Glazed Baby Bok Choy

At our house, we eat a lot of broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, and even peas -- all the "usual suspects" in the vegetable genre. But sometimes it's nice to change it up a little and that's where baby bok choy comes in! I bought this at a local Asian grocery, but I've seen it at my regular supermarket, too. If you have an Asian grocery, you can probably get a big bag of this for about $2! Score!

Baby bok choy is more tender and less bitter than its "adult" counterpart, and it cooks up beautifully in stir fries or sauteed with a light sauce, which is what we're doing here. This dish is a great side to any Asian main dish, or any grilled meat. 

First, wash and dry the bok choy. Kind of like celery, dirt can hide in the stalks and the leaves so give it a good once over. I usually spray it down and then double check for the dirties when I dry it with a paper towel. 

Heat your oil in a large pan until it's nice and hot, then add the bok choy, cut side down. I had to do this in two batches as to not crowd it. You want the vegetables to have plenty of room so that they brown nicely. 

After a couple minutes, flip them over and let them brown on the other side.

Repeat with your second batch, if necessary, and then cook the sauce slightly till it begins to thicken. Add all the bok choy back into the pan, and stir it around till it's all coated with the sauce.

Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with sesame seeds (oops, I forgot those! but they add a nice touch, so try to remember, ha!) 

DEE-LICIOUS! 

Glazed Bok Choy

1 pound baby bok choy
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. Thai sweet chili sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil 
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1-2 Tbsp. olive or avocado oil

Place the bok choy in a colander and rinse with cold water. Be sure to scrub off any dirt on the stalks or in between the leaves, then pat dry. 

Cut each bok choy in half lengthwise.

Combine the soy sauce, water, vinegar, sweet chili sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl or measuring cup. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy in a single layer, cut side down, and cook without stirring until the bottoms start to brown, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, flip the bok choy over and cook an additional minutes. Transfer to a plate. (I had to do this in two batches. You don't want to crowd them in the skillet, because you want them to brown nicely.)

Reduce heat to medium-low and add the sauce to the skillet. Simmer for 30 seconds or until slightly thickened whisking constantly.

Add bok choy back to the skillet and turn with tongs until the sauce glazes each bok choy halve. Transfer to a platter and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.