18 November 2006
We eats our leafy greens
Last month, I asked my shoulder doc if I should be taking calcium supplements to help with bone healing. He said things along the lines of “if you’re getting a balanced diet with leafy green vegetables, calcium supplements aren’t really going to affect the healing” but also “all women should take calcium supplements anyway.” But then he wouldn’t recommend anything specific – he just told me to talk to my primary care doctor. I happen to like leafy greens, but don’t associate them with the fall. So I’ve been buying spinach at the market, and last week I picked up some bok choy. I see in From Asparagus to Zucchini that bok choy is touted as the garden vegetable highest in calcium. Since this recipe was so tasty, I guess I’ll get some more bok choy and make it again!
Sesame Soy Braised Bok Choy
1 head bok choy
2 Tab peanut oil
1 Tab grated ginger
1 Tab minced garlic
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 Tab toasted sesame oil
2 Tab soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
2 Tab sesame seeds
Trim the root end off the boy choy head. Slice the leafy portions of the plant from the stalks. Cut both the leaves and the stalks into large matchstick-size pieces, keeping the two piles separate. Heat very large, heavy skillet or wok until it looks hazy over the surface, 2-4 minutes. Add peanut oil and swirl it to coat the pan. Add bok choy stems; stir-fry about 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry briefly. Add bok choy greens, chicken stock, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until bok choy is tender and glazed with sauce, 5-8 minutes. remove cover, sprinkle with sesame seeds, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until excess liquid evaporates, 2-3 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Makes 4 servings.
Even though I forgot the sesame seed step, I really liked the way this turned out. For chicken stock, I used the pan juices from the chicken parts that were roasting in the oven – very tasty! (especially that from my chicken, which had been marinaded with a cranberry balsamic salad dressing). The bok choy ‘head’ (more like a bundle) must be smaller than what they tested the recipe with, because the sauce seemed like way to much. I retained a quarter to a third of it to use it another dish.
Earlier in the day when surfing blogs, I came across this description of the “Spice is Right” event that just wrapped up. When i roast potatoes, I typically like to toss them with green chile salt – but today I was inspired to try something new (although I didn’t have the time to make an official SiR entry). Thinking about the sweet-tart cranberry balsamic on the chicken, I was leaning towards ‘sweet’ spices. Cinnamon seemed too ordinary somehow, so I decided to try Chinese five spice. It turned out really surprisingly well – a nice way to tie the bok choy to the chicken.
Jonski Blogski 
Alanna said,
13 June 2007 at 6:14 am
Ooo! This does look great. Thanks so much for the recommendation! At the moment, I’m wishing I’d taken a photo of the “bok choy” — I’m thinking it was NOT in fact bok choy but Napa cabbage. And so that means I still have yet to really try bok choy!