From Your Health Forum Founder Dr. Cirino:

Looking for a side dish for your meal?  I love bok choy! I first discovered it from a wonderful meal in a Chinese restaurant.  I think it is more versatile than kale and has a nicer texture.  It has gained some popularity in my house.  My children ask for it frequently.  I usually prepare it with some butter and soy sauce or stir fry sauce, salt, and sauté it to preserve its crunch.  It makes a great dish for any dinner plans.

Easy Bok Choy Recipe by Ginnie Lin

Bok choy, a type of Chinese cabbage, occupies a special category of vegetables: cruciferous vegetables. In this category are also the illustrious kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, radish and turnips. These vegetables are often the poster children for “healthy food menus” and for good reason.

They are not only low-calorie but incredibly nutrient dense, rich in vitamins C, E, and K, fiber, folate (crucial in heart health) as well as phytonutrients that, due to their antioxidant properties, may reduce inflammation and cancer risk too. Not to mention, it is super easy to prepare as a side dish!

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Credit: Pexel

Easy Bok Choy Recipe

• First, rinse the whole bok choy cabbage in a colander. After the initial rinse, take each cabbage and cut in half, from stem to leaf. Then cut it in half again, so you end up with a bok choy cabbage that has been quartered. Cutting the vegetable like this helps it cook faster in the pan and makes sure each bite of bok choy contains the the tender shoots in the middle. Once you have the desired amount of bok choy in quarters, rinse well.

• Heat a wok or similar deep pan to medium heat, and add the bok choy. Stir every once and a while for the few minutes, until the leaves begin to deepen in color.

• Add a tablespoon of water, a splash of soy sauce or oyster sauce to taste and cover for a minute.

• Turn off the heat and garnish with a drizzle of sesame oil.

• Since bok choy is such a mild tasting leafy-green, you can experiment with adding minced garlic and ginger, even a little bit of honey, to elevate the flavor!

• Enjoy!

Bok choy is also a great vegetable to add into noodle or soup dishes. When boiling, simply add a small handful of bok choy stalks and simmer for two to three minutes.

If you are trying Bok choy for the first time, you will be pleasantly surprised with the texture and the mild flavor. It is yet another simple option for any natural food kitchen.  Since it is being made at home, you can experiment with different amounts of ingredients (such as butter, oil, and salt) and spices.