Baby Bok Choy – Oh Joy!
Posted by terrepruitt on September 17, 2011
I am in love. I first mentioned bok choy on my blog when I was talking about foods that Dr. Oz thinks will help prevent cancer. When I first mentioned it I thought I had never had it, but some commentors pointed out that I more than likely had it in Chinese food. Yeah, they, of course, were correct. I really like baby bok choy in my soup. I thought it would make a good substitution for green garlic. I thought it was more like an onion. The other day I decided to buy some and add it to a chicken dish I had made. Oh my.
The baby bok choy added such a great flavor I wondered if I would like it sautéed by itself. So I cooked some up last night. I had faith I would like it. So much faith that I made my hubby collard greens, which he loves, so I wouldn’t have to share my baby bok choy. Oh my. It taste like butter. As I was eating it I kept thinking “butter”. So I wanted to verify that. So I sacrificed a bite to hubby. I said, “Does that taste like butter?” He agreed. I told him I didn’t put any butter in it and he said if he didn’t know better he would have said I was lying.
To cook it, I cut the ends off the top green portion and chopped them up, then after they are cooked tender I throw in the chopped green portion and cook them a bit. My cooking method is to saute it in garlic olive oil, with some onions and garlic salt – yeah, my norm.
I am convinced that boy choy does not taste the same although I have not tried it I just have experienced baby versions of veggies are different than “adult” versions. So I am sticking to the baby bok choy.
I forgot it was considered a cabbage. I was just reminded that I had heard that because I wrote it in my Dr. Oz post. But I don’t understand the classifications of fruits and veggies, so I am not surprised that I didn’t know it was considered a cabbage and then forgot it was considered a cabbage shortly after I learned it. I do not think of cabbage as “stalky”. I think of cabbage as a round head. But . . . bok choy is considered a cabbage. According to The Cook’s Thesaurus:
“bok choy = Chinese chard = Chinese white cabbage = Chinese cabbage = Chinese
mustard cabbage = pak choy = pak choi = baak choi = white mustard cabbage =
white celery mustard = taisai = bai cai” and “bok choy sum = Canton bok choy”
I could not find specific nutrition information on BABY bok choy but WebMD said:
Per 1 cup: Bok Choy Cooked
Calories 20
Fiber 3
Vitamin A 62%
Vitamin B-2 10%
Vitamin B-6 22%
Vitamin C 59%
Folic Acid 17%
Magnesium 6%
Potassium 18%
Omega-3s 100 mg
It is a cruciferous vegetable. Which family “takes its alternate name (Cruciferae, New Latin for “cross-bearing”) from the shape of their flowers, whose four petals resemble a cross,” according to Wiki. Cruciferous vegetables have a lot of phytochemicals which are thought to have anti-cancer properties. Could be that they also contain a lot of vitamins and minerals and are not short on delivering dietary fiber. All of which I think contribute to health.
I really believe that baby bok choy is a vegetable that people who do not like vegetables could use as a “gateway vegetable”. 🙂 They could eat it allowing them to get used to the idea of vegetables and it could help start them on the path of eating vegetables.
What about you, do you like bok choy? Have you tried baby bok choy? I have a feeling that you will see more post about baby bok choy as I experiment with cooking it and eating it.
Terre Pruitt's Blog 
Angelia Sims said
Nope haven’t tried that either….but, as always, you make it sound soooo good! I am a HUGE fan of butter. 🙂
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terrepruitt said
It’s really good for you. You might wanna try it. It has an amazing flavor!
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suzicate said
I like this in Chinese take out, but I have never attempted to cook it myself.
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terrepruitt said
I am not certain that they use baby bok choy in chinese take out. They might use regular bok choy. And I want to keep clarifying because I am not sure I would like regular bok choy. I haven’t bought it. The baby bok choy is BUTTERY! I swear I was cutting it up yesterday and I thought, “It even SMELLS like butter.” It is soooo good. I think it might be considered TWO colors of the rainbow. Maybe white and green? The bottom is white and the top is green. It is really easy to cook and very yummy. I love it.
I am so glad the stores don’t sell green garlic because I ended up buying baby bok choy and falling in love!
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Marcia Coakley (@DanceOfHealth) said
Poached, whole baby bok choy (trim the base a little, and wash well…so many ways and flavors.
Use lightly salted water, or slivers of garlic/ginger floating, with a little mirin (rice wine).
Or broth, of course,
Cook lightly and quickly. Bright color and slight crunch.
Yum
Thanks, Terre
Marcia
@danceofhealth
http://danceofhealth.com
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terrepruitt said
Poached — different than boiling. I have to remember that. Thank you.
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