Braised Baby Bok Choy

Braised Baby Bok Choy, originally uploaded by essgee51.

Quick, light and oh so good - the crunchy stems and light, gingery tang contrasted nicely with the richness of leftover (and getting tastier by the night!) lamb and beans. Mostly eyeballed the ingredients, but a rough recipe is below.

• 4 baby bok choy, cleaned and halved
• 1-2 tbsp. oil (used peanut)
• 1 heaping tbsp. garlic, minced (3 cloves)
• 1-2 tbsp. ginger, julienned
• 1-2 tbsp. soy sauce, to taste

Over medium heat, saute ginger and garlic in the oil till fragrant and beginning to soften, 2-3 minutes.

Add the bok choy, cut side down. Saute, turning once or twice to coat with oil, till the leaves begin to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. If you don't have enough room in your pan (I didn't), do them in batches.

Return all the bok choy to the pan. Add some water (3-4 tbsp. in my case) and the soy sauce. Stir, then cover and cook till the bok choy stems are tender but still crisp, about 4-7 minutes.

Adjust seasoning.

Simple Chicken Soup (Nilagang Manok)

This simple but nourishing soup (pictured at the noon and 3 o'clock marks) served as a light dinner for two people fighting off a bug, a breakfast and three days of lunch. A few splashes of salty, savory fish sauce make it sing, so make sure you have your favorite (nuoc mam, patis, whatever) on hand.

My [vegetable] mise en place, let me show you it

The recipe can vary widely depending on  your mood and what you have on hand (for example, I replaced the traditional cabbage with baby bok choy); the following  is just what went into this particular iteration. I forgot to separate and weigh the potatoes and green beans (which came with a tomato in a farmer's market grab bag), so all measurements are approximate.

• 2-2.5 lbs. chicken thighs (five plump ones in this case)
• 5 cups water
• 1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled and smashed (about 7 fat cloves)
• 3 young onions, sliced, with greens washed and tied together
• 1-1.5 tsp. salt
• 5-6 young potatoes,  quartered
• 2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and chunked
• 10-12 oz. green beans, sliced
• 6 baby bok choy, stems and leaves separated and roughly chopped
• salt to taste
• patis to taste (I like about a tbsp. per small bowl)

Put the chicken, water, garlic, onions and onion greens in a large pot. Bring to a boil then simmer till chicken's fairly well cooked but not yet done, about 20 mins. Remove greens and discard.

Add salt, potatoes and carrots. Cook till the vegetables start to soften, about 7-10 minutes. Add green beans and bok choy stems; cook till beans are becoming tender, but still have a bite to them (about 5-7 minutes).

Taste and adjust seasoning. Add baby bok choy leaves, cover and remove from heat. Serve with rice and patis on the side.

Miso-Glazed Catfish and Baby Bok Choy

 

Found this recipe on Serious Eats, which in turn traces it back to Whole Foods' website. Given that I had a pound of catfish instead of 10 oz. and that I love miso, I increased the amount of glaze (and, after several awkward fork-and-back-of-spoon applications, resolved to buy a brush). This turned out to be rich, tasty but still very healthy; the bok choy was just the right combination of softened but still-crisp stems and tender leaves. John heartily approves, too.

• 1 lb. catfish
• 1-1/2 tbsp. white miso
• 2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 4 baby bok choy, washed and halved

Whisk miso, 1 tbsp. olive oil, sugar and about 2 tbsp. of water together till smooth (add more water, a few drops at a time, if it seems too chunky for you).

Coat catfish fillets with glaze. 

Meanwhile, put 1 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add catfish and cook till lightly browned but not overdone - about 5-6 minutes. Flip once, halfway through.

Remove catfish from pan and cover with foil.

Cut baby bok choy in half, lengthwise, and coat with remaining glaze. Scrape browned bits in pan, then add bok choy, cut side down, and 2 tbsp. of water. Cover and cook, turning once or twice, till bok choy is tender but still bright green, about 4-6 minutes.

Serve veg and catfish together.

Chicken Soup with Baby Bok Choy

Strange to have the first chicken soup of the cold weather come this late - and without leeks, no less. I had originally wanted to do this with the baby bok choy that I'd bought last week, but a combination of circumstances - aging celery and ginger root at home, very reasonably-priced chicken thighs at the store near the school where we volunteered for MLK Day and the need for something that would see me through a few days of work lunches all conspired to create this riff off this recipe.

• 2.3 lbs. chicken thighs
• 1/2 head garlic, peeled and crushed
  
• 1 onion, quartered (would have used more, but I only had two; the scallions were added to help make up for this)
• 3 scallions, roughly chopped
  
• 2 small carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 small celery stalks, chopped
• 3 in. chunk ginger, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (didn't have any appropriate fresh herbs)
  
• 6 cups water

• 1 med. carrot, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 8 baby bok choys, roughly chopped, stems and leafy tops separated
• salt to taste
  

Put the first batch of ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium low, then simmer and cook for about 1 hour or till chicken is tender.

Remove chicken, shred the meat and set aside.

Strain broth, pressing to get all the lovely liquid out of the vegetables.

Add the carrots, onions, celery and bok choy stems to the broth. Bring to a boil and cook till the vegetables are tender but still slightly crunchy, 7-15 minutes. Season to taste.

Add the bok choy leaves and the reserved chicken. Cover, then remove from heat. Wait five minutes, then serve.

A Riff on Bittman's "Anti-Ramen" Soy Broth

Being home sick today meant scarfing up all of yesterday's soup well before dinnertime. So, I decided to try a variation on Bittman's "anti-ramen": "Egg Noodles in Soy Broth." Despite a misstep and a few varations (reproduced in the recipe below for posterity and further experimentation), the broth's incredibly rich and flavorful, especially for something meatless. It's also the inspiration for the new "comfort food" tag.

• 3 cups water
• 1/6 cup ketchup (I use a HFCS-free organic store brand)
• 1/6 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. mirin (whoops - picked up the wrong bottle)
• 2 tsp. white vinegar (to make up for the mirin)
• 1 hefty squeeze of sriracha
  
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 potato, diced (had to use up leftovers)
• 3 baby bok choy, chopped, stems and leaves separated
• 2 scallions, chopped (for garnish)
  

Put water, ketchup, soy sauce, mirin, white vinegar and garlic cloves in a pot. Add potato and baby bok choy stems. Bring to a boil, then simmer till potato is nearly cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

Add baby bok choy leaves. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes, correct seasoning, then serve with noodles or (in this particular case) over day-old rice, garnishing with scallions.

Catfish Sinigang (Catfish in Sour Broth)

I haven't made this lately, but figured it would be a good one to archive here. This recipe is a rather modified version of the "Sinigang na Bangus" recipe in Filipino Cooking Here and Abroad.

• 1-1/2 lbs. catfish fillets
• 2-1/2 cups water
• 4-5 medium Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths
• 1 medium onion
• 3-4 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2-3 tbsp. patis
• salt for fish
• 1 lb. green beans, cut into 2-3 in. lengths (all the better to fit into Mr. Bento's soup compartment)
• 6 oz. spinach leaves (or more if you like), roughly chopped
• 2-4 baby bok choy, chopped - separate stems and leaves (optional but yummy)
  

Cut fillets into serving or half-serving sized pieces, depending on your inclination. Salt them.

Put water, tomatoes and onions in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook till vegetables are getting tender (maybe 5-7 mins).

Add green beans (or blanch them first and reserve till you add the fish - I've never been fancy enough for that option) and baby bok choy stems, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 4-7 minutes more, till beans are softened but not quite done.

Add lemon juice and patis. Correct seasonings.

Add fish. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until fish is opaque.

Remove from heat, add spinach and baby bok choy leaves. Cover and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Serve with patis and lemon to pass around.

Sinigang na Baboy (Pork in Sour Broth)

While the pre-prepared sinigang mixes (Knorr and Mama Sita) I've used contain tamarind, I use lemon juice and patis (fish sauce) when cooking from scratch. This recipe is modified from Filipino Cooking Here and Abroad.

NOTE: The original recipe calls for 5-6 pieces of tamarind to be added along with the tomatoes and onion. Then it should be removed, mashed with some of the broth, and the resulting liquid should be returned to the pot. Lemon juice is one substitute; another is 2-3 stalks of rhubarb - I've never tried this, but assume that some adjustment would be necessary.

• 2-1/2 lb. baby back ribs, cut into pieces
  
• 10 cups water
• 4-5 medium tomatoes, sliced (I use Roma)
• 1 large onion, sliced
  
• 4-6 tbsp. patis
  
• 4-6 tbsp. lemon juice
  
• 1 lb. green beans, trimmed
  
• 5 oz. spinach, chopped
• 2-4 baby bok choy, chopped - separate leaves and stems (optional but yummy)
  

Bring water and pork to a boil. Add tomatoes and onions. Simmer covered for 1 hour, or until tender.

Add lemon juice and patis. Taste and correct seasoning.

Bring to a boil, then add green beans and baby bok choy stems. Cook for 5-8 minutes more, or until beans have reached desired texture.

Add spinach and bok choy leaves, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.