Simple Stir-Fry: Shanghai Bok Choy
Some variation of tumis sayur, a side dish of stir-fried greens, is often found on the Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean dinner table. Three ingredients — Shanghai bok choy, garlic, and fresh chiles — come together within minutes to create a simple but satisfying addition to any meal. The fresh chiles are essential in this dish. Aside from adding a bit of heat, it adds smokiness that complements the garlic aroma well.
Needless to say, such simple flavorings call for the freshest greens cooked as briefly as possible. Best served immediately, begin stir-frying once the table is set and the rest of the meal is ready.
Arguably China’s most well-known vegetables, regular bok choy and Shanghai bok choy can be easily confused with each other. One easy way to distinguish each varietal from the other is to compare the colors of the stalks and leaves. Regular bok choy have pearl white stalks and deep green leaves while Shanghai bok choy have greenish white stalks and paler green leaves. Shanghai bok choy will be smaller and more tender — perfect for the brief stir-frying called for in tumis sayur.
Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Divya of Dil Se
recipe adapted from James Oseland’s Cradle of Flavor
Stir-Fried Shanghai Bok Choy with Garlic and Chiles
Tumis Sayur
makes 4 servings
Shanghai bok choy, approximately 8 heads (12 ounces / 340 grams)
3 tablespoons peanut oil
4 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1 to 2 fresh red chiles, or to taste
Notes:
- As with any stir-fried recipe, prepare and portion all of the ingredients even before heating up the wok.
Prepare the ingredients for stir-frying. Trim the bottoms of the bok choy to separate the stalks. Discard the bottoms. In a large bowl filled with cold water, gently wash the bok choy in several changes of water until thoroughly cleaned. Sand and grit will settle in the bottom of the bowl.
Using a salad spinner or paper towels, dry the bok choy thoroughly.
Bruise the garlic cloves lightly and peel. Chop coarsely into 3 to 4 large chunks.
Stem the chiles and slice thinly on the diagonal.
To Stir-Fry:
Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peanut oil and continue to heat until the oil is shimmering but not smoking. If the oil is smoking, remove from the heat briefly to cool. Add the garlic, chiles, and salt. Stir-fry vigorously for no more than a minute, ensuring that the garlic does not brown.
Add the Shanghai bok choy. Stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the leaves begin to wilt and the stalks are still firm and crisp. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
To Serve:
Serve immediately in a wide platter, preferably in a single layer. This will keep the greens from overcooking and turning mushy on the plate.
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August 10th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
This looks great Jude! Bok choy is one of my fave vegetables and I hope to try this recipe soon!
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August 11th, 2008 at 12:38 am
I love bok choy and this is exactly how I make it at home. Though we don’t get Shanghai bok choy here, the same tastes great with the regular kind as well.
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August 11th, 2008 at 2:35 am
Bok choy looks gorgeous..Great pics..And thanks for sending this to WHB
August 11th, 2008 at 5:50 am
Absolutely gorgeous! I absolutely love stir-fried bok choy
August 11th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Greetings! I understand from the roundup that you are another chicago blogger. Nice to meet ya! This bok choy looks delicious. I always want to try cooking with more bok choy.
last blog post: Irish Chicken Salad Sandwich on Soda Bread
August 11th, 2008 at 9:40 am
That looks so fresh and good.
I love stir fried bok choy, especially with Thai chilies and garlic. Sounds wonderful.
And your photos are absolutely beautiful.
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August 11th, 2008 at 9:41 am
what a beautifully simple dish
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August 11th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Wow! Gorgeous! Between the Olympics and this, I’m going to HAVE To have some stir fry this week!
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August 11th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I haven’t heard of Shanghai Bok Choy before. I wonder if that’s what my store calls Baby Bok Choy? Anyway, this sounds delicious no matter what it’s called. Love you top photo especially.
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August 11th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
That looks both simple and tasty!
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August 12th, 2008 at 4:02 am
You’ve done it again. This looks stunningly simple, beautiful and elegant. Not to mention delicious. Wow!
August 12th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Bok choy simply steamed or stir-fried is one of our favorites. I love the addition of chiles in your recipe.
Your photos are beautiful!
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August 12th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Even your simple stir-fry looks so freaking amazing! Gack!
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August 12th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Really beautiful dish! We celebrated the opening of the Olympic games with a dish that included Baby Bok Choy. This stir fry method is so quick and easy and looks delicious.
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August 12th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
What a beautiful dish – lovely colors! Bok choy is one of my “new” favorite vegetables, and stir-fried with garlic my favorite preparation.
August 12th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Can always use new lunch dish ideas – in which, I tend to use a lot of bok choy. This will work great… perhaps with some grilled tofu or pork.. must be hungry!
August 12th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Oh my, I love bok choy, especially stir fried! This is so going on the menu next week.
August 12th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
By the way Jude, I’ve found on the last few posts that if I don’t un-click the “add a link to your last blog post” at the bottom it presents with an error message and won’t allow me to post a comment. I just figured this out now after struggling to post a comment on your beautiful zucchini rolls. It might just be me, but I thought I should let you know.
August 12th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
joelen – bok choy is one of my favorites, too. very easy to prepare but always satisfying.
arundathi – yup, it definitely works great with the regular bok choy as well
divya – thanks for hosting!
ellie – thanks!
erin – always nice to hear from Chicago bloggers. been checking out your blog from time to time.
natashya – thanks! it’s not fun to shoot while stir-frying but oh well.
kat – very simple for sure – just the way i like it.
rebecca – can’t go wrong with stir-fried vegetables
kalyn – sometimes this is labeled as shanghai baby bok choy – almost 100% sure it’s the same vegetable.
kevin – simple and tasty is always good isn’t it?
tom – thanks for the kind words.
oggi – the chiles make a big difference to me. gotta have it if you ask me.
ts – thanks
kellypea – i want a “phelps phan” t-shirt
paninikathy – I always have bok choy on hand. so many good ways to prepare it
sookie – I’ve tried it with tofu and ground pork, too. just need rice and it’s a full meal.
sweetbird – thanks for letting me know about that little glitch. i always appreciate comments and it wouldn’t be nice if it broke after taking the time to post a note.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
My mom makes this ( ans so have i) like a thousand times. But it is good every time!!
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August 15th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
I made this recipe last night and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing it.
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August 17th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
[...] Simple flavorings. August 17, 2008, 4:12 pm Filed under: Apple Pie Patis & Pâté | Tags: bok choy joy, chile-loco, eat your vegetables Shanghai bok choy, garlic, and fresh chiles. [...]
September 14th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Great directions and fantastic photos. Well done! Bok choy in any incarnation, and it’s many cousins, are some of my favorite greens. I love the contrast of the crisp stems and the tender greens. And they “absorb” flavors wonderfully, which makes them incredibly flexible.
March 11th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
[...] Rather than tell you again how I like to cook Asian greens, I’m just going to link to another blogger who actually knows what they’re doing when they’re cooking. Jude at Apple Pie, Patis, & Pâté has a a yummy-looking recipe for this vegetable, Simple Stir-Fry: Shanghai Bok Choy. [...]
January 4th, 2012 at 2:31 pm
Ganun ba? I really thought 6am start nya, 6:30am start for a 10km is too late na. Nice to see you sir! Mizuno Run club uli?
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