Editor’s Note: Many adventurous cooks are taking advantage of their extra time at home to learn new techniques — witness the explosion of interest in baking bread. There are many other worlds to explore, though. This is one we at Crave sought to sample.
Every time I ask Mom about “how to fry the bok choy,” she just rolls her eyes and says, “You STILL don’t know how to do that?”
What I’ve been trying to master for literally years is actually searing baby bok choy. It might seem an unlikely preparation for a leafy green, but boy, is it delicious.
Whole baby bok choy is cut straight down the middle, stem and all, then quickly charred in a pan in very hot oil and drizzled at the end with shoyu. Done right, the result is a smoky, salty, still-crunchy veggie that’s almost decadent.
My versions have ranged from soggy to oily. Crunchiness has eluded me.
The last time I broached the subject, Mom sternly gave me one piece of advice I had somehow missed — maybe it was selective hearing? “DO. NOT. COVER. THE. PAN!”
She knows my aversion to oil splatter all over creation.
But it was time to surrender to the process, and for the most part it worked. Maybe some delicate leaves were over charred, but there was no sogginess. It had crunch and tasted good. My daughter and I ate the entire pan.
With fine tuning, I’ll get closer to Mom’s perfected version.
This dish is really about technique. Here’s what I did:
>> Pre-frying protocol: If you’re like me and hate cleaning up after open-pan frying, cover surfaces around the stove. I use old newspapers, spread across the floor and on counters. All that’s left to degrease afterward is the stove.
>> Pick an appropriate pan: Use one that can withstand high heat. Nonstick won’t work here. I use cast iron.
>> Key ingredient: It’s good to have enough bok choy halves to cover the entire pan. This prevents splatter; plus, you’ll be glad you have more when you taste it. I could fit 10 to 12 halves (5 to 6 bunches) in my 12-inch pan.
Slice each bok choy in half from top to bottom, keeping stems intact. Line a surface with a kitchen towel or paper towels. Rinse veggies well to remove any dirt between leaves at the stem. Shake off excess water, then place halves cut side down onto towels to drain. It’s important to dry halves well before placing in hot oil, or oil can splatter excessively. Tap each half firmly on towel just before placing in pan.
>> Other ingredients: 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (not olive oil, which cannot maintain its structure at high temperature) and drizzle of shoyu
>> Do it: Heat oil in pan on high until very hot, almost smoking. Place bok choy halves tightly into pan, cut side down, without overlapping. DO. NOT. COVER. THE. PAN! Adjust heat if necessary. After a minute or 2, halves should be charred nicely. Carefully turn and char the other side for another minute or so. Remove pan from heat and quickly drizzle with shoyu. Serve hot.
>> Adaptations: Use the technique on kai choy (mustard cabbage) or thin wedges of head cabbage.
