Ok I have to admit I was not excited to try another new vegetable after the beet incident. But after doing some research I figured I’d give the bok choy a shot. Bok Choy (also called Chinese cabbage) is often served steamed or stir fried. I can also be chopped and mixed in with salad greens or cole slaw for a slightly tangier flavor.
My head of bok choy had wilted a bit since last Wednesday when I picked it up because my refrigerator is turned up too cold and the leaves that where not completely in the Ziploc bag froze a bit. So starting out I was worried. I really thought this was going to be disaster number two. But then I thought about how often I use frozen vegetables in stir fry and thought “what the hell I’ll give it a shot”. So here’s my recipe
1 head bok choy (including stems) – chopped
½ sweet onion – chopped
1 green bell pepper – chopped
3 chicken breasts – cubed
½ c vegetable oil
½ c soy sauce
2 tbs honey
3 tbs red wine vinegar
½ tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
Sweat the onion in a pan large enough for all your ingredients. As the onion is sweating start the chicken. Add ¼ c oil (enough to cover the bottom of another skillet. Cook the chicken through. Add ¼ c oil to the onions. Add the peppers once to the onions when the onions are soft but not limp. Add the chopped bok choy to the onions and peppers (you should have 2 pans on the stove, one with chicken and one with vegetables). Turn vegetables over so the hot peppers and onions are on top and the bok choy is on the bottom. Cover and let steam until tender stirring occasionally.
While all that is going on mix your sauce. Add the honey, soy, red wine vinegar and pepper to a bowl and mix.
When the bok choy and chicken are both cooked through add the chicken to the bok choy and stir to combine. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and mix to coat.
** I’m not exactly sure on the measurements of the sauce. I eyeballed it as usual, sorry! It’s worth tasting it to make sure it’s not to sour, sweet, salty or spicy.
Now! (We all used to stand at attention when my Mom would say that because she wanted us to do something, usually cleaning) Plate and serve. I used a really neat oblong deep serving dish.
I served this with rice made with chicken stock and a little bit of soy sauce instead of water.
I found the boy choy to be a nice hearty green with a solid crunch even when cooked; the stems are like biting into a stem of celery without the stringy woody texture. It however tastes nothing like celery; it’s more like normal cabbage. I can see this being good in a salad with baby corn, cucumbers, oranges, and bean sprouts or bamboo shoots. Throw a little Asian vinaigrette on it and that sounds like a pretty good lunch to me! I’d probably add some protein too, maybe a lime chicken or shrimp.
Verdict: I’ll buy bok choy. And it got the thumbs up from the man of the house! I think he was a little concerned when I said “I’m just making this one up” about the recipe. But I’m learning. Balance is the key. Balance salty (soy), sour(red wine vinegar), and spicy(red pepper) with sweet (honey). And don’t add too much, too many ingredients, too much sweet or salty. I’m also learning not to over spice. I tend to add too many different ingredients and make the flavor profile too complex so you miss out on the beautiful simplicity of a sauce.
One more note: If you’re going to buy bok choy before the day you need it (as most of us in the States do) put the whole head, or as much as you can fit, in a Ziploc bag with a moist paper towel at the bottom. This will keep the bok choy fresh for about a week in the refrigerator. Just be careful if your refrigerator is too cold like mine. You might want to put it in the vegetable compartment if you have one.
**Special Thanks to Don and Lois for the awesome serving dish.
My head of bok choy had wilted a bit since last Wednesday when I picked it up because my refrigerator is turned up too cold and the leaves that where not completely in the Ziploc bag froze a bit. So starting out I was worried. I really thought this was going to be disaster number two. But then I thought about how often I use frozen vegetables in stir fry and thought “what the hell I’ll give it a shot”. So here’s my recipe
1 head bok choy (including stems) – chopped
½ sweet onion – chopped
1 green bell pepper – chopped
3 chicken breasts – cubed
½ c vegetable oil
½ c soy sauce
2 tbs honey
3 tbs red wine vinegar
½ tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
Sweat the onion in a pan large enough for all your ingredients. As the onion is sweating start the chicken. Add ¼ c oil (enough to cover the bottom of another skillet. Cook the chicken through. Add ¼ c oil to the onions. Add the peppers once to the onions when the onions are soft but not limp. Add the chopped bok choy to the onions and peppers (you should have 2 pans on the stove, one with chicken and one with vegetables). Turn vegetables over so the hot peppers and onions are on top and the bok choy is on the bottom. Cover and let steam until tender stirring occasionally.
While all that is going on mix your sauce. Add the honey, soy, red wine vinegar and pepper to a bowl and mix.
When the bok choy and chicken are both cooked through add the chicken to the bok choy and stir to combine. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and mix to coat.
** I’m not exactly sure on the measurements of the sauce. I eyeballed it as usual, sorry! It’s worth tasting it to make sure it’s not to sour, sweet, salty or spicy.
Now! (We all used to stand at attention when my Mom would say that because she wanted us to do something, usually cleaning) Plate and serve. I used a really neat oblong deep serving dish.
I served this with rice made with chicken stock and a little bit of soy sauce instead of water.
I found the boy choy to be a nice hearty green with a solid crunch even when cooked; the stems are like biting into a stem of celery without the stringy woody texture. It however tastes nothing like celery; it’s more like normal cabbage. I can see this being good in a salad with baby corn, cucumbers, oranges, and bean sprouts or bamboo shoots. Throw a little Asian vinaigrette on it and that sounds like a pretty good lunch to me! I’d probably add some protein too, maybe a lime chicken or shrimp.
Verdict: I’ll buy bok choy. And it got the thumbs up from the man of the house! I think he was a little concerned when I said “I’m just making this one up” about the recipe. But I’m learning. Balance is the key. Balance salty (soy), sour(red wine vinegar), and spicy(red pepper) with sweet (honey). And don’t add too much, too many ingredients, too much sweet or salty. I’m also learning not to over spice. I tend to add too many different ingredients and make the flavor profile too complex so you miss out on the beautiful simplicity of a sauce.
One more note: If you’re going to buy bok choy before the day you need it (as most of us in the States do) put the whole head, or as much as you can fit, in a Ziploc bag with a moist paper towel at the bottom. This will keep the bok choy fresh for about a week in the refrigerator. Just be careful if your refrigerator is too cold like mine. You might want to put it in the vegetable compartment if you have one.
**Special Thanks to Don and Lois for the awesome serving dish.
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