Bok choy is a dark green vegetable in the cabbage family with a mildly spicy flavor. It is rich in calcium, vitamins A and C, and is easy to grow. When cooking, it should be added at the end or briefly cooked.
Bok choy is a dark green in the cabbage family. It is generally associated with Chinese cuisine and often appears in stir-fries, soups and steamed dishes. The plant has a mildly spicy flavor suggesting a relationship to mustard and grows readily in many parts of the world outside of China, although it is not used extensively in other regional cuisines. It is also available in many grocery stores and sometimes identified as bok choy or white bok choy. Bok choy should not be confused with Napa cabbage, which is also sometimes labeled bok choy in grocery stores.
The formal name of bok choy is Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis. The plant has dark green, crisp leaves and crisp white stems, both of which are rich in calcium along with vitamins A and C. Superficially, it vaguely resembles a celery head with bunches of dark green leaves and is called celery cabbage in some parts of the world for this reason. When picking this veggie at the supermarket, look for an evenly colored specimen with crunchy leaves and no soft spots. When you’re ready to use the bok choy, cut off the bottom and rinse well under cold running water to remove any built-up dirt. Can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days after purchase.
Growing bok choy is also very easy, as it thrives in all USDA zones, although it can be frost sensitive if planted too early. It can be planted in containers or beds, about 20cm apart, and will be ready for harvest in about two months. Gardeners can start sowing bok choy in April and plant it later for a steady supply through the summer. If immature plants were to be exposed to frost or bad weather, they will quickly go to seed.
Since bok choy has a high water content, it quickly becomes mushy and limp when cooked. For this reason, it is usually added to a recipe at the end or very briefly cooked. The stems take longer to cook than the leaves, and many cooks separate the stems and leaves so the stems can be flipped about a minute before the leaves, allowing them more time to cook. The tangy flavor and crunch are excellent additions to Chinese food, but the delicious vegetable can also be tossed with noodles or added to a sauteed vegetable medley.
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