Roasting bok choy is a great way to get a crunchy texture at the leaf ends while keeping the bottom bulb section moist and delicious, and–unlike steaming–it actually intensifies the vegetables natural sweetness. This side dish is great with rice bowls and ramen, but can really go along with anything where you want a green veg with a touch of sweetness.
serves 2
INGREDIENTS
2 small heads of baby bok choy or 1 larger head
2 t. miso (I use white for this recipe but any miso you prefer will work)
1 t. honey
1 t. soy sauce
2 t. hot water
pinch up to ⅛ t. togarishi or cayenne pepper, if you want a bit of spice (optional)
1-2 t. neutral oil, like canola
sesame seeds for garnish, either black or white are fine (optional)
PREPARATION
- Preheat an oven (a toaster oven–if it is large enough–is fine) to 375°F.
- Divide the bok choy in half by cutting through the middle from bulb end to leaf end. If it is larger, you may want to divide it into four quarters.
- Carefully hold each bok choy head under running water to ensure there is no sand trapped where the leaves meet the bulb, but don’t let the water rip leaves off the head
- Drain as well as possible on a paper towel or kitchen towel. You won’t get it completely dry.
- Place the bok choy on a rimmed sheet pan and rub with oil, fanning out the leaves a bit if they are closely packed.
- Cook in the preheated oven for 10-20 minutes (depending on the size of the bok choy). It is cooked through when the bulb is tender when pierced with a knife end and the ends of the leaves are crisp.
- While the bok choy is roasting mix together in a small bowl using a fork the miso, honey, soy sauce, water and pepper (if using).
- As soon as the bok choy comes out of the oven, drizzle with the glaze and top with sesame seeds.
cooking for my daughters 