How should I prepare Bok Choy before I cook it?
I just bought a pack of bok choy that I want to steam inside a bag along with some halibut. How should I cut it up before putting it in the bag? Would the preparation be different if I was cooking it for stir-fry (or something else)?
Should I separate the white stem from the leaf and eat both? Won't the leaf cook much faster than the rib? How much of the stem should be eaten?
Also, this isn't the "baby" bok choy, the shape is more like a head of romaine.
Best Answer
I've never tried steaming bok choy, but yes, the ribs and leafy bits cook at different speeds.
For stir frys I trim the bottom so the ribs come free, clean off any dirt that's gotten trapped in between, then stack up the leaves and cut the leaves from the ribs. I slice the ribs into about 5mm / 3/16" slices, and add them towards the end; the leaves I cut into ribbons (perpendicular to the ribs), and stir them in at the last second, so they barely cook. The center I just chop the top off the leafy bit, and slice the more rib-like bits a litte larger than the rest of the ribs (they're thinner, so cook faster).
As I've never tried steaming it, and I don't tend to cook in bags (except for silver turtles when camping), this is going to be a complete guess. Now, it tastes fine al dente, so you could leave the ribs as large as I use for a stir fry, but en papillote tends to be fancier cooking, so I'd probably try for maybe 1/6" slices or a little thicker (maybe 2-3mm), and if you had a mandoline so they all came out even, that'd be great. I'd still cut the leaves into ribbons, just because it's easier to eat than a huge intact leaf.
I'd assume that the leaves would cook at a similar rate as spinich, and the ribs closer to fennel, if that helps at all.
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How do you prep bok choy for cooking?
Start by adding them to a large bowl of cold water and plunge a few times to remove any excess dirt. You can also rinse under running water. Shake off excess moisture and thoroughly dry the exteriors. If cutting bok choy in half after washing, make sure the inside is dry too, especially if sauteing or stir-frying.What part of bok choy are you supposed to use?
Bok Choy, also known as Chinese White Cabbage, is a cruciferous vegetable that is a member of the cabbage family. It has a round tender white bulb on the bottom with long celery looking stalks and dark leafy greens on top. The entire vegetable is edible and can be enjoyed either raw or cooked.Do you cut off the bottom of bok choy?
Cutting the End of Bok Choy and WashingYou'll want to remove the bottom end of bok choy before cooking it. Ensuring your bok choy is clean is crucial to the successful outcome of your dish. As with other leafy greens, dirt can accumulate towards the bottom of the plant where the leaves branch off.How do you cut and cook bok choy?
If you want to cut bok choy into strips, just cut the leaves crosswise without slicing them in half first....How to Chop Bok ChoySources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Gustavo Fring, Karolina Grabowska, murat esibatir, Maarten van den Heuvel