Sautéed in a sticky glaze, this bok choy has just enough crunch and a mouthwatering mixture of spicy and sweet. Delicious side dish or great served over rice!
I’m probably the only person in the history of grocery shopping to get excited when I see baby bok choy on the shelf at my grocery store. Or have you been that person before too? Picture me trying to casually walk-run towards the grapes/berries/oranges that took forever to come into season. 🙄
In this case, bok choy. I have never, in all my 25 years of existence, seen bok choy at a grocery store in my hometown. All the way up in Indianapolis? Yes. In Lafayette? Yes. New York? Duh. But here, in Shelbyville? This is a huge deal, people. So obviously, I bought a shit-ton of it. 💁💁💁
On Thursday, we used half of it in the kitchen – we sautéed it in our trusty cast iron skillet in this spicy-sweet glaze. The bok choy softens up perfectly as it cooks, getting a little crisp from the pan, and then it soaks up every drop of the sauce between all of the leaves.
Just as we turned off the heat, I realized that we should’ve had rice cooking to go along with it. Too late. Next time. Even without the rice, this stuff is the bomb.
Yesterday, we grilled the other half of the bok choy – because it was 80 degrees at 8:30pm and grilling is exactly what you do. I didn’t make rice with it that time either because ain’t nobody got time to be inside when your husband is outside grilling and your dog wants to play.
If you enjoyed this sweet and spicy bok choy recipe then let us know if the comments!
PS – If you’re looking for other bok choy recipes, I recommend this crunchy salad with tahini dressing and this honey-lemon bok choy with rice and eggs. 😍
How to Make Sweet and Spicy Bok Choy
Sweet and Spicy Bok Choy
Ingredients
Method
- Wash bok choy thoroughly and chop into quarters, lengthwise. Chop green onions.
- In a small bowl, whisk together maple syrup, sriracha, salt, and ginger powder until well-combined.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet [I recommend using a cast-iron if you have one!] on medium-high heat.
- Place bok choy and green onions into the pan.
- For the next 5 minutes, gently stir everything to prevent sticking. If you notice the oil drying up, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons to the pan.
- After 15-20 minutes, the bok choy should be softening.
- Pour in the sauce mixture into the pan and stir. It should sizzle quite a bit – this is normal.
- Continue cooking for 3-5 minutes as the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and serve. This would be great over rice or quinoa!
Notes
This recipe can be made on the stovetop or on the grill – I recommend using a foil tray if you're going the grill route.
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