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Close up shot of vibrant green cooked Shanghai bok choy organized in the same direction on an elongated white serving platter. They are all covered in a translucent sauce with small chunks of ginger dispersed throughout.

Shanghai Bok Choy

Leanne Neill
Stir fried Shanghai bok choy is a traditional Asian vegetable dish. The Shanghai bok choy is stir fried until tender and then finished with a silky and mild ginger garlic sauce. Nutritious and delicious!
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Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

Sauce

  • 1 ½ teaspoons Light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
  • ¼ cup Water
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese cooking wine
  • 1 teaspoon Oyster Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Sesame oil Toasted version if you can find it
  • ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
  • Salt to taste Optional

Stir Fry

  • 1 lb Shanghai bok choy baby version preferred
  • 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon Ginger finely minced

Instructions
 

  • Cut the baby bok choy in half vertically. If using the larger bok choy versions, I slice the vegetable into chunks horizontally including the leaves. Rinse in colander under cold running water then set aside.
  • Make the sauce in a small bowl. Use a small whisk or fork to combine the cornstarch and light soy sauce. Stir together until no lumps are present. Add in the rest of the sauce ingredients and stir to combine. Set the bowl aside.
  • Heat a large frypan or wok over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil and fresh ginger and stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Add in the cleaned bok choy and stir fry by flipping the bok choy in the hot oil until it is all fully coated. Keep cooking until the stalks have softened a bit, about a minute or two.
  • Once the bok choy stalks have softened somewhat, pour in the sauce and continue cooking and coating the greens with the sauce, until the sauce becomes thicker and translucent, usually takes less than a minute. You can test the sauce, and if necessary sprinkle a little salt on to taste.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

    1. Different soy sauces have different levels of saltiness. You can sprinkle some salt on at the end if you feel it needs it.
    2. I have used garlic powder in this recipe but it could be replaced by 2 cloves of fresh garlic. I found that all the fresh ginger and fresh garlic made for a chunky sauce, but still delicious.
    3. When cooking the Shanghai bok choy, you can add a little water to help it steam if it needs it, just don't add too much as you don't want a puddle of water at the bottom of your fry pan or your sauce won't thicken up enough. Maybe a tablespoon of water at a time if needed.
Keyword Shanghai bok choy, Shanghai bok choy recipe