Sharing is caring!

If you’re looking for a simple traditional veggie side dish, look no further! This Shanghai Bok Choy Stir Fry with Garlic is easy to make, and a delicious nutritious addition to your meal!

What is Bok Choy?

Bok choy is a type of Chinese vegetable. It is also known as Chinese cabbage, but unlike regular cabbages, they do not form heads and have leafy greens with bulbs at the bottoms.

Some describe the flavor as somewhere between spinach and water chestnuts with a slight hint of sweet and peppery undertone.

One thing to know is that when people say Bok Choy, they usually mean Shanghai Bok Choy, which is one variety of bok choy. There are several varieties of bok choy such as white dwarf bok choy, sweet bok choy, and more!

Usually, this healthy veggie (which is packed with Vitamin A and C) is stir fried in traditional Chinese dishes and makes a great side dish.  Here’s how we make it at my house – making it the perfect amount of doneness, and flavorful!

If you’re looking for more bok choy recipes – check out these:

• Bok Choy Stir Fry with Dried Shrimp
• Bok Choy Beech Mushrooms Stir Fry
• Bok Choy Shiitake Mushrooms Stir Fry
• Shrimp Bok Choy Stir Fry

If you’re interested in learning more about Chinese veggies – here’s a whole article on various Chinese vegetables such as snow peas, celtuce, sweet potato leaves, Chinese broccoli and more!

Dried Shrimp

Often times we make veggie stir fries with dried shrimp (aka 蝦米). Dried shrimps are sun dried shrimps that have been preserved and is used in many Asian cuisines. It adds a umami flavor to the dish. We always have a jar (or 2) of dried shrimp in the house, as there are different types too!

If you’re interested, you can buy them from any Asian supermarkets or on amazon. But to make this dish, it is actually completely optional.

How to cook Shanghai Bok Choy

First gather your ingredients:

• 4-5 Shanghai Bok Choy bunches
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Sea salt, as desired
• 1/4 cup of water
• Optional, dried shrimp

Cut off the very end of your bok choy with a knife and discard.

Now, bok choys can vary in size, so you may cut the bok choys a little differently depending on the bunches you got. But our goal here is to separate the whites from the leafy green parts for the larger bunches. If they’re small enough, you can even ignore this step. Cut the white pieces about inch length.

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat.  Add the garlic and optionally dried shrimp, and cook for about 30 seconds, and then add the white parts of the bok choy.

Stir fry for a about 1 minute, and then add the leafy greens. Stir fry for about 30 seconds, and then add 1/4 cup of water and cover with a lid for about a minute.

Remove the lid, add desired amount of salt. and stir fry 3-5 minutes.  If you like your bok choy more crispy, stick with less time, and if you like it more tender/soft, I would try cooking it longer.

Remove bok choy from skillet and serve!

Looking for delicious authentic Chinese side dishes like this Easy Stir Fried Shanghai Bok Choy with Garlic? Check out my Stir Fry Chinese Eggplant in Garlic Sauce here!

Pin for later!

Sharing is caring!