Baby bok choy is one of my favorite Chinese vegetables. It is a smaller and sweeter version of regular bok choy and is extremely versatile. It can be used in soup, stir fries, steamed dishes, or even eaten raw in a salad. Tossing baby bok choy with mixed greens accompanied by a light ginger dressing makes a delicious start to any meal! Plus today, more and more grocery stores are beginning to carry this wonderful vegetable, which makes it easier for those who have never tasted it to experiment. If you have trouble finding this unique green, try looking in either your local farmer’s market or Asian grocery store.

In this week’s recipe baby bok choy is lightly stir fried with chicken in a delicious garlic ginger sauce. It is a very simple and quick recipe to make, especially if you need a delicious dinner in a hurry. Try this delightful dish and let me know what you think in the Chinese food forum. Enjoy!

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1.5 lbs)
½ tsp garlic salt
3 bunches of baby bok choy
2 tbsp peanut oil
1½ tbsp cornstarch

Sauce:
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
¼ tsp ground ginger

1. Remove all of the fat from the chicken and cut it into 1 inch cubes. Sprinkle these cubes with the garlic salt and let them sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes.


2. Thoroughly rinse the baby bok choy and pull the stalks from the base, discarding the base. Then cut the leaves and stalks into large 1½ or so inch chunks keeping them separate. Then set them aside.


3. In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the sauce and set it aside.


4. In a small cup, mix the cornstarch with a little warm water just so that it dissolves and set it aside.


5. Heat a non stick pot or wok on high. Once the wok is hot add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil and let it get hot. Then add the chicken cubes and stir fry them for about 6 to 8 minutes or until brown. If you let the chicken sit on one side for about 2 minutes before stirring, it will brown quicker. Simply let it sit for 2 minutes and then stir, and then let it sit for another 2 minutes and stir again. Repeat this until most of the chicken is brown.


6. Once the chicken has browned, remove it from the wok and set it aside.


7. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok.


8. Once this oil is hot add the baby bok choy stalks and stir fry them for 2 minutes. Then add the leaves and stir fry for another minute. The stalks are stir fried first because they are denser than the leaves and therefore take longer to cook.


9. Return the chicken to the wok and add the sauce. Then bring everything to a boil.


10. Once it boils, add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thick.


11. Serve with either steamed or fried rice. Makes 3 servings.