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This delicious Baby Bok Choy recipe with warm garlic dressing is the crunchy and tasty side you’ve been looking for! Crisp-tender bok choy is lightly sautéed and then paired with an Asian-style sauce made of fresh garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sriracha.
If you love veggie side dishes, you should also check out my perfectly grilled zucchini, this refreshing sesame cucumber salad, and these uber-popular sautéed garlic broccolini. They all make for tasty additions to any meal.
I must confess, I’ve probably eaten my weight in bok choy over the years – it’s just that good! Its mild flavor and awesome crunch make it a great vegetable that can be paired with almost anything.
Pan-fried baby bok choy tossed in a tasty warm dressing made with garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and a hint of sriracha is my favorite way to cook it. Also known as Pak Choi or Chinese Cabbage, bok choy is a leafy green vegetable that has been a staple in Asian cuisine for centuries. For this recipe, we will be using the baby version, which is simply a smaller, tender variety. I love serving it with Hunan beef or bourbon chicken, depending on what I have a taste for.
What You’ll Need
It’s time to grab the following simple ingredients to make this delicious yet easy baby bok choy recipe! I’ve included some notes and substitutes, but for the full recipe and exact amounts, please scroll down to the recipe card.
- Cooking Oil – Choose vegetable, avocado, or coconut oil.
- Baby Bok Choy – Cut the heads/stalks in half, longwise.
- Garlic – Preferably minced fresh garlic, though garlic powder works too.
- Soy Sauce – You can also use alternatives like coconut aminos or tamari.
- Sriracha – For a spicy kick.
- Rice Vinegar – Substitute with apple cider or white vinegar for a slightly different flavor.
- Lime Juice – If possible, use fresh lime juice, but the bottled variety works too.
- Sesame Oil – This specialty oil adds a sweet, nutty flavor.
- Sesame Seeds – Used for garnish.
How to Cook Baby Bok Choy
Creating a simple and flavorful side dish with bok choy is quick and easy. You just pan-fry the cabbage and mix up a garlicky dressing.
- Cook the Bok Choy Uncovered. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the halved baby bok choy pieces in the heated skillet, cut side down, and cook for 2 minutes, and then turn and cook for one minute on the other side.
- Cook the Bok Choy Covered. Cover the skillet and steam them for 3 to 4 minutes, or until crisp-tender, turning them once or twice during cooking. Transfer to a plate or platter and set aside.
- Make the Dressing. In the same skillet, heat up the oil and stir in the minced garlic. Add the soy sauce, sriracha, rice vinegar, lime juice, and sesame oil, whisking to combine. Allow the dressing to cook for one minute or until it thickens.
- Finish the Dish. Drizzle or brush the dressing over the bok choy. Garnish with sesame seeds, and serve warm.
How To Cut Bok Choy
First, rinse the bok choy to remove any grit or dirt, trim the base while keeping the veggie intact, and finally, halve or quarter it for even cooking. Now it’s ready to be sautéed, steamed, stir-fried, or grilled.
Recipe Tips
- Rinse well. Bok choy needs a good wash to remove any grit or dirt before cooking.
- Prep ahead. Bok choy cooks fast, so have all of your ingredients measured and ready to go before you start.
- Cook in batches. Avoid overcrowding the pan and cook the stalks in batches.
- Substitute with large bok choy. Use full-sized bok choy, but trim off the tough stem ends and cut the bok choy into segments about 3 inches long.
- Reduce the heat. Try using sweet chili sauce instead of sriracha to add a bit of sweetness.
- Storage. Store fresh bok choy in a ziploc bag and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Serving Suggestions
This sauteed bok choy recipe makes an excellent side dish paired with these caramelized Asian-glazed Air Fryer Chicken Thighs or my Honey Soy Chicken. For more delicious options, try serving it alongside my Creamy Coconut Shrimp, or try my Skinny Cashew Chicken, or Roasted Green Beans with squash and tomatoes, all of which are quick and easy to make.
Storage
Store leftovers in a sealed container and refrigerate it for a maximum of 3 days.
ENJOY!
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Baby Bok Choy Recipe
Ingredients
For the Bok Choy:
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 pieces (about 1.5 pounds total) baby bok choy, halved longwise
For the Garlic Soy Dressing:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat.
- To the hot oil add the halved bok choy pieces to the skillet, cut side down; cook for 2 minutes.
- Turn over the bok choy and cook for a minute. Add more oil, if needed.
- Cover and continue to cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Turn the bok choy couple times while cooking.
- When done, remove bok choy from the skillet and set aside.
- Return skillet to the heat and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 20 seconds, or until fragrant.
- To the skillet, add soy sauce, sriracha, rice vinegar, lime juice, and sesame oil; whisk until well combined.
- Cook for 1 minute, or just until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Remove from heat.
- Drizzle or brush the sauce over the bok choy.
- Garnish with sesame seeds.
- Serve.
Notes
- Rinse: Wash bok choy thoroughly to eliminate grit or dirt.
- Batch Cooking: Avoid overcrowding in the pan, which might steam the stalks.
- Spice Adjustments: Swap spicy sriracha with sweet chili sauce if preferred.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the sauce separately. To reheat, place the bok choy and sauce in a covered skillet over low heat and cook until just heated through.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
would eliminate the siracha. made it too spicy.
Sauce was poor. To vinegarie, I added honey to make it useable. We do like bok choy & my cooking efforts did not go to waste,
Delicious & easy to fix.
I used leftover sauce to cook halibut ..
great Asian flavors.
That sounds like a fantastic way to use leftover sauce! Using it with halibut must have added a nice twist to the flavors! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Yummy
It had the makings of a nice sauce. I found it too salty so I added some water to dilute it and some sugar to cut the acidity. I also added a slurry of cornstarch to thicken it a little
You could put this sauce on anything and it would be amazing. I made this thinking I could out it on top of a Buddha bowl type situation and ate half the batch the second it was done cooking. So good.
I made this exactly as written and found it a little too vinegary.
So easy and tasty!
Thank YOU! 🙂 Please enjoy!