Baby Bok Choy
About Baby Bok Choy
Baby bok choy is a popular Asian green featuring tender, upright spoon-shaped green leaves and crunchy pale green stems. Also known as Shanghai bok choy or mei quing choi, baby bok choy peaks during fall and spring growing seasons.
Selection
Look for leaves with rich green color and no signs of limpness, wilting, tears or blemishes. The bases should be dry and firm.
Storage
Baby bok choy greens have high water content which means they don’t store for long periods of time. Best to use them within 1-2 days of purchasing. Otherwise store them in a perforated plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator where they will keep an extra day or two..
Preparation
Trim before cooking and soak in cold water to remove any traces of soil that may have clung to the base of the plant. The stems are thick so it’s best to separate the leaves from the stems and cook the stems first (as they take longer to cook). Steam or braise them whole. Alternatively you can halve them lengthwise and stir-fry with other veggies, meats and sauces.
Nutrition
Baby bok choy are Asian greens belonging to the brassica family. Like other leafy green vegetables they are high in antioxidants, folate, and vitamins A and C.