Sweet Bok Choy

[Sweet Pak Choy; Brassica rapa Group Chinensis]

This is a tender bok choy with light green to slightly yellow-green leaves. The stems, which are white like regular Bok Choy, are relatively thin, so giving them a head start over the greens is optional. The largest leaf from the photo specimens was 11 inches long by 7 inches wide.

Cooking time needs to be very short - but, in my opinon, they would do just fine raw in salads. Of course that wouldn't be authentically Chinese - the Chinese traditionally don't eat raw vegetables due to unsanitary growing methods. On the other hand, Sweet Bok Choy isn't a tradigional Chinese vegetable anyway - and what I can get is grown in "over regulated" California where traditional Chinese growing methods are strictly banned.

Buying:

This green has just started to appear (2-2019). The photo specimens were purchased from a large Asian market in Los Angeles (San Gabriel) for 2019 US $0.99 / pound.

Storage:

Store in the refrigerator loosely bagged in plastic and use as soon as possible - The leaves start to yellow rather quickly, with a decline in appearance and texture.

Prep:

Separating the stems from the leaves is optional, as the stems are quite thin and the timing difference won't be a whole ' lot.

Cooking:

These greens are used in soups and stir fries pretty much the same as regular Bok Choy, but keep the cooking time shorter. In a stir fry, the taste effect is a bit sweeter than regular Bok Choy, and it wouldn't hurt to use a little more of it than the recipe calls for.

cb_bokswz 190305 - www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@clovegarden.com - Photos on this page not otherwise credited are © cg1 - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page permitted