Bok Choy

Season: Fall, Winter, Spring

Storage: Keep in a perforated container in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Best if used within a few days.

Alternate Names: Chinese cabbage, white vegetable, pak choi, and Chinese mustard cabbage

A staple in Asian cuisine, bok choy has been grown in China for over 5,000 years. Luckily for us, this high nutrient & low-calorie veggie is now grown domestically. Bok choy is a relative of cabbage and can be enjoyed in many of the same ways. Prepare it raw (try it shaved into a slaw) or cooked. When steamed bok choy has a tender white interior. Enjoy it in your next stir fry or cut up on a veggie platter with your favorite dip.

Fun Facts: Sometimes when looking at a bok choy, you may see “freckles”. Like many, I have wasted a lot of time trying to scrub, what I assumed as dirt, off. These are actually called pepper spots! They are cosmetic differences that do not affect the taste or texture. Think of them as a unique birthmark or freckle!

Bok choy shows its age as brown and yellow patches along the white part of the stock. If you see this, be sure to pick your bok choy and eat it as soon as possible.

Eco-friendly tip: Due to its shallow shape, it can easily be doubled as a soup spoon!;)

You can find Bok Choy seasonally on our Farm Share or shopping at farmer’s markets, then share your favorite preparations through our Facebook page.

Bok Choy Shiitake Mushroom Stir-Fry

Recipe by the spruce Eats

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil, or other high-heat oil

  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2 teaspoons minced or grated fresh ginger

  • 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms, or 1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms plus 1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste (or tamari, Nama Shoyu, or another substitute to keep it gluten-free)

  • 1 head bok choy, chopped, or 2 to 3 baby bok choy, if you prefer

  • 5 to 6 scallions, or green onions, sliced

  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth

  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

  • Gather the ingredients.

  • Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a wok or large skillet. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the soy sauce, the bok choy and scallions, and cook for a couple more minutes.

  • Reduce heat to medium-low and add the vegetable broth. Simmer until the bok choy is crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes

  • Finally, stir in the sesame oil and the optional sesame seeds and remove from heat. Taste and add more soy sauce, if needed.

Vegan Vietnamese Pho with Bok Choy and Mushrooms

Recipe adapted from the spruce Eats

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, chopped coarsely

  • 2 to 3 star anise

  • 2 to 3 whole cloves

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 1 to 2 inches ginger, coarsely chopped

  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 4 cups vegetable broth

  • 1 (1-pound package rice noodles, prepared according to package instructions

  • 1 pound mushrooms, sliced (try using dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrated)

  • 2 baby bok choy, coarsely chopped

  • 6 scallions, chopped

  • 1 cup bean sprouts

  • 1/4 cup basil, coarsely chopped

  • 1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

  • 1 to 2 small chile peppers, sliced, optional

  • Lime wedges, optional

Instructions

  • Add all the broth ingredients—chopped onion, star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, chopped ginger, Chinese five-spice powder, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and vegetable broth—to a large pot.

  • Cover, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, covered, 45 minutes to an hour.

  • Strain the onion, anise, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger out of the broth and discard. Return broth to a simmer.

  • Gather the remaining ingredients.

  • Add the mushrooms and bok choy to the broth, simmer just until vegetables are barely tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.

  • To serve, divide the prepared noodles, the broth, bok choy, and mushrooms between 4 serving bowls.

  • Garnish individual bowls with scallions, bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, and chiles, if using. Serve with a fresh lime wedge, if you like.

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