Bok Choy with Garlic Sauce
March 30, 2022
1M+ Views Chinese Recipes Sides Vegetables
Bok Choy is one of my favorite vegetables and this garlic sauce is inspired by the many Chinese banquet dinners I ate with my family! The bok choy is crisp, tender, and tastes so good with the savory sauce. It’s a quick and easy side dish that is super versatile!
Watch the Bok Choy with Garlic Sauce Recipe Video Below!
INGREDIENTS TIPS
NEUTRAL OIL
My favorite neutral oil is avocado oil, but you can also use canola or vegetable oil! I don’t use olive oil when cooking Chinese food for two reasons: 1. It has a low burning point and 2. The flavor profile does not go.
SHAOXING WINE
If you cannot or do not want to use wine, you can sub with sherry, mirin, or chicken stock!
WHITE PEPPER
I get asked all the time if you can sub black pepper for white pepper – and my answer is, it depends BUT you need to watch the ratio. White pepper has a milder flavor profile than black pepper, so it’s a 1-1 substitute. I would start with less black pepper and add as you go. (But really, you should have white pepper in your pantry! It’s a staple in mine!)
RECIPE TIPS
WASH & TRIM
Be sure to wash and trim your bok choy, especially if the larger variety. You want the pieces to be bite size and not too big.
CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOUR GARLIC
The garlic only needs to be fried for a FEW SECONDS to get color, so be careful not to burn the garlic over too high heat.
PREMIX YOUR SAUCE
The cooking process for the sauce is FAST so it’s a great idea to premix your sauce together, then add it straight into the pan! The corn starch will help thicken the sauce into that velvety texture that Chinese restaurants made so famous.
Bok Choy with Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb bok choy
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 10 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp avocado oil
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 tbsp corn starch
Instructions
- Clean, wash and trim your bok choy. If the bok choy are larger, cut in half lengthwise and blanch in salted water for 1-2 minutes until bright green.
- Mix together oyster sauce, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sugar, white pepper, sesame oil, chicken stock & corn starch.
- In a pan, fry garlic for 15 seconds until fragrant; then add your sauce. Simmer over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Immediately spoon over bok choy & enjoy!
Made this the other night and it was amazing! Had it with the bok choy, broccoli and rice. It tasted just like you’d get at a restaurant, and it was really easy to make.
I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Thank you for this. Made this 2x now. So good! Did want to point out you did not list Shaoxing wine in ingredients but mention in it on step 2.
Hi Tina! I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks for pointing that out – the ingredient list has been updated!
Gotta admit – I didn’t get to eat more than couple of bites because my boys couldn’t stop eating it. I paired it with a few other things and it was off the table first!
So, there is no cooking of the bok choy iteself? In the recipe, it seems that only the garlic and sauce are cooked, and then poured over raw bok choy. Just checking…
The bok choy are blanched for 1-2 minutes in salted water. You can also refer to the recipe video for this step as well!
This sauce is perfect and it’s a great way to deliciously sneak in your greens 🥬
Definitely! 🙂
OH MY GOSH SOOOOO GOOD. I used baby bok choy, since it’s what I had. But seriously I ate the whole thing. So good.
Thanks Emily! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Love this simple yet delicious recipe. I used Chinese broccoli instead, and very delicious. Go-to recipe that I’ve made about 5 times already and perfect every time. Also half the ingredients for a smaller portion and still turn out perfect. You can’t go wrong with this one.
Sooo delish! 😋
Thanks Kimmy!
Looks incredible! I will prepare it soon. I just arrived China for living last week, so definitely i will look all your recipes and advices to learn about the delicious chinese cousine! Thanks