A traditional recipe for simple, Chinese-restaurant-style sautéed pak choi.
Pak choi appears throughout Asian cuisine in many different forms. One of its main roles, like stir-fried Chinese cabbage, is as a stand-alone side dish. Serve it during a lavish Chinese New Year feast or alongside a hearty plate of beef with onions.
In short, it is quick, easy, and absolutely delicious.
Tips for perfect sautéed pak choi
First, mise en place is critical. Prepare everything in advance because cooking happens over high heat and is very, very fast. Spend five seconds too long fetching an ingredient and something will burn, especially the garlic. You do not want to anger the mighty Great Clove.
Second, control the wok temperature. Do not crowd the pan, and wait until it is properly hot before you start. Pak choi is easy to cook, but you still need the knack.
Key ingredients for sautéed pak choi
Pak choi: Sautéed pak choi would be hard to make without pak choi, but you can swap in its larger cousin, pak soy.
Oyster sauce: This is the sole seasoning, so it is crucial. And no, it does not taste like oysters.
Takeout-Style Garlic Stir-Fried Pak Choi
Matériel
Ingredients
- 250 g pak choi (bok choy)
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 5 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Procédé
- Trim the stem ends, discard any yellow leaves, and quarter the pak choi lengthwise into “flower” chunks (see photo).
- Rinse the pak choi thoroughly under cold water, then shake or pat dry.
- Place a wok or large skillet over high heat until it is smoking hot.
- Pour in the oil and swirl to coat the wok.
- Add the garlic and stir-fry for 8–10 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Toss in the pak choi and stir-fry briskly for about 30 seconds.
- Drizzle in the oyster sauce and toss to coat.
- Serve at once while still crisp and sizzling.
