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This baby bok choy stir fry makes this green veggie taste irresistible! Pair it with a quick, punchy sauce to make it sing.
Got a bunch of baby bok choy? Here’s a way to make this cabbage-like vegetable sing: this Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry! This tasty veggie is a type of Chinese cabbage, with a satisfying crunch and a peppery kick. Cook it in a hot pan with mushrooms, garlic and a punchy sauce, and you’ll be amazed at the amount of flavor from this humble veggie. Serve this quick stir fry as a side dish or pair it with noodles and a protein to make a complete meal. Here’s how it’s done!
Ingredients in bok choy stir fry
Bok choy is a type of Chinese cabbage with long white stems that form dark green leaves. There are two ways you can find bok choy at the store. Standard bok choy, is large and looks like a head of cabbage, and baby bok choy is a mini version with a milder flavor that you can eat whole. Sauté it up in a stir fry and you can eat it with a knife and fork. It has a beautiful shape and a mild, lightly peppery flavor.
This bok choy stir fry is a mix of a few vegetables and a quick stir fry sauce that brings a big, savory umami to this crunchy vegetable. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Baby bok choy: make sure to buy the baby variety
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Orange juice
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Cornstarch
- Sesame oil
- Water and salt
How to prep the baby bok choy (and a few tips for eating)
Baby bok choy is quick to prepare because you can eat it whole, so there’s not much chopping involved. You can stir fry it whole in this recipe, or you can chop it up if you prefer: which makes it easier to eat. Here’s what to know:
- To serve whole, the bok choy in half and remove outer leaves. Wash and dry the baby bok choy, then slice it in half and remove any loose outer layers. When you eat it in the final dish, simply use a knife and fork to remove bites of the leaves and stems.
- Or, stir fry it chopped. You can chop the leaves off of the tough stem and roughly chop them, which makes it easier to eat. It tastes just as good!
For the stir fry sauce and slurry
This baby bok choy stir fry uses a cornstarch slurry to thicken it. You’ll simply mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 ½ tablespoons water, then add it after you add the sauce ingredients. It helps to create a glossy, thickened sauce that coats everything luxuriously. Here are a few things to note:
- Have the sauce ingredients prepped in advance. The cooking process goes quickly, so you’ll want to have everything mixed in small bowls.
- Make sure the heat isn’t too high. If the heat is too high when you add the sauce ingredients, can cause the liquid to evaporate too quickly and the sauce will be less thick. Make sure to reduce the heat to medium.
Ways to serve this baby bok choy stir fry
This baby bok choy stir fry is versatile as a side dish, but you can add a protein or noodles and call it a main dish! Either way, you’ll want to make sure you’re serving with a protein to make a complete meal. Here are a few serving suggestions:
- Serve with noodles like Quick Soba Noodles
- Add rice
- Add tofu or tempeh like Baked Tofu or Pan Fried Tofu
- Add shrimp like Sauteed Shrimp
- Add chicken
Another way to cook baby bok choy? Try Grilled Bok Choy.
More stir fry recipes
Love a good stir fry? Here are a few other great ways to cook vegetables:
- Try this Cauliflower Stir Fry
- Opt for Easy Stir Fry Vegetables
- Grab a Broccoli Stir Fry
- Go for a tasty Go-To Tofu Stir Fry
This baby bok choy stir fry recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
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Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This baby bok choy stir fry makes this green veggie taste irresistible! Pair it with a quick, punchy sauce to make it sing.
Ingredients
- 3 baby bok choy, halved
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- Water
- Kosher salt
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Wash and dry the baby bok choy, then slice it in half and remove any loose outer layers. (If desired, you can chop the leaves off of the tough stem and roughly chop them, which makes it easier to eat.) Slice the mushrooms and peel and slice the carrots. Peel and slice the garlic, and set it aside.
- Prepare a small bowl with the orange juice, soy sauce and rice vinegar. In another small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 1 ½ tablespoons water until dissolved.
- Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and carrots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned. Move the vegetables to the side to make space for the bok choy.
- Add baby bok choy cut side down, 2 tablespoons water, and a few pinches of kosher salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until bright green and just tender, stirring occasionally and turning the bok choy once.
- Add sliced garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the orange juice, soy sauce, and rice vinegar and stir to combine. Immediately drizzle in the cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly. Keep cooking about 1 minute until sauce thickens. Sprinkle with 1 pinch salt and serve immediately. When eating, cut off the bok choy leaves from the stem with a knife and fork. Serve with noodles or a protein (like baked tofu, chicken or shrimp).
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Stir fry
- Cuisine: Vegetables
- Diet: Vegan
Keywords: Baby bok choy stir fry
Let us know if you have any questions!
★★★★★
This was so flavorful – delish! This recipe is a keeper. Thank you.
★★★★★