Quick and Easy Baby Bok Choy Recipe

This quick and easy baby bok choy recipe makes a great side dish with virtually any main protein, especially when the main dish requires a longer time and more effort to cook. Ready in 10 minutes, this sauteed baby bok choy is easy to prep and impossible to mess up (trust us — we tried 😊). 

By the way, bok choy is a cruciferous vegetable (like cabbage, cauliflower, or broccoli), tracing its origins to China. Low in calories, it packs a TON of good stuff in a small package: vitamin A, C, K, B6, E, calcium, folate, and beta-carotene. Bok choy is at the top of multiple lists of ‘healthiest foods’ for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant power. Bok choy is also beneficial for heart and bone health, immune systems, eyes, skin, and hair. Impressive, right?

That’s why people have been growing it for over 5,000 years. And it’s tasty too! If you are wondering, baby bok choy is the same vegetable as a regular bok choy, just harvested earlier. And depending on where you are, you may hear it referred to as pok choi, choy sum, pak choi, celery mustard, Chinese white cabbage, or Chinese chard. 

Ready to get cooking?

Ingredients: (makes 2 servings)

4-5 baby bok choys, thoroughly washed. (Does bok choy even have a plural form? Here it does 😊!)

2 cups of chicken broth

1 tablespoon of butter

2-3 tablespoons of minced garlic (depends on how much garlic you like)

1 tablespoon of turmeric (we are fans of turmeric, especially in winter months – it’s really good for you, and so flavorful!)

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

TIP: We prefer the smaller bok choy from our local Asian supermarket, and use 6-8 of them. We found the US supermarkets’ baby bok choys are larger. Cut the larger ones in half lengthwise.

Instructions:

1.Heat your wok or large deep skillet on medium-high and add 1 tablespoon of butter.

2. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

3. Add baby bok choy and sauté for additional 2-3 minutes until light golden char appears, and the leaves are bright green.

4. Pour chicken broth into the wok, gently stirring.

5. Add turmeric, salt, and pepper.

6. Bring broth to boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cover the wok and let it simmer for another 6-7 minutes.

7. Uncover, grab a slotted spoon, and serve immediately.

We love the texture of the baby bok choy in this dish. The bulbs will be just a bit firm and slightly charred, and the leafy parts lusciously soft but not mushy. The mild flavor of bok choy, in combination with fragrant turmeric, garlic, and chicken broth, come together wonderfully.

We recently enjoyed it as a side dish to these tender chicken cutlets that we first discovered while traveling in Ukraine. Try these two recipes together (or separately), and let us know the results! Enjoy!

For more recipes from our kitchen to yours, may we suggest this Chorizo in Wine recipe, Barcelonan Beans, or Easy No-Bake Blob Cookies?

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