Garlic Bok Choy (Quick & Healthy Recipe!) - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

FAQs

What is the healthiest way to eat bok choy? ›

In fact, bok choy may be beneficial for heart health, bone health, and thyroid function. It may even have anticancer properties. You may want to eat it in cooked form to reduce your intake of myrosinase, a compound that could interfere with iodine absorption.

All of Bok Choy is edible, so once you get to that point, you can chop up the stem and the bulb. If you want to keep the whole bok choy intact, we recommend using your fingers and opening the stalks so the water can reach it.

The simplest way to prep bok choy is to cut it in half lengthwise and submerge it in cold water for a few minutes. This will soften the dirt and allow you to remove it easily. Drain the water, check for dirt between the stalks, and run each half of bok choy under cold water.

Also known as Pac Choi, this type of Chinese cabbage is a member of the brassica family. The names Pak Choy and Bok Choy are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference, and it's all in the stem. Bok Choy has a white stem, whereas Pak Choy has a green stem.

Potential Health Benefits of Bok Choy

A meta-analysis and review of research in the journal Food Chemistry found that eating 100 grams of cruciferous vegetables, such as bok choy, every day was associated with a 10% reduction in the risk of death from any cause.

In equivalent raw weight, bok choy contains more vitamin C, vitamin A, and some other nutrients than spinach and around the same amount of calcium. Spinach, however, contains higher amounts of some other nutrients, including vitamin K, than bok choy.

Impaired Thyroid Function

Cruciferous vegetables such as bok choy contain an enzyme called myrosinase, which is released when the raw vegetable is chewed or cut. Myrosinase breaks down glucosinolates, releasing some byproducts which may impair thyroid function (11).

Too much bok choy: Risks and side effects

Like its cousins broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, bok choy is a cruciferous veggie. These veggies are notorious for causing gas and bloating, and some people are more sensitive to the cruciferous curse than others.

Baby bok choy can be fibrous, which makes biting into a whole leaf a stringy chore and an affront to etiquette. Remember, unless you are a non-Asian, there is no silverware brought to the table. The only tools you have to break down this unwittingly challenging vegetable are chopsticks and your teeth.

Put the bok choy in a steamer basket and place the basket over simmering water. Cook for about 6 minutes until the base of the bok choy is slightly tender. Test it with the tip of a knife, then serve. For best results, trim the stalks off before boiling, as the stalks take longer to cook than the leaves.

Is it better to steam or boil bok choy? ›

The best way to eat bok choy is to lightly steam or stir-fry it to retain its crisp texture. Overcooking makes it mushy. Bok choy has a delicious, mild flavor that pairs well with garlic, ginger, sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, chiles, or Whole30 peanut sauce.

Add Vinaigrette, Emphasis on "Vinegar"

Acidity can really bring a pleasant flavor out of bitter greens. If they're being used for a salad, it's good to add a vinaigrette with plenty of acidity to brighten it up. If you are sauteing, add some vinegar or citrus to the greens to finish them off.

Apart from a small supply volume from the northeast, most bok choy comes from Hebei production areas. The production volume there is significantly reduced. In addition, the bok choy season in the northeast is almost over, while the season in Hebei is just starting.

In Mandarin Chinese, the common name is 青菜 qīng cài ("green vegetable") or 小白菜 xiǎo bái cài ("small white vegetable"). Although it is simply called 白菜 baak choi ("white vegetable") in Cantonese, the same characters pronounced bai cai by Mandarin speakers are preferably used as the name for Napa cabbage.

The major shift in nutrients between raw and cooked bok choy is the level of vitamin C and K depletion when the vegetable is cooked. It's best to consume it raw to get the most nutrients or at the very least only lightly cook it.

Eating bok choy is a great way to add more health-promoting nutrients and compounds to your diet. The vitamins and minerals found in bok choy offer additional benefits, such as: Potassium, magnesium, and calcium help support normal blood pressure regulation, an important factor in heart health.

What is the difference between regular bok choy and baby bok choy? There is virtually no difference between regular-sized bok choy and baby bok choy. Baby bok choy is harvested earlier than regular-sized bok choy, and as a result, the vegetable is naturally smaller and overall is a bit sweeter.

Along with being crunchy and delicious, bok choy is full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that make it a beneficial addition to your diet. Like other dark, leafy greens, it's full of antioxidants and other compounds that help to promote better health.