Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oilYou set your wok or skillet over medium-high heat and swirl in the vegetable oil to coat the surface. You wait until the oil shimmers before you add anything. A cold pan means food sticks and nothing browns properly, so you give it a full minute to come to temperature.
- Sauté the aromaticsYou add the minced garlic and shallots and stir them constantly for one to two minutes until the kitchen smells unmistakably good. Garlic burns fast at this heat, and burnt garlic tastes like bitter regret that no sauce can fix. You keep the spatula moving.
- Add the bok choyYou lay the halved bok choy pieces cut-side down in the pan and let them sit undisturbed for one minute to develop a light sear on the flat side. Then you pour the soy sauce over everything and drizzle the sesame oil around the edges of the pan so it hits the hot surface and releases its aroma immediately. You toss everything quickly to coat. I once splashed soy sauce directly onto the bare metal instead of the vegetables and the smoke alarm gave me a thorough review of my technique. Keep the liquid aimed at the greens.
- Steam and finish for your preferred texture: sautéed or steamedYou cover the pan with a lid and let it steam for one to two minutes. The trapped moisture softens the thick white stalks while the leaves wilt evenly. For sauteed bok choy with more color and some caramelization on the cut sides, you remove the lid and cook for another two to three minutes over medium-high heat. You toss once and check the stalk tenderness with a fork. A slight crunch in the center tastes better than a completely soft stalk.
- Garnish and serveYou scatter the crushed red pepper over the top if you want heat and move the finished bok choy to a serving platter immediately. The residual heat of the pan continues cooking the leaves if you leave them sitting in it, so you plate quickly and eat soon.