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Prep 5 minutesmins
Cook 5 minutesmins
Total 10 minutesmins
Easy, healthy, and incredibly delicious garlic bok choy made with crisp, tender bok choy and glazed with a rich, umami, garlic sauce that comes together in under 10 minutes.
This is the best bok choy recipe you’ll ever make! Garlic bok choy is incredibly delicious and only takes a few ingredients and less than 10 minutes to make. It’s my go-to easy weeknight vegetableside dish. Serve this bok choy with your favorite Chinese main dish for a well-balanced meal.
For a spicy kick, try drizzling some garlic chili oil on top for an extra burst of flavor and heat.
You can find all of the ingredients for this Chinese garlic bok choy recipe at your local Asian grocery market. Full measurements and links to all the ingredients I used are listed in the recipe card below.
Bok Choy: make sure to use freshly cleaned, crisp bok choy for the best results. Bok choy is a popular Chinese vegetable that is also used in wonton soup or Chinese clay pot rice.
Salt: to season the blanching water.
Oyster Sauce: adds a slightly sweet, salty, and umami flavor.
Soy Sauce: adds a salty, umami flavor to the bok choy with garlic.
Sugar: sweetens out the salty umami flavors for a well-balanced garlic sauce.
Chicken Bouillon Powder: is a flavor enhancer for the sauce.
Sesame Oil: adds a toasty nutty flavor to the bok choy garlic sauce.
Cornstarch: is the main thickening agent that creates the glossy, thick brown garlic sauce.
Garlic: the main fragrant aromatic.
How to Make Garlic Bok Choy
Here are the recipe instructions on how to make this garlic bok choy recipe.
Boil salt and water in a pot over high heat. Then blanch the bok choy for 1 minute, then remove.
Mix cornstarch and water until combined. Then mix in oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, chicken bouillon, and sesame oil.
Heat a tablespoon of cooking oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Then add the sauce and bring to a simmer until thickened.
Place the bok choy on your serving plate, pour the sauce over it, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
Clean the bok choy. Bok choy will have dirt stuck in between the layers of leaves. Make sure to wash them thoroughly in cold water before cooking them.
Use fresh garlic. Garlic is the main aromatic ingredient. Make sure to mince fresh garlic for the freshest and most flavorful garlicky sauce.
Quickly blanch the bok choy. Bok choy cooks rather quickly. Make sure to work in batches and blanch the bok choy for no longer than 1 minute to achieve the best texture, avoiding an overly soggy result.
Mix the sauce before you begin cooking. Before you saute the garlic, make sure to have the sauce already mixed and ready to go. The cooking process is quick once you turn on the stove.
Storage Instructions
You can store this bok choy with garlic sauce recipe in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheat: microwave the bok choy covered until warm.
Pairing Suggestions
This garlic bok choy is best served as a side dish with rice, sticky rice, or with the following pairing suggestions.
Yes, garlic bok choy is very healthy! Bok choy is low in calories but rich in vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. Garlic also has immune boosting and cardiovascular benefits.
Can I customize this bok choy recipe?
Yes! This bok choy recipe is incredibly versatile. You can customize it by adding more vegetables, such as mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, and broccoli, to create a stir-fried bok choy dish. You can also add your protein of choice, such as tofu, chicken, shrimp, beef, etc, for a more well-balanced meal.
Easy, healthy, and incredibly delicious garlic bok choy made with crisp, tender bok choy and glazed with a rich, umami, garlic sauce that comes together in under 10 minutes.
Blanch the bok choy. Bring a pot of water and the salt to a boil over high heat. Blanch the bok choy for 1 minute. Remove and set aside.
Mix the sauce. In a small bowl, add cornstarch and water and mix until combined. Then add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, chicken bouillon powder, and sesame oil. Mix until combined.
Cook the sauce. In a medium skillet, heat a tablespoon of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant about 30 seconds. Then add the sauce, mix, and bring to a simmer until thickened.
Serve. Place the bok choy on your serving plate and pour the sauce over the bok choy. Enjoy!
OMG! This recipe is exactly what I’ve been looking for. It tastes exactly like the garlic bok choy at my favorite Chinese buffet! Thank you so much for publishing it.
OMG! This recipe is exactly what I’ve been looking for. It tastes exactly like the garlic bok choy at my favorite Chinese buffet! Thank you so much for publishing it.
Yay! I’m so glad you loved it!
This recipe was so easy and tasty! I made and brought this as a side to lunch with friends. 10/10 would do it again.
Yay! I’m so glad you all loved it!!