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5.0 from 54 votes

Bok Choy in Ginger Sauce

Recipe video above. My favourite way to cook bok choy is with a lovely shiny, ginger sauce. Great way to load up on leafy Asian greens quickly and easily! Be careful not to overcook the bok choy, it cooks really fast. Pan-steam for just 45 seconds, then it finishes cooking in 30 seconds with the sauce. Recipe also works great with other Asian Greens like pak choy, choy sum (see Note 1). Make this ginger version one day then garlic the next! Serve as a side, with fluffy rice or over noodles in soup.

Prep Time
3 mins
Cook Time
3 mins
Total Time
6 mins
Servings: 4 - 5 as a side
Calories: 81 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Asian , Chinese

Ingredients

  • 6 small bok choys , up to ~17cm/7" long, or other Asian greens (Note 1 + photos in post)
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup ginger , finely julienned (or 1 tbsp garlic)
  • 1/4 cup water
Sauce (Note 5 for Charlie shortcut!):
  • 3 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp light soy sauce , or all-purpose soy (Note 2)
  • 1 tsp oyster sauce (sub vegetarian oyster sauce)
  • 2 tsp Chinese cooking wine (Note 3)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil , toasted
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 tsp cooking salt
  • Pinch white pepper

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Cutting - Trim the base of the bok choy then separate all the leaves. Leave the delicate baby bok choy in the centre intact, it's precious! Cut giant stems in half lengthwise so they are all roughly the same size. Rinse in colander, shake off excess water (don't need to dry fully).
  2. Sauce - Stir Sauce ingredients except water in a jug until cornflour is dissolved. (Easier to make lump free with less liquid). Then stir in water.
  3. Gingery oil - Put the ginger and oil in a large non-stick pan. Turn onto medium heat. Once the ginger starts sizzling, sauté for 1 minute until it turns light golden and is a bit floppy. Add bok choy then use 2 spatulas to toss the ginger for around 15 seconds to coat.
  4. Steam - Turn heat up to medium, pour water over. Cover with lid and steam for just 45 seconds.
  5. Sauce - Remove lid (bok choy will still be a bit underdone), pour in sauce, toss for 30 seconds until sauce changes from murky to clear, and thickens. Bok choy should be just floppy but still soft crunch, not mushy. If your sauce gets too thick (Note 4), add a tiny splash of water and mix.
  6. Serve - Pour the bok choy and all the sauce onto a serving plate, then eat!

Notes

  • Bok Choy & other asian greens - can use other leafy Asian greens, such as pak choy, choy sum, baby and full size. For short ones, like the pictured baby bok choy, just trim the base and separate the leaves (keep stem and leafy part attached). For long ones, cut into 7.5cm/3" (ish) lengths (see photos in post). If the stems are really thick, cut in half. Toss the stems in first to give them a head start, then add the leafy part just at the end before adding water to steam.
  • Recipe will work with gai lan (Chinese broccoli) too, just get the stem going first (it's thicker so will take longer to cook) and steam it for a little longer (around 2 minutes in total).
  • Soy sauce - Use either light or all purpose soy sauce. But not dark soy sauce - flavour is too strong and the colour is too intense! More on which soy sauce to use when here.
  • Chinese cooking wine ("Shaoxing wine") is an essential ingredient for making truly "restaurant standard" Asian sauces, adds depth of flavour. More info on it here. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic sub - sub both the cooking wine AND water with low sodium chicken broth/stock.
  • Sauce relies on some water coming out of the bok choy as it steams. If your bok choy is old and shrivelled, not enough water will come out. Easy fix - just add a tiny splash of water!
  • Charlie option - To make this using Charlie (my all-purpose stir fry sauce), mix 2 tablespoons of Charlie with 1/4 cup water. Then use as the Sauce!
  • Leftovers will keep for 2 days but the vegetables do tend to get watery/floppy. :)
  • Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings.

Nutrition Information

Calories 81cal (4%) Carbohydrates 4g (1%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 7g (11%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 4g Trans Fat 0.02g Sodium 317mg (13%) Potassium 278mg (8%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 4468IU (89%) Vitamin C 45mg (50%) Calcium 107mg (11%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4- 5 as a side

Amount Per Serving

Calories 81

% Daily Value*

Calories 81cal 4%
Carbohydrates 4g 1%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 4g 20%
Trans Fat 0.02g 1%
Sodium 317mg 13%
Potassium 278mg 6%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 4468IU 89%
Vitamin C 45mg 50%
Calcium 107mg 11%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.