Tender bok choy blanched and dressed in a savoury garlicky soy sauce with a hint of sesame. This quick and easy Chinese Garlic Bok Choy is ready in 10 minutes with simple ingredients. Great as a healthy vegetable side dish for the family!
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Garlic Bok Choy features bok choy leaves blanched and topped off with a thick brown sauce made of garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking wine, sugar, water and cornstarch. It's absolutely delicious!
This vegetable side dish is packed with flavor making it easy to get more fibre into our diet! It's also a popular Chinese vegetable dish that you'll find at many Chinese restaurants.
It's such a great Chinese recipe as it's made with minimal ingredients in one pan making for easy clean up!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Large Bok Choy: or substitute with baby bok choy and slice into halves
Garlic Sauce
- Fresh Garlic
- Oyster sauce: Or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce. Do not confuse this with Hoisin sauce.
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.
- Shaoxing wine: Chinese rice cooking wine. You may also substitute with Dry Sherry or any broth for a non-alcoholic version.
- Sesame oil
- Cornstarch or potato starch: to help thicken the sauce.
- White granulated sugar: to balance out the salty flavors!
- Cold water
Variation
- If you’re gluten-free, substitute the soy sauce with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce and the oyster sauce with a gluten-free version.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Wash bok choy well. Bok choy will have some hidden dirt, so make sure you wash in-between the leaves well.
- Only blanch greens until vibrant green. Do not boil your greens. Just blanch them for at most 30-45 seconds or until it turns vibrant green.
- Add neutral oil to boiling water. This is totally optional but by adding 1 teaspoon of oil into the water, it’ll help make your greens shiny and vibrant. I use any neutral tasting oil, like avocado or vegetable oil.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make garlic bok choy:
Slice and wash bok choy
Slice your bok choy in half if it’s about 6-7 inches long. If you're using baby bok choy, I would recommend doing this too as it'll be easier to clean the leaves.
Wash in-between the leaves of your bok choy for hidden dirt until water runs clear.
Make sauce and blanch greens
In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients and set aside.
Fill a large pan or large wok with enough water and bring to boil on high heat. Once it’s boiling, lower your bok choy into the water and blanch just until the leaves turn vibrant green, about 30-45 seconds. Strain immediately.
Transfer greens and simmer Sauce
Lay the bok choy on a serving plate and set aside.
In the same pan, wipe it dry. Bring to medium heat. Once hot, pour sauce in and allow this to simmer until sauce thickens and reduces.
Pour sauce over greens
Once sauce is thickened, pour sauce over the bok choy. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I wouldn't recommend freezing this dish as the leaves may turn mushy.
Pairing Ideas
This serves well with white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles or Cashew Chicken, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Gochujang Chicken, Soy Garlic Tofu and more!
FAQ
Yes! Feel free to substitute with yu choy sum, gai-lan, napa cabbage or any Asian style greens.
This can be made in advance and stored in an airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. When ready to enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
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📖 Recipe
Easy 10-min. Chinese Garlic Bok Choy
Ingredients
- 1.50 lb Bok Choy or sub with baby bok choy
Sauce
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce or sub with vegetarian stir fry sauce
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine or sub with Dry Sherry Wine
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch or potato starch
- ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ½ cup water cold
Instructions
- Slice your bok choy in half if it’s about 6-7 inches long. If you're using baby bok choy, I would recommend doing this too as it'll be easier to clean the leaves.
- Wash in-between the leaves of your bok choy for hidden dirt until water runs clear.
- In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Fill a large pan or large wok with enough water and bring to boil on high heat. Once it’s boiling, lower your bok choy into the water and blanch just until the leaves turn vibrant green, about 30-45 seconds. Strain immediately.
- Lay the bok choy on a serving plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, wipe it dry. Bring to medium heat. Once hot, pour sauce in and allow this to simmer until sauce thickens and reduces.
- Once sauce is thickened, pour sauce over greens. Enjoy!
Darrell Henri
First time cooking Bok Choy and it was delicious. Family wanted more….
Thank you….
Darrell
Christie Lai
I'm very happy to read this and so happy you and your family enjoyed my recipe! Thank you so much for making it!
Corazon Dunn
It is really delicious! I finally cooked bokchoy in a different way! I always just put in in soups. This time I can enjoy it without the soup. Thank you for sharing!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for leaving this positive review! Happy you enjoyed it this way 🙂
Lee
Christie, your recipe is spot on. I prepared it along with steamed pot stickers and it was perfect. I used fresh baby bok choy from our farmers market and my steamed pot stickers. Your sauce is exactly what I have been searching for and it was incredible. I made sure all of the water was drained off the finished bok then added the finished pot stickers on top. I ladled the sauce on top of it and it was, not only beautiful, but absolutely delicious!! No restaurant could be this!! Thanks so much.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for sharing your positive experience, Lee! So happy to hear that it was better than the restaurant and glad it worked well with your delicious sounding meal 🙂 Have a great day!
Dianne
Delicious! It was easily adapted for a vegan main dish: I sauteed sliced cremini mushrooms and diced red onion, then tofu (pressed and cubed) and set them aside, before following your directions. Before adding the incredible sauce to the drained bok choy, I put the other ingredients in the pan. With brown rice, this was both easy and filling. We're definitely going to have this delicious meal often!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for leaving your kind review, Dianne! Glad it all worked out with those additions and it all sounds so good!
Dan T
Excellent
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for the kind review, Dan!
Yudon
Totally enjoyed this recipe! I added slightly more garlic, sugar and substituted corn flour with potato flour (ran out of the former). Reminds me of what you get when you order at restaurants. Easy to prep too, the most 'tedious' part for me was washing the veg and chopping the garlic. Thanks Christie!
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Yudon! Happy you enjoyed it and glad it was like what you ordered at the restaurant.
Khanh
love, love, love this simple and delicious recipe! Making it again tonight for dinner. thank you!
christieathome
Amazing! Thanks for making it and I hope you enjoy it again!
Yudon
Very impressed! Turned my bok choy into an exciting and delicious side dish. Thanks for the recipe!
christieathome
Thanks so much Yudon! Glad you enjoyed it!
Jen
My new favourite vegetable side dish. Will be making again and again!!
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it! ☺️
Linda
I need to make this again! It was so good and easy.
Kim Lange
Looks so simple and deliciously healthy! YUM!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
Bok choy is something I don't make nearly enough because I love it!!! Can't wait to try this quick version!
Sherri
OHHHEMMMMGEEEEEEE! I am literally obsessed with bok choy and buy tons of it every week at our farmers market. I usually stir fry it or add it ramen but THIS just takes it to a whole new level. The flavor profile is amazing! Can't wait to try! 🙂
christieathome
Thanks so much Sherri! One of my favourite ways to cook it! Glad I could share it with you!
Cambrea gordon
Christie's recipe for Bok Choy is absolutely the best I have ever had. This was the first time I had ever made bok choy that wasn't super bitter and it was SO easy! The flavor of it is delicious and it went really well with her sweet and sour chicken recipe!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my Bok Choy Cam! Happy to hear you enjoyed it and it was easy to make! It's one of my favourite veggie recipes.