Bok Choy Dim Sum
Bok Choy Dim Sum with crunchy baby bok choy in a garlicky Paleo dim sum sauce. Every bite is burst with flavor, just like the dim sum you get at your favorite Chinese restaurants. This simple Paleo side dish is easy to make and you’ll find yourself wanting for more bite after bite.
What is Bok Choy?
Bok Choy in Mandarin is 青菜 [qīng cài]. Some people also call it 白菜 [bái cà] in Mandarin. It’s a vague and very general term and simply means blue-green colored vegetable. Bok Choy is a Cantonese pronunciation. Since the term – Bok Choy – could means a wide variety of Chinese vegetables, a more specific name for the type of bok choy that we are referring to in the West should be Shanghai Bok Choy 上海青菜 [Shànghǎi qīng cài].
Regular Bok Choy vs. Shanghai Bok Choy
Regular bok choy in Mandarin is 奶白菜 [Nǎi báicài] and it literally means milky color vegetable. Regular bok choy has white stalks and dark green leaves with a crinkled texture like the picture below. In my opinion, regular bok choy has a slightly stronger peppery taste than Shanghai bok choy. The stalks are less crunchy than Shanghai bok choy after cooked.
Shanghai bok choy is the most common type that we see in the Western markets. The stalks are in gorgeous green color and the shapes look like soup spoons once you halve them in half. We use Shanghai bok choy for today’s dim sum bok choy recipe.
How to prepare Bok Choy
You can stir-fry Bok Choy or quickly blanch them and season with sauce to make Bok Choy Dim Sum. You can also add Bok Choy to Noodle soup. The best way to clean Bok Choy is to halve or quarter them first then rinse under clean room temperature water.
Baby Bok Choy should be no longer than 6-inch lengthwise. For larger size Bok Choy it’s best to dice them into 2-3 inch sections before washing.
Bok Choy Recipes
Today’s Bok Choy Dim Sum is a perfect way to enjoy Bok Choy in a whole new way. It’s a wonderful side dish that goes well with many savory mains or any of my stir-fry and stew recipes.
You can also add them to noodle soup for example my Whole30 tantanmen ramen for winter months or my Paleo Japanese cold ramen for summer.
For stir-fry, try my Chinese broccoli stir-fry with garlic sauce recipe and simply swap the Chinese Broccoli for Bok Choy and you’ll have a lovely plate of garlicky delicious bok choy stir-fry in no time.
This Paleo Bok Choy Dim Sum is a wonderful side dish for the whole family to enjoy. It’s Paleo, Whole30, Keto, and Vegan. If you’ve been looking for a new way to enjoy bok choy, give this lovely vegetable dim sum a try. You are going to love it!
Bok Choy Dim Sum (Paleo, Whole30, Keto)
Ingredients
- 1 lb baby Bok Choy, , about 6-inch lengthwise or smaller (see notes)
- 2.5 tbsp avocado or olive oil
Dressing/Sauce:
- 4 cloves garlic, , finely chopped
- 2 bulbs scallions, , chopped
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- ½ tsp toasted sesame oil, (optional)
- ¼-½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Halve or quarter baby bok choy and rinse under cold water until clean. Prepare garlic and scallions in one bowl. Combine coconut aminos and sesame oil, if using, in a second bowl. Set them aside ready to use.
- Bok choy: Hot water blanch bok choy for about 1 to 1.5 minutes. The vegetables should still be very crunchy. Plunge them in cold water to stop cooking. Set them aside to drain then place on a serving plate.
- Dim Sum Sauce: In a well-heated skillet, add 2.5 tbsp oil. Saute garlic and scallions with 1/4-1/2 tsp salt until fragrant, about 1 minute. While the oil is still hot, pour the fragrant oil with garlic/scallions into the bowl with coconut aminos and sesame oil. Stir the bowl to combine the sauce.
- Serve: Spoon the sauce over bok choy 1 tbsp a time until your desired flavor intensity level. Serve in room temperature or chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
What to serve with Bok Choy Dim Sum? Check out my Paleo Orange Chicken, Paleo Shumai, Chinese pepper steak, Paleo broccoli fired rice, Chicken stir-fry with zucchini, Chinese jumbo shrimp and ketchup stir-fry, and Chicken broccoli!
I’m Vietnamese and was looking for a healthy side to go with baked chicken thighs and remembered this post. GREAT recipe and so much flavor for little effort. I blanched the bok choy for 1.5 mins but 1 minute would have been even better I think (more crunch). The sauce using toasted sesame oil is the key! I can’t wait to use it on Chinese broccoli, and even regular broccoli or sautéed spinach. Thank you! Adding to my regular rotation of winning sides.
Love this. this is my go to. and my kids love it too.
Super-easy and delicious. Embarrassed to say I’d never made baby bok choy before, but bought some on a whim and had during my W30 reintro. Great to have an easy way to mix it up and stay out of the veggie rut!
Thank you!
So simple yet so delicious! Thank you for my new go-to bok choy recipe!
Thank you, Mitzi!
Looking forward to making this…looks delicious and simple!
Thank you so much!
Love Bok Choy. Cook with it often. Love it sauteed or stir fried for breakfast with scrambled eggs!!
Will try this recipe. Looks delish! Thanks for the bok choy info. Interesting!
This looks SO good — I love baby bok choy, but I’ve never tried making it in a dish by itself. Trying this soon!
My daughter is trying to grow bok choy in our garden this spring. We’re pretty excited about it! Hopefully we’ll be able to try this with garden-fresh bok choy!
I made this last night along with the orange chicken. Super easy and delicious. Really like the crispy texture of the baby boc choy.
Thank you, Lisa! What a wonderful dinner combo!
I’m always looking for different ways to serve bok choy and this looks amazing!
I adore dim sum, so this looks perfect!!
What a yummy way to enjoy bok choy! I never think to pick up this veggie, but I’m putting it on my list this week!
We made this last night and it was DELICIOUS! The sauce is savory with a hint of sweetness even my kids love it! SO GOOD!
So so happy to hear that, Holly! Bok choy for the win!