This Garlic Bok Choy recipe is packed with flavor and super fast and easy to make.
The joy of bok choy is that it doesn’t take long to cook. It has a strong and lovely flavor that is complimented with simple additions like garlic and chili paste. This bok choy goes well with almost any roasted or grilled meat.
Easy & Inexpensive!
- Bok choy is a budget-friendly vegetable. This Chinese cabbage can be eaten cooked or raw and can be bought in almost any grocery store. The stalks are crisp while the dark green leaves have a slightly earthy flavor.
- This is a simple and quick recipe that yields a fresh and flavorful dish, worthy of any restaurant side.
- The sauce uses just a few ingredients but packs a lot of flavor!
- Serve this with some Instant Pot Rice, Sesame Ramen Noodles, or even some Sesame Ginger Noodle Salad.
Ingredients
BOK CHOY Bok choy is good to eat raw or cooked (and great shredded into salads), it can be found in almost any grocery store. Buy fresh baby bok choy and ensure that the leaves are not wilted and that the stems look fresh and perky.
SAUCE There isn’t much to this sauce, it’s simple and flavorful. Sesame oil has a strong nutty flavor, while the chili paste will give it a little extra kick and soy sauce adds salt.
Variations
- SEASONING We love lots of garlic with bok choy but you can add in minced fresh ginger or some lemon zest as well.
- SPICE This bok choy recipe packs a bit of heat from the sambal oelek, if you’d you can use less for less heat (or try our sesame ginger bok choy which is milder).
- VEGGIES The spicy garlicky mixture is great with other vegetables from bell pepper to carrots or broccoli.
How To Prepare Bok Choy
Be sure to wash it very well as grit or dirt hides between the stalks.
- For this recipe cut the bok choy in half lengthwise (top to bottom).
- Rinse it under cold water and then allow it to drain in a colander. Check it well because there can be a lot of dirt between the stalks.
- Pat dry before cooking (if there is too much water it will steam instead of cook).
How to Make Bok Choy
This easy bok choy recipe cooks in less than 10 minutes. Serve it up with almost any grilled or roasted meat from salmon to steak.
- Cut & clean the bok choy.
- Saute in pan with vegetable oil.
- Add sauce ingredients and cook a few minutes (per the recipe below).
- Garnish with sesame seeds & enjoy.
Tips for Great Bok Choy
- Rinse the bok choy well, there an be a lot of dirt between the stalks.
- Cook it cut side down to get a little color. Flip as needed.
- Garlic can burn easily so it is added towards the end of cooking. Move the bok choy off to the side to fry the garlic.
- I add a little water to the pan to help steam/cook the bok choy. If you have both on hand, you can add that instead.
Veggie Inspired Stir-Fries
- Chicken Udon Stir Fry – a 30 minute meal
- Sesame Broccoli Stir Fry – budget-friendly
- Beef & Bok Choy Stir Fry – easy weeknight meal
- Easy Ramen Stir Fry – a reader fave
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry – perfect served over rice
Did you make this Bok Choy Stir Fry? Leave a rating and a comment below!
Quick Bok Choy Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound small bok choy about 3-4 small heads
- 3 cloves garlic minced, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sambal oelek (garlic chili paste), optional
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cut bok choy in half lengthwise and rinse well. Shake dry.
- Preheat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add bok choy, cut side down, and 2 tablespoons of water. Cook 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally, until the bok choy becomes tender-crisp.
- Move the bok choy to one side and add garlic and sesame oil. Cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in soy sauce and chili paste if using. Toss with bok choy.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and serve warm.
Notes
- Rinse the bok choy well, there an be a lot of dirt between the stalks.
- Cook it cut side down to get a little color. Flip as needed.
- Garlic can burn easily so it is added towards the end of cooking. Move the bok choy off to the side to fry the garlic.
- I find that the soy sauce and Sambal Oelek add enough salt for my liking but as with all recipes, season to taste.
- I add a little water to the pan to help steam/cook the bok choy. If you have broth on hand, add that instead.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Asian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I am fortunate enough to have a small Asian grocery store really close to me and they always have very fresh baby bok choy, so I tend to buy it quite often. I usually do a quick stir-fry, adding some quartered onion, broccoli and a bit of red bell pepper for colour, along with – of course! – a LOT of garlic. I will definitely be giving this method a try this week, as soon as I go and replenish my stock of bok choy, and I need to get some sesame seed and chili garlic sauce as I am out of both. But the picture looks so good that I know just by looking at it how great it will taste!
We would love to hear what you think Robert!
Can you use regular chili paste instead of sambal oelek?
Yes, that should work just fine Anushka! If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
for me bok choy is the elevated cabbage. I prepped as directed except I added asparagus and yellow squash to go “all out veggies”. Also I watch my salt intake & used no sodium veggy broth in place of chili/soy sauce. this is a foundation side or main dish for me. Gr8 recipe..will pass on!!
This is delicious and easy. Baby Bok Choy is a veggie that I haven’t cooked at home before now. Nice change for us! You could definitely double the chill paste/ soy sauce mixture. Thanks Holly!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Glad I stumbled across this recipe while looking for something else. My son’s girlfriend loves bok choy. I have a huge vegetable garden I grow every year and she asked me if I would grow some bok choy for her this year. Of course I told her absolutely. So, other than the cost of the seeds, it’s practically free bok choy which is a win in my book. I’ll definitely have to share this recipe with her. Sounds delicious! Thank you for posting!
I love that, Jennifer! Fresh garden bok choy would be amazing in this recipe!