Salty, Sweet, Spicy-Heat Bok Choy

What can I say, I love the salty, sweet, spicy heat flavors in this Asian-inspired bok choy.  Not a fan of the heat?  No problem, just omit the sriracha and you'll still have an awesome side dish that everyone will think came from the local take-out restaurant.    

Start by prepping the bok choy by trimming the ends and separating the stalks.  I like to get heads that are no longer than 8 inches in length.  Sometimes there's a bit of dirt between the stalks so rinse them well. 

Place the stalks in a pan with 1/4-inch water and steam for 3-5 minutes or until tender.

Immediately rinse plunge the steamed bok choy in ice water to stop the cooking.  Drain well.

Mince garlic and scallions.

Gather the ingredients to make the sauce - water, soy sauce, sugar, and corn starch.

Whisk the sauce ingredients together and set aside until needed.

In a skillet over medium-low heat, saute the garlic and scallions in some oil.

Saute, stirring constantly, just until the garlic started to turn golden brown.

Rewhisk the sauce ingredients and pour them into the skillet.

Stir rapidly until the sauce thickens.

Add the drained bok choy, stirring and tossing until heated through.

Serve with a drizzle of Sriracha.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• mini whisk https://amzn.to/3DTw8j4

• santoku knife https://amzn.to/3FGw1sg

• sriracha https://amzn.to/3T20O5O

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Salty, Sweet, Spicy-Heat Bok Choy

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound baby bok choy, washed, trimmed, and leaves separated

• 1 tablespoon water

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

• t tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil

• 2 tablespoons scallions, finely chopped (whites and greens)

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• Sriracha (optional)

Directions

1. In a large covered skillet, steam bok choy in 1/2-inch of water for 3-5 minutes until tender, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and drain well; set aside until needed.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together water, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch until the sugar is dissolved; set aside until needed.

3. Dry the skillet you steamed the bok choy in and add oil, heat the oil over medium-low heat, saute garlic and scallions for 1-2 minutes until very fragrant, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

4. Re-whisk soy sauce mixture and pour into skillet; stir or whisk vigorously until sauce forms.

5. Immediately add steamed bok choy and toss well until heated through. Drizzle with Sriracha if desired.

Frisee with Hot Bacon Dressing

Frisee is a leafy green related to endive and chicory that has a slightly bitter flavor.  It's high is manganese and beta carotene, and it's super high in vitamin k.  I've long been a fan of its flavor, but not so much a fan of its texture, until I paired it with hot bacon dressing.  The heat of the dressing wilts and softens the frisee, and the sweet, tangy dressing compliments the bitter greens beautifully.  I hope you'll give this recipe a try.  Here's how it's made.

Start with frisee that has been washed, dried, and torn.  I was able to find both green and red frisee at my grocery store and I love the mix of colors so here I've put 6 ounces in a large bowl.

Next, I browned 6 ounces of thick bacon over medium heat.  I cut the bacon into bite-size pieces and cooked it, stirring frequently, until it was nice and toasty and most of the fat was rendered.  

Remove the cooked bacon from the rendered bacon fat (drippings); reserve the fat.

While the rendered fat is still hot, make the dressing.

Measure out some rendered bacon fat.  You probably won't use all the fat from the pan so pour the leftovers into a jar and store it in the fridge - we use it to saute vegetables, make eggs, etc.

Add red wine vinegar.  Oh how I love this stuff.

Add salt, pepper, and a touch of sugar.

Whisk everything together until the salt and sugar dissolve, then pour over the frisee and add the cooked bacon.  Toss well and serve immediately.

This salad is best served warm, so only make as much as you plan to serve in one sitting.  

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• my favorite measuring spoons https://amzn.to/2xUyAGL

• French whisk https://amzn.to/2Wnd9HM

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Frisee with Hot Bacon Dressing

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 ounces frisee, washed, dried, and torn

• 6 ounces thickly sliced bacon, cut into bite-size pieces

• 2 tablespoons hot rendered bacon fat

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place frisee in a large bowl.

2. In a skillet over medium heat, brown bacon; remove from pan and reserve rendered fat.

3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together rendered bacon fat, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper; pour over frisee, add cooked bacon, toss well, and serve immediately.