Tender bok choy seasoned with a simple, savory umami sauce with garlic! This quick and easy steamed garlic bok choy is ready in 10 minutes with simple ingredients. The perfect vegetable side dish to any meal.
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Steamed Garlic Bok Choy features leafy bok choy steamed with soy sauce, sesame oil, lots of garlic, salt and black pepper and seasoned with oyster sauce.
If you're not a fan of oyster sauce, you can easily substitute it with vegetarian stir fry sauce, which many Asian markets sell in the sauce section.
This steamed bok choy recipe is so simple and made with minimal ingredients. Most Asian vegetable recipes are usually very easy.
We prefer the vegetable to be the star of the show without complicating it and because of that, the cooking process is very quick!
In Chinese cuisine, we usually serve this steamed baby bok choy as a side dish with white rice and a protein of our choice. It's shared by the family and this encourages a healthy and balanced meal.
In addition, bok choy provides is healthy and packed with nutritional benefits with fiber! This dish is also low in calories. A tasty way to include more greens into your diet without it feeling like a chore!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Baby Bok Choy: or substitute with regular-sized bok choy and slice them into halves or separate the leaves.
- Oyster sauce: this is a thick brown sauce made of oysters that adds a lot of umami flavor. Or substitute with vegetarian stir-fry sauce. If you're gluten-free: substitute with a gluten-free version.
Sauce
- Fresh Garlic Cloves
- Sesame Oil: for that nutty flavor.
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
- Salt
- White pepper or Black pepper
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Thoroughly wash the bok choy with cold water especially between the leaves as there is a lot of hidden dirt and insects.
- Remove as much excess water in the bok choy after washing or the excess water can dilute the sauce.
- Don't over steam or this can cause the bok choy to become soggy.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make steamed garlic bok choy:
- Wash baby bok choy with cold running water until water runs clear to remove any dirt between leaves. Strain out as much excess water as possible.
- In a large bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Add baby bok choy and mix until the sauce coats the bok choy.
- Fill with a large wok halfway with water and place a small wire rack in the centre with a large plate on top. Cover and bring to a boil to create steam. Uncover and allow the trapped steam to escape.
- Then transfer seasoned bok choy on top of the plate with any sauce in the bowl. Cover and steam on medium heat for 5 minutes until they're vibrant and soft.
- Carefully remove the plate of bok choy with oven mitts from the wok.
- Season cooked bok choy with oyster sauce to taste. 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 don't recommend freezing this dish or the bok choy will become mushy.
Pairing Suggestions
Steamed Garlic Bok Choy serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles
- other cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Soy Sauce Chicken, Oven-Roasted Char Siu or Air Fryer Char Siu, or Chinese Roasted Pork Belly.
FAQ
This can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
Yes, feel free to substitute the bok choy with chopped yu choy sum or gai-lan if you wish.
📖 Recipe
Easy 10-min. Steamed Garlic Bok Choy
Ingredients
- 1 lb bok choy baby kind
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce
Sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper or white pepper
Instructions
- Wash baby bok choy with cold running water until water runs clear to remove any dirt between leaves. Strain out as much excess water as possible.
- In a large bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Add baby bok choy and mix until the sauce coats the bok choy.
- Fill with a large wok halfway with water and place a small wire rack in the centre with a large plate on top. Cover and bring to a boil to create steam. Uncover and allow the trapped steam to escape.
- Then transfer seasoned bok choy on top of the plate with any sauce in the bowl. Cover and steam on medium heat for 5 minutes until they're vibrant and soft.
- Carefully remove the plate of bok choy with oven mitts from the wok.
- Season cooked bok choy with oyster sauce to taste. Enjoy!
Leila
Do you steam this in a pan, or in a steamer basket? I am reading to mix everything in a bowl. And then…. How do you chose to cook it? It seems like it is meant to be steamed in a pan so you can sauté the oyster sauce in?
christieathome
I've updated the recipe card with detailed steps on how to steam the veggies and what I use to steam.
Fel
It’s so easy and so fast and delish, don’t even need a pan like most other recipes 😍 love it!
christieathome
Awesome! Thanks for making my recipe, Fel! Glad it was easy and quick!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I've never tried bok choy before. But with how beautifully you've prepared it, I am tempted to go ahead and finally give it a try!
Rosemary
Bok choy is sooo delicious and so good for you! I never buy it though because I never had a good recipe.. until now!! 🙂