December 20, 2006
Stir Fried Bak Choy - The Magic 3 Minutes
J asked me what happened to the You Cai and Watercress soup that I used to cook? How come we don’t have that anymore? To which I replied: “Oh, that’s because I have already posted that recipe in my blog.”
J: Wide eyes, jaw drop, speechless.
Yes yes, I need to eat more greens. So this time round, I got some Bak Choy for stir frying. The Bak Choy is best eaten immediately after cooking. Also, be careful not to overcook the Bak Choy - 3 minutes is sufficient. As with all other vegetables, overcooking will decompose (destroy) the proteins and vitamins in the vegetables as a fellow blogger wrote in her post on “Over cooking, microwaving, re-heating and re-frying destroys essential nutrients“.
Here’s my easy Chinese recipe for stir-fried Bak Choy:
Ingredients (Serves 2):
- about 8 “bundles” of Bak Choy (I don’t know if “bundles” is the right description, but if you know what is Bak Choy, you’ll know what I mean. If you don’t, then er… well, then you don’t know.)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 heaped tbsp dried anchovies - the mini ones
Preparation & Cooking Method:
1. Cut off the ends of the Bak Choy “bundle”. Rinse the Bak Choy in running water to remove any dirt. You shake of excess water, but you do not have to completely dry the washed Bak Choy because during the cooking process, you want the leftover water droplets to steam the vegetables. Read on…
2. Heat up a frying pan with 2 tbsp oil. Medium heat. Add minced garlic and dried anchovies and stir fry until fragrant.
3. Add rinsed Bak Choy to the frying pan and stir fry for about 30 seconds, just to mix the Bak Choy with the garlic and dried mini anchovies. (There won’t be any oil splatter here because the volume of Bak Choy will overwhelm the amount of oil in the frying pan.)
4. Put the lid on the frying pan and allow the Bak Choy to steam for about 3 minutes. 3 minutes is enough if you want the Bak Choy to still be a bit crispy. Any minute longer is a minute too long and the Bak Choy will be too soft.
5. The dried mini anchovies are already salty, so do a test taste and add a pinch of salt if necessary.
6. Serve with rice or porridge (rice congee).
Remember - 3 minutes is all you need to cook the Bak Choy! 3 minutes! Oh… I am repeating here to remind myself…
Bite This!
More recipes:
Watercress Soup - The Start Of My Detox Diet
You Cai Soup - Don’t stand too close to a naked chef
Return Of The Giant Kailan! - Fried Dace With Kailan
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December 20th, 2006 at 11:51 pm
I love bak choy. I wished the American stores carried it. The Asian stores are not close by.
December 21st, 2006 at 8:09 am
That’s a pity. I thought Ranch99’s are all over the US. where I live, I have access to three Ranch99’s within 20 mins drive. I guess there are more Asians living in the Bay Area that’s why.
December 21st, 2006 at 3:55 pm
Bak choy is one of those easier vegetables to cook. I like it too!!
Heehee…maybe you’re eating less greens because it’s a little Prince! ;p
December 21st, 2006 at 8:45 pm
Really ar? I’d know next week. Pink or blue. :)
December 30th, 2006 at 4:04 am
My family and i love pak choi (what we call it in trinidad) :) I’ll definitely try this variation :)
December 30th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
Wow, my first visitor from Trinidad! Cool! Thanks for visiting! By the way, the mini dried anchovies is an optional ingredient. You can also cook the bak choy / pak choi in garlic and a tbsp of oyster sauce. Enjoy!
January 1st, 2007 at 7:56 am
[…] I have been eating watercress without realizing the super duper benefits it provides. This is a very easy soup to prepare, and because I only cook the watercress for about 3 minutes, minimal nutrients are lost - the same 3 magic minutes concept that I apply to my stir fried bak choy and my broccoli soup. […]
April 4th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
[…] - Spinach Stir Fry With Fishball - Scallop Fried Rice - Ground Pork Porridge - Stir Fried Bak Choy - Pan Fried Red Snapper Fillet Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]