The baby bok choy recipe is blanched and coated in umami-flavored savory garlicky oyster sauce. This baby bok choy recipe is a great side dish that comes together in 10 minutes using minimal pantry ingredients.

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Quick, delicious, easy baby bok choy recipe
Bok choy or also called pak choi or pok choi is a type of Chinese cabbage. It’s one of the essential ingredients in Asian cuisine and is mostly used in stir fry recipes, making kimchi, used as salad, or soup.
One of the ways on cooking bok choy is by blanching it in hot water for 60 seconds or more, then coating it in umami sauce with garlic and oyster sauce. Of course, bok choy can be stir-fried in the sauce as well.
Bok choy in the savory sauce is one of the most favorite Asian side dishes that can be enjoyed with white rice or brown rice. Many Asian and Chinese restaurants feature garlic bok choy dishes on their menu.
This recipe is –
Easy to make
Needs a handful of ingredients
Packed with savory umami flavors
Ready in 10 minutes
So delicious!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need –
- 1.5 pound baby bok choy, halved
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil (like canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil or sunflower oil)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
SAUCE:
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or mirin or Chinese wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon granular white sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
More ingredients addition
You can add more flavor and taste to the bok choy recipe by adding minced ginger, shallots, and red pepper flakes.
A splash of sweet chili sauce would add a slight kick to the dish. A dash of fish sauce can be added too if you like the flavor.
Bok choy – baby bok choy works best for this recipe. Baby bok choy is sweeter and have tender stalks.
If you can’t get baby bok choy use full-grown bok choy, slice it halve or quarter depending on the size.
Oil – you can use any oil to saute garlic and thicken the sauce. Any neutral-tasting oil like canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil or sunflower oil works best.
Garlic – sautéing garlic in oil softens it and removes the raw flavor.
Oyster sauce – adds a rich umami earthy flavor to the bok choy recipe. You can substitute oyster sauce with Chinese mushroom sauce or teriyaki sauce or stir-fry sauce.
Soy sauce – I used regular soy sauce. If you are looking for a low-sodium option use low-sodium soy sauce.
Rice vinegar – adds slight zing to the sauce. If you can get Chinese wine or mirin go ahead and use it.
Sesame oil – sesame oil has a pungent taste to it. Use less amount if you don’t like the flavor.
Sugar – little sugar to give a good balance to the sauce.
Pepper – adds heat to the dish.
Cornstarch – to thicken the sauce, you can also use potato starch.
How to make it
Baby bok choy can be used whole or you can slice into halve lengthwise.
Wash between the leaves to get rid of dirt.
Boil water in a wok.
Blanch baby bok choy in boiling water for 40-60 seconds depending on its size.
Drain blanched bok choy from hot water and shock in an ice bath immediately. This will retain the vibrant green color on the leaves of the bok choy.
Drain from the ice bath and spread baby bok choy on a kitchen towel and pat dry.
In a small bowl whisk together oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, and cornstarch. Set aside.
Heat oil in a wok.
Saute minced garlic in hot oil for 60 seconds with constant stirring.
Pour the sauce into the wok, stir, and cook for a few seconds until the sauce thickens.
If the sauce turns too thick adjust the consistency by adding a teaspoon of stock or water.
Sauce consistency should be thick and pourable.
Arrange blanched bok choy over the serving dish and pour the sauce over the bok choy.
Serve immediately with sesame seeds sprinkled on top if you like.
Helpful tips
- Baby bok choy is best as it is sweeter and has tender stalks. If you can’t get baby bok choy to use regular-sized bok choy, slice it into half or quarters lengthwise depending on its size.
- Bok choy has dirt hidden between the stalks/leaves. Always wash it between leaves under tap water to get rid of dirt before you cook.
- Blanch bok choy for not more than 40 to 60 seconds until vibrant green. Do not boil the greens for longer, it will loose vibrant green color.
- Prep all ingredients before hand. Make sure all ingredients are ready and within reach while cooking.
- Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.
Serving suggestions
You won’t believe how easy the garlic bok choy recipe is to make. You can serve it just about everything!
Serve it as a side dish with chicken, fish, or steak alongside rice. The bok choy recipe is great with white rice or brown rice.
Add boneless chicken or shrimp to the dish and serve as a low-carb meal.
Stir in ramen noodles along with fried/scrambled eggs for an easy and quick dinner.
How to store leftovers
Store leftover bok choy in airtight sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
To reheat, reheat in a skillet with constant stirring for not more than 2 to 3 minutes.
FAQS
Baby bok choy is the center of the dish, the recipe is developed for cooking bok choy. But you can adapt this recipe for other Asian greens such as napa cabbage, choy sum, gai-lan, or other Asian greens too.
One of the ways of cooking bok choy is blanching. I prefer the blanching method as it gives crisp, fresh, tender bok choy. The other way to cook bok choy is to stir fry it on hot heat in the sauce.
You can choose one of the above ways of cooking bok choy.
Shocking the vegetables in an ice bath helps retain their vibrant green color of it. Bok choy that was cooked through the blanching method is shocked in an ice bath to halt the cooking process.
Yes, you can substitute oyster sauce with Chinese mushroom sauce or teriyaki sauce, or stir-fry sauce.
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📋10 Minutes Garlic Bok Choy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5- pound baby bok choy halved
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil like canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, or sunflower oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
SAUCE:
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or mirin or Chinese wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon granular white sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Baby bok choy can be used whole or you can slice it into halve lengthwise.
- Wash between the leaves to get rid of dirt.
- Boil water in a wok.
- Blanch baby bok choy in boiling water for 40-60 seconds depending on its size.
- Drain blanched bok choy from hot water and shock in an ice bath immediately. This will retain the vibrant green color on the leaves of the bok choy.
- Drain from the ice bath and spread baby bok choy on a kitchen towel and pat dry.
- In a small bowl whisk together oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- In a wok heat cooking oil.
- Saute minced garlic in hot oil for 60 seconds with constant stirring.
- Pour the sauce into the wok, stir, and cook for a few seconds until the sauce thickens,
- If the sauce turns too thick adjust the consistency by adding a teaspoon of stock or water.
- Sauce consistency should be thick and pourable.
- Arrange blanched bok choy over the serving dish and pour the sauce over the bok choy.
- Serve immediately with sesame seeds sprinkled on top if you like.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- Baby bok choy is best as it is sweeter and has tender stalks. If you can’t get baby bok choy to use regular-sized bok choy, slice it into half or quarters lengthwise depending on its size.
- Bok choy has dirt hidden between the stalks/leaves. Always wash it between leaves under tap water to get rid of dirt before you cook.
- Blanch bok choy for not more than 40 to 60 seconds until vibrant green. Do not boil the greens for longer, it will lose their vibrant green color.
- Prep all ingredients before hand. Make sure all ingredients are ready and within reach while cooking.
- Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.
Created by Jyothi Rajesh
Thank you for stopping by.
Jyothi Rajesh is the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail. She lives in Bangalore, India and is the mom of two beautiful kids. Her passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. She’s been blogging since 2007 and many of her recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.
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