This is really just a specific realization of a broader technique for stir frying vegetables. But it’s a combination I really like, so I figured I’d write it down. It’s a bit of a hodgepodge of Chinese technique with some Japanese ingredients that I tend to have on hand more readily in my kitchen.
While you don’t need much mirin, it’s important to include. It adds a certain roundness and complexity. And try to get “real” mirin. Good mirin should have an ingredients list that includes koji, and not corn syrup or sake.
For extra polish, you could blanch the bok choy in boiling water rather than pan steaming it. When I rustle this up on a weeknight, I can’t bring myself to go to the trouble.
Ingredients
- 500 g baby bok choy, larger pieces halved
- Neutral oil (such as canola)
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3-4 cm piece of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
- 30 mL mirin
- 30 mL shoyu
Method
Put the bok choy in a wok, or substitute a large nonstick or carbon steel frying pan. Add a small splash of water, then cover the pan. Heat the pan over medium-high heat, and pan steam the greens until they’re mostly wilted and bright green. Evaporate off the remaining water.
Remove the greens from then pan and set them aside. Then pour in a small amount of neutral oil followed by the garlic and ginger. Fry the aromatics until they’re fragrant, 30-60 seconds.
Add back the bok choy, and stir it to combine it with the aromatics. Then add the mirin, and continue cooking until it’s almost completely evaporated. Pour in the shoyu, and once again cook it until it’s almost completely evaporated.
Serve the bok choy immediately.