I was inspired when I was flying to Miami to make something with bok choy – I had bought a few magazines for the trip and in Rachael Ray’s magazine she highlighted bok choy b/c it’s in season. Anyways – I’ve never cooked with it before – so I was intrigued.
Here’s what you’ll need: bok choy, ginger and garlic paste, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sesame oil, salt and pepper, and cashews – which of course I forgot to include in this photo! Duh!
Super simple – chop the bok choy into bite size pieces. I should note….I wasn’t sure how much of the white stalk to include. It made me a little nervous b/c I figured it would take forever to soften up while cooking and/or be chewy. Turns out – it gets nice and soft and quickly. Next time I will include more of it.
After you chop that up – heat a big pan over medium high heat. I say big pan….because even with just 1 bunch of bok choy – it is a lot in volume. It shrinks down considerably after cooking (similar to spinach) – but you’ll need a big pot to start off with.
Add in the ginger and garlic paste (if you don’t have the paste, then finely chop 1 inch piece of ginger and 3 garlic cloves) and sesame oil allow that to cook for less than a minute. Add in the bok choy, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and just a sprinkling of salt and pepper – then mix. It will look like this:
I allowed the bok choy to cook for a minute before putting a lid on the pot to allow the bok choy to steam. I was still really worried about the white stalks not cooking through. I let that steam/cook for about 5 minutes – stirring it every few minutes. While the bok choy is doing it’s thing – chop up the cashews. I used about a half cup – but that could easily be cut back if you want. I wanted a lot of them in there b/c I love cashews!
After about 5 minutes I removed the lid and pierced the white stalk pieces with a fork – and happily discovered that they were completely done. At that point all you have to do is add in the cashews – stir – and you’re ready to eat!
I must say – I was super happy with this dish. Very tasty – and the white stalks are not hard or crunchy. They look like celery kind of – but they don’t taste anything like that – as a matter of fact they taste smooth almost. It’s kind of hard to describe it. Anyways – this dish is a keeper and a great side dish for fish or chicken. It’s low carb and low-ish calorie — so that’s pretty awesome too! Enjoy!
Bok Choy w. Cashews
Serves 4 as a side
Ingredients:
1 head of bok choy
2 T. ginger garlic paste (1 inch piece of ginger, 3 garlic cloves)
1 1/2 t. sesame oil
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
2 T. low sodium soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. cashews
Directions:
Chop the head of bok choy into bite size pieces. Preheat large pan over medium high heat and add in the ginger garlic paste with the sesame oil. Allow that to cook for less than a minute – then add in the bok choy, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and a little salt and pepper. Stir until mixed and cook for 1 minute. After the minute – cover the dish with a lid and let cook for an additional 5 minutes – or until cooked through.
While dish is cooking, chop the cashews into small pieces. After bok choy is cooked – add in the cashews and stir.
Enjoy!
