The market · Vegetables · East Asia, Southeast Asia
Bok choy
A loose-headed Chinese cabbage with thick, juicy stems and dark leaves, eaten young and barely cooked.
fresh · green · mild
What to do with it
FilipinoKare-kareOxtail and tripe stewed in a thick peanut sauce, coloured with annatto, eaten with sharp shrimp paste.No one here has made it yetYunnanCrossing-the-bridge noodlesA bowl of scalding broth under a layer of fat, with raw sliced meats, quail's egg, vegetables and rice noodles added at the table, in that order.No one here has made it yetYunnanErkuaiCakes of steamed, pounded rice, sliced and stir-fried with pork and greens, grilled on the street with sauces, or cut into noodles for soup.No one here has made it yetSichuanChongqing hotpotA pot of beef-tallow broth thick with chilli, Sichuan pepper and chilli bean paste, kept boiling at the table for cooking raw meats, offal and vegetables.No one here has made it yet
Kinds
- White-stemmed
- The classic, with thick white ribs.
- Shanghai / green-stemmed
- Spoon-shaped pale green stems; often sold as pak choi.
- Baby
- Small enough to cook whole.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Chinese grocers, cheaply. Firm stems, no yellowing leaves.
- Worth knowing
- Halve lengthways and rinse the base — grit hides there.
