Chok boy!
Bok choy is delicious. Don’t try to tell me otherwise. My first encounter with this Chinese vegetable left me thinking that I hated it, but this turns out to be because the bok choy that was served to me had been boiled for about a week and a half and the clearly depressed individual who had prepared it had found even the addition of salt to be too burdensome. It was like chewing on styrofoam, only less enjoyable.
But this need not be your experience! Prepared with even a modicum of care, bok choy is a great addition to your cooking repertoire. A great alternative green vegetable for when you can’t face another bunch of spinach or head of broccoli.
Here’s how it’s done. Twice.
East: Steam or boil bok choy. Drain. Add a little bit of soy sauce and a little bit of oyster sauce. This will produce that delicious brown condiment that always comes on greens at Chinese restaurants. You can find oyster sauce in any Asian market and almost any half decent grocery store. Use it cautiously the first time you try it: A moderate amounts adds an incredibly deep flavor to a dish; too much makes food taste like sucking on seashells.
West: Parboil the bok choy before sauteing in olive oil and garlic. Easy.
So try it. And, please, add some salt.
I once did a consulting project for a large supermarket chain. I had the opportunity to ask the chainwide Vice President of Produce what his favorite item in his department was.
“Definitely Bok Choy. People don’t know what they are missing.”
Luckily Kevin knows.