Have you ever thought about pickling or marinating your Bok Choy? I know this may sound relatively uncommon. In most cases, mustard greens are the best option for pickled vegetables because they contain less water content. In this recipe, I will share a super-easy, quick way to pickle Bok Choy.
Reasons why you should try
- Compared to mustard greens, Bok Choy is more common and easier to find. So whenever you want some pickled vegetables, you can get them.
- It tastes super great, as good as pickled mustard greens in my heart.
- Pickled Bok Choy, with its natural sourness, can be used in many recipes to enhance flavor, for example, in soup noodles or soup dishes.
With a different method – Fresh Pickling
Traditionally, we pickle vegetables for a long time, at least 2-3 weeks, to allow the nitrite level to fall to a very low, safe level. Longer pickling also brings much more flavor.
But since bok choy contains more water than mustard greens, it may turn soft and mushy after longer pickling, losing its crispy texture. So we are using a totally different method- fresh pickling.
This type of pickling has a lovely Chinese name called “跳水泡菜”, meaning jumping to the water pickles. So you can read from the name that it is finished in a very short time. Usually, we pickle the fresh pickles just overnight, less than 24 hours.
About the nitrite level
The nitrite level of pickled vegetables lies in the saft level in two stages. The first is less than 24 hours when it not started to climb. And then the other is after 2-3 weeks, when the acetic acid bacteria become dominant and break down the nitrites. So it is safe for us to use very fresh pickled Bok Choy.
Ingredients
The ingredient list for pickled Bok Choy is relatively short. We will need the following ingredients.
- 4 fresh bok choy
- 4-5 garlic cloves (optional)
- 2-3 fresh Thai peppers
- 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
- Hot boiling water
- 1 tsp. salt
In addition, prepare a container with a cover and free of oil, as well as a clean plate as a weight.
Steps
Wash the bok choy, then drain it completely.
Make sure your container is clean and free of oil. Drain with kitchen paper if there is water inside.
Place the cleaned bok choy in, add garlic cloves, dried chili peppers, salt, and rice vinegar. Then pour in hot boiling water.
Place the plate as a weight so that all parts of the Bok Choy are submerged in the brine.
Cover the lid, wait overnight, and you will get beautifully pickled Bok Choy.
How to use
You can use pickled Bok Choy as a substitute for pickled mustard greens or other types of Chinese 酸菜, as called in the recipe—for example, our rice noodle soup.
Another common way to use it is to stir-fry with oil, a little pinch of salt, and soy sauce. Fry until all of the water is removed. This can serve as a side dish or topping for noodles and congee.
One of my favorite ways is to stir-fry it with seared pork belly. To do this, cut the pork belly into small pieces. Heat the oil and sear the pork belly. Add garlic, ginger, scallion, and chili pepper. Fry until aromatic—season with salt and soy sauce.
Place the pickled bok choy in. Fry well.
- 4 fresh bok choy
- 4-5 garlic cloves optional
- 2-3 fresh Thai peppers
- 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
- Hot boiling water
- 1 tsp. salt
-
Wash the bok choy, then drain it completely.
-
Make sure your container is clean and free of oil. Drain with kitchen paper if there is water inside.
-
Place the cleaned bok choy in, add garlic cloves, dried chili peppers, salt, and rice vinegar. Then pour in hot boiling water.
-
Place the plate as a weight so that all parts of the Bok Choy are submerged in the brine.
-
Cover the lid, wait overnight, and you will get beautifully pickled Bok Choy.
Fry it up
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Frying can remove the extra water of pickled bok choy and enhance the flavor. The easiest way is to stir fry the bok choy with around 3 tablespoons of oil, should be a little bit more, then add a very small pinch of salt and light soy sauce. You can keep the pickled peppers if you prefer a hot version.
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Another way is to fry with pork belly: cut the pork belly into small pieces. Heat the oil and sear the pork belly. Add garlic, ginger, scallion, and chili pepper. Fry until aromatic—season with salt and soy sauce.