Bok Choy is a delicious and nutritious vegetable that can be used in various ways. It has a mild flavor, which makes it easy to incorporate into your favorite dishes. This guide will show you how to cut bok choy to prepare it for cooking and eating.
Before learning how to cut bok choy, get to know more of it!
Bok choy is also called Chinese cabbage or pak choi and has several varieties. The white stems are crisp and crunchy, while the leaves are tender and brightly colored with shades of green, red, or purple.
Bok choy looks like miniature cabbages with thick stalks and long leaves that grow in upright clusters on top of each other. The entire plant is edible, but only the heads are commonly sold in supermarkets because they have many uses in Chinese cuisine.
Bok choy varieties
The most common and popular types of bok choy are the following.
- Shanghai (also known as pak choi)
- Baby bok choy
- Tatsoi
- Shanghai Bok Choy
The most common type of bok choy is also called pak choi or Chinese white cabbage. It is pale green with thick white stalks and small green leaves.
This bok choy is typically grown from seedlings instead of seeds because it takes longer to grow than other varieties. Shanghai bok choy is good for stir-fries, soups, braising, or sautéing because it holds up well during cooking without wilting too much. It can be eaten raw in salads, but it’s usually cooked before serving raw so that it doesn’t wilt too much before the serving time comes around!
- Baby bok choy
Baby bok choy grows in clusters of small, tender leaves that look like miniature versions of fully-grown vegetables. This variety has a milder flavor than its fully-grown counterpart, but it can be used in a similar way, such as in soups and stir-fries or as a side dish.
- Tatsoi
Tatsai, also known as Tatsoi Bok Choy, is a variety of Chinese cabbage that grows in a loose rosette. It has long, thin dark green leaves and pale yellow flowers that are arranged in clusters. The leaves are tender and have a mildly sweet flavor.
This vegetable is often used in Asian cooking, both raw and cooked. It can be eaten raw, like in salads, or it can be steamed, stir-fried, or blanched. It’s also popularly used in soups with a strong ginger flavor.
Bok choy how to cut this vegetable?
There are different ways you can cut bok choy, such as the following.
- Simple slices
- Rectangles
- Diced
But before you learn how to cut bok choy, you need to prepare your vegetable first.
Preparation
- Use a sharp knife to slice the bottom of the bok choy. Remove 1 to ½ inches of its stem at the base of the leaves.
- Check the leaves and remove those discolored ones and the separated stalks.
- After that, put it in a bowl of water.
- Rub the leaves and stalks gently to remove any dirt or debris present.
- Drain the water.
- Rinse the stalk, especially the base, where dirt usually collects.
Bok choy how to cut: 3 Options
Option 1: Simple slices
Slicing is pretty easy. Here’s what you need to do.
- Put your clean stalks of bok choy on the cutting board.
- Start by collecting them in a bunch and cutting them in the middle so you can separate the leaves from the stem. You need to do this because they cook at a different paces.
- Next, hold your knife at a 45-degree angle to get a nice-handled cut. This angled cut makes the surface area that helps the stems to cook quickly.
Option 2: Rectangles
If you want bok choy rectangles, here’s what you need to do.
- Remove the leaves from the stem.
- Cut off the big leaves into smaller pieces.
- For those single stalks, you need to cut them lengthwise, making two halves.
- Then cut those halves into 1-inch rectangular bok choy pieces. This is great for sauteing with various vegetables.
Option 3: Diced bok choy
Diced bok choy is also a nice way to cut! Here’s what you need to do!
- Remove the leaves from the stalk.
- Cut the stalk lengthwise, making three long strips of the same width.
- Collect them in a bunch and cut the strips horizontally into half-inch pieces.
After learning bok choy how to cut, it’s time for recipe ideas!
Now that you know how to cut bok choy the right way, it’s time for delicious bok choy meals! Here are some mouth-watering and interesting recipes you can try!
- Grilled bok choy
- Creamy Coconut Bok Choy Soup
- Garlic-Lemon Chicken with Bok Choy
- Chicken with Ginger Sauce
- Ginger-Soy-Glazed Bok Choy
- Bok Choy Stir Fry with Ginger and Garlic
- Bok Choy Soup with Mushrooms and Fish Sauce
- Grilled sesame bok choy
Tips for cutting bok choy
Bok choy is a great addition to any meal, but it can be difficult to cut. Here are some tips for making sure you get the most out of your bok choy.
- Keep it cold! The best way to ensure that your bok choy stays fresh and crisp is to keep it cold. If you cook with it, try cutting off the stems before storing them in the fridge.
- Don’t cut too far down the stem. You’ll end up with an unappetizing amount of woody stalk. Instead, just make shallow cuts through the leaves and stems until you reach the base of the plant.
- Make sure that all pieces are roughly equal in size and shape so they cook evenly when you’re cooking them at high temperatures, like frying or stir-frying.
Learning how to cut bok choy is a must!
All in all, bok choy is an easy vegetable to work with. It has a refreshing flavor and can be prepared various ways to add new dimensions to your meals. It also has numerous health benefits, including anti-cancer properties and high levels of vitamin C. But you also want to get the most out of your bok choy, which means you need to know how to cut them properly.
By following the steps we mentioned above, you can surely enjoy a well-cut bok choy that you can use to brighten up your meals!