Ginger-Lime Bok Choy & Whole Grains

Written By Michael Liang

Bok choy has been one of my favorite new plants to grow this year. The variety, ching chiang, didn’t give me any issues and has thrived in both the backyard garden and our farm site. And, being half-Chinese, I always feel like I have a kinship with any Asian vegetables.

Cooking the stems and the leaves separately is a new technique for me, but it makes sense. Given their different cellular structures and water ratios, they’ll cook at different rates. Cook them for a bit longer than expected to get nice color and texture.

Time: 1 hour
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole grains (wheat berries, farro, ancient grains, etc)*

  • 2 tbsp neutral oil

  • 1 large head of bok choy, cut into bite-size pieces. Divide into two piles, separating the thick white stems from the leafy greens.

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1” piece of ginger, grated or minced

  • Juice from 1 lime

  • 2 tbsp sesame oil

  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar

  • pinch of red chili pepper flakes

  • 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped

  • 1 or 2 scallions, sliced thinly

  • sesame seeds

  • pinch of salt

  • 1 small chili pepper, minced (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the whole grains. Cook until pleasantly chewy, 45-60 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

While the grains cook, prepare the bok choy and dressing. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Once shimmering, add the white parts of the bok choy and spread them out so they form a single layer. Stir occasionally, though less is more with this technique; it’ll allow beautiful charring. After several minutes, remove the cooked bok choy stems, place in a bowl, and add the remaining leafy greens back to the skillet. Cook until wilted and charred and then add them to the other bowl of bok choy stems.

To prepare the dressing, combine the garlic, ginger, lime juice, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and red chili pepper flakes; I prefer to add everything in a glass jar with lid and shake everything together.

Once the grains are finished cooking, drain then combine them with the cooked bok choy, dressing, cilantro, scallions, sesame seeds, and red chilies, if using. Add a dash of salt to taste.

*We recently started ordering from Bluebird Grains Farms and have been blown away by how good these grains are. They have so much flavor and just the most satisfying texture.

Michael Liang
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