Bok Choy With Oyster Sauce Recipe
Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce is a dish originated from China, so is often called Chinese Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce. The flavor of bok choy pairs perfectly with oyster sauce, creating an impressive dish to enjoy with cooked rice in Asian daily meals. Moreover, this is a very easy recipe that takes only 15 minutes to complete.
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Oyster Sauce, A Unique Ingredient in Chinese Cuisine
Oyster sauce is a cooking sauce which is widely used in Asian cuisine, especially in Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese dishes. It has a dark brown color with a rich, sweet-salty, full of umami flavor, which helps to enhance the depth of many Asian dishes.
Oyster sauce was created by accident. The story goes that Lee Kum Sheung, a small restaurant owner in Nam Shui, Guangdong Province, China, accidentally discovered oyster sauce when he left a pot of oyster broth on the stove for too long. The broth reduced down to a thick, dark brown liquid. When he tasted it, he realized it was incredibly flavorful and delicious, leading to the widespread use of oyster sauce, not only in China but also across Asia.
Using oyster sauce is very simple, similar to soy sauce or chili sauce. When cooking stir-fries or braised dishes, just add a little oyster sauce, and the flavor of the dish will become richer and more enticing. In this bok choy with oyster sauce dish, the oyster sauce is combined with garlic and oil to create a unique flavor for the dish.
Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce Recipe
As a dish commonly served in daily meals, the recipe for bok choy stir-fried with oyster sauce is very simple, requiring only bok choy, garlic, cooking oil, and oyster sauce. You can follow the recipe for 2 servings below:
- 300g (10.5 oz) bok choy
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 tbsp garlic
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
Choose fresh bok choy that is not bruised. You can use either baby bok choy or regular bok choy, both work well. With just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes, this dish will be ready to join your family meal.
How to Make Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce
Step 1. Boil the bok choy
- Clean the bok choy and cut it in half.
- Boil water, then add the bok choy and cook for 2-3 minutes until the water comes to a boil again, then turn off the heat. Immediately plunge the bok choy into ice water or cold water to firm it up and retain its vibrant green color.
Step 2. Prepare the oyster sauce
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté until golden. Then, turn off the heat and add the oyster sauce, stirring well to combine the oil and oyster sauce.
Step 3. Mix the bok choy with the oyster sauce
- Finally, return the boiled bok choy to the pan. Turn the heat back on low and stir the bok choy in the pan so the sauce can be absorbed. Since the bok choy contains water, you will need to cook it for about 3-5 minutes until the water and oyster sauce are well combined. Done!
Since this is a stir-fried vegetable dish, it’s best to eat it immediately after cooking and avoid leftovers. Reheating leftovers can significantly reduce the nutritional value of the greens, and the flavor won’t be as good as before. Therefore, it’s better to cook just enough for your meal.
4 ingredients Bok Choy With Oyster Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g bok choy 10.5 oz
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 tbsp garlic
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
Instructions
Step 1. Boil the bok choy
- Clean the bok choy and cut it in half.
- Boil water, then add the bok choy and cook for 2-3 minutes until the water comes to a boil again, then turn off the heat. Immediately plunge the bok choy into ice water or cold water to firm it up and retain its vibrant green color.
Step 2. Prepare the oyster sauce
- Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté until golden. Then, turn off the heat and add the oyster sauce, stirring well to combine the oil and oyster sauce.
Step 3. Mix the bok choy with the oyster sauce
- Finally, return the boiled bok choy to the pan. Turn the heat back on low and stir the bok choy in the pan so the sauce can be absorbed. Since the bok choy contains water, you will need to cook it for about 3-5 minutes until the water and oyster sauce are well combined. Done!
Nutrition
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