7220 international units (IU) of vitamin A, and 158 milligrams of calcium shares the Dietitian Mom.

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What part of bok choy is bitter? ›

Generally speaking, the flavor of bok choy is mild and cabbage-like. Its green leaves are a little bitter, and the white stalks are juicy and retain their crunch even after cooking.

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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.

Learn More Now ›

Why do Chinese people eat bok choy? ›

Bok choy is similar to other cabbages: It is rich in vitamin C and contains significant amounts of nitrogen compounds known as indoles, as well as fiber -- both of which appear to lower the risk of various forms of cancer. Bok choy also is a good source of folate (folic acid) and potassium.

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Why is bok choy so expensive? ›

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.

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What do Chinese call bok choy? ›

In Mandarin Chinese, the common name is 青菜 qing cai ("green vegetable") or 小白菜 xiao bai cai ("small white vegetable"). Although it is simply called 白菜 baak choi ("white vegetable") in Cantonese, the same characters pronounced bai cai by Mandarin speakers are preferably used as the name for Napa cabbage.

Can you eat raw Shanghai bok choy? ›

You can consume bok choy raw, roasted, or cooked on the stovetop in a soup, stir-fry, or fried rice dish. You can incorporate bok choy into your diet in Asian dishes and many other ways.

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Do you eat the bottom of bok choy? ›

All of Bok Choy is edible, so once you get to that point, you can chop up the stem and the bulb. If you want to keep the whole bok choy intact, we recommend using your fingers and opening the stalks so the water can reach it.

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How long should you soak 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.