Sauteed Bok Choy

 
 

This is one simple way you can make Bok Choy taste delicious.  Just cut each bok choy in half lengthwise and season with salt and pepper.

 

Heat your pan and add garlic infused olive oil, sesame oil and some grated ginger.

 

Saute your bok choy for 5 minutes maximum on a highish heat.  The leaves will wilt but the stalks should still be crunchy. 

 

This is a Low FODMAP dish.

Beetroot Avocado & Bok Choy Salad

 

I gave this Beetroot, avocado and bok choy salad a go.  I think I could have assembled it more stylishly but the taste was ok.  I did have to pre-cook both the bok choy and the beetroot.

 

Next time I would probably use canned baby beets because the roasting took forever – and didn't taste any better to me.

 

To prepare the bok choy I just took the leaf part – keeping the stems to use in a stir fry.  I then wilted them in boiling water for less than a minute and then refreshed them in a bowl of cold water.  After draining them I spread them out on kitchen paper to dry.  (I think baby spinach would work well as well)

 

I roasted the beetroot wrapped in tinfoil with a little olive oil.

 

Once the beetroot was cooked and cool enough to handle I cubed it up – getting my hands stained in the process.  Note to self – wear disposable gloves next time.

 

I plated it up by putting a layer of bok choy then cubes of beetroot and avocado (also cubed and with some lemon juice)

 

A splash of extra virgin olive oil and some salt and pepper and it was good to go.

Brined butter poached pork – a Tuesday rehash

First I brined the pork by leaving it to soak in salted water overnight and then I poached it in butter – which sounds decadent I know – but actually I kept the butter afterwards and used it in a variety of dishes over the next week or so.

To poach the pork, I simply popped it into large pot and covered it with melted butter – no boiling just a gentle simmer – took less than half an hour.  I didn't sear the pork first so that is why it looks quite pale.

As you can see I served it accompanied by hand cut baked fries and bok choy.

Before baking the fries I par boiled them for 5 minutes – which helps them be nice and fluffy in the middle and then the baking crisps up the outside.  To bake them I sprinkled them with salt flakes and tossed them in olive oil.

The bok choy was quickly sautéed with ginger and chopped brazil nuts.  I cut the stalks up finely and gave them a couple of minutes before putting the leafy parts in.

Pork, Bok Choy and Chilli with Sichuan Pepper and New Blog of the Month

You may be relieved to know that this Sunday's dish is not Japanese – but it is Chinese inspired.

Ingredients:

Pork mince

Bok Choy

1 tsp sugar

1 ½ tblsp soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp Chinese cooking wine

1 tsp Chinese black vinegar

Fresh ginger – grated

Oil for frying

1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)

2 tsp Chinese chilli paste

½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns, freshly ground

Method:

Mix together the pork, sugar, half the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine and black vinegar as well as half the ginger and leave steeping in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Heat up your pan/wok and put the vegetable oil in.  Fry the pork (in batches if you've got a lot) until it is well browned and beginning to crisp up.

Add the rest of the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine and vinegar along with the cornflour (mixed with a little cold water) and bok choy. 

Cook until the bok choy leaves have wilted but the stalks are still a bit crunchy.

Take off the heat, add the remining ginger and the chilli paste and Sichuan pepper – if you are not used to these spices add just a little bit to start with.  You can always add more.  Taste and then add a drop more soy sauce and sesame oil if you think it needs it.

Serve straight away

Now onto October's Blog of the Month.  Kath runs this month's Blog of the Month – In The Kitchen With Kath.  This is a very interesting food blog with a wide range of recipes. Kath is much better than I am at taking pics of the different stages of creating her dishes.  Recipes I have enjoyed include: Roasted Shrimp Cocktail, Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower and Simple Salmon Chirashi

Baby Bok Choy with Warm Miso Ginger Dressing

I would recommend anyone to try using baby Bok Choy in your meals.  Because it is young it is particularly tender.

Ingredients:

Baby bok choy

Sesame oil

Minced ginger

Mirin

Miso paste mixed in a little water

Fish sauce

¼ tsp chilli paste

Lemon juice

Pepper

Rice vinegar

Few chile slices for garnish – I forgot them before the pic – always rushing….

Method:

Slice each bunch in half lenthways.  Wash and dry it.

Heat your oil and then brown the bok choy quickly so there is just a bit of char on the cut side.

Add the other ingredients which will form a little Japanesy sauce.

Quick and tasty.

Slightly More Authentic Bok Choy

I quite often cook bok choy – but up to now haven't found a way that felt more authentically Chinese.

I prepared the bok choy by cutting off the stalks and chopping them reasonably finely.  That way they'll cook in the same time as the leaves.

I fried the bok choy is a mix of vegetable oil/sesame oil/chilli oil for no more than 3 or 4 minutes.  Then splash on some fish sauce and Chinese cooking wine and it's done.

Simple and quite delicious.

Some other ways I've done bok choy – Beetroot, Avocado & Bok Choy Salad, Prawn Stir Fry with Bok Choy, Sautéed Bok Choy,  Bok Choy Chilli Eggs