Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce | Two Plaid Aprons (2024)

Bok choy with oyster sauce is a great vegetable side dish for any entrees from miso salmon to Mongolian beef. It's simple, easy to make, and takes only 15 minutes! In our recipe, we shared 2 options to make the oyster sauce, for both thin and thick sauce lovers.

Having an easy, trusty vegetable side dish for any meal is so handy to have! Bok choy recipes, like this bok choy with oyster sauce and garlic bok choy, are our go-to.

Ingredient notes

Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!

• Bok choy - These leafy greens can be found at most Asian markets in the produce aisle. Feel free to use regular bok choy or baby bok choy. Also, see "How to prepare bok choy for cooking" below for cleaning and cutting tips.
• Garlic - Some fresh garlic adds an additional layer of flavor and makes the dish more fragrant.
• Oyster sauce - This is the main seasoning of this bok choy recipe.
• Sugar - Just a little bit of sugar nicely balances and rounds out the flavor of the oyster sauce.
• Water and cornstarch - If you prefer a thicker sauce that coats the bok choy, some water will be needed to dilute the oyster sauce so that the sauce is not overly salty, and the cornstarch will thicken the sauce so that it's got body and can actually coat the bok choy.
• Oil - For cooking. Any neutral oil is fine.

What is bok choy?

Bok choy, also known as pak choi or pok choi, is an leafy Chinese green that is smooth and pale green at the bottom stem area and dark green and leafy at the top. It can be found at most Asian markets and some local grocery stores.

When picking out bok choy, look for ones without blemish, looks plump around the stem area, and are dark green in the leafy areas.

How to prepare bok choy for cooking

For any bok choy dish, you can use one of the two methods below:

Halved or quartered:

Trim the root of the bok choy as need, but try to not cut off too much so that the leaves can stay intact. Then, cut the bok choy lengthwise into halves or quarters. Wash and rinse the cut bok choy.

Dirt and soil tends to collect between the leaves. So with this method, please carefully wash and rinse in between every leaf, but also make sure to not open the leaves too wide or they may break off.

Individual leaves:

Break off each leaf by the base of the stem. Place the leaves into a bowl and fill with water. Wash the bok choy, especially near the base of the stem to remove dirt and debris. Rinse and repeat as necessary.

You could also just cut the bok choy at the base, about 1 inch, to quickly separate the leaves. However, we find this method a bit wasteful. But feel free to choose whichever you prefer.

How to make bok choy with oyster sauce

Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!

Bok choy with oyster sauce comes in two difference versions, thin sauce or thick sauce. Whichever version you prefer, first start with blanching the bok choy:

Place the trimmed and washed bok choy into a pot of boiling water and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or to your desired tenderness. Drain and set aside.

🌟 Pro tip: Place the bok choy stem side into the water first, for a few seconds, before submerging the rest of the bok choy. The leaves only take a couple seconds to cook. So this method will prevent your bok choy from overcooking.

Version 1 - thin sauce

1. Cook the garlic. In a wok or pan over medium heat, add some oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

2. Saute bok choy. Add the blanched bok choy and sauté briefly until everything is well combined.

3. Season. Add the oyster sauce and sugar to the bok choy and sauté until the bok choy is evenly coated with sauce.

📝 Note: As you sauté the bok choy, it will release its natural juices, which makes the sauce. Do note that the longer the bok choy are cooked, the more juices will be released, so try to keep it within 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Version 2 - thick sauce

1. Prepare the sauce. In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk together water, oyster sauce, sugar, and cornstarch until no more lumps of cornstarch is visible. Set aside.

📝 Note: The amount of cornstarch listed in the recipe gives the sauce just enough body so that the sauce clings to the bok choy and coats it. If you prefer a thicker sauce, start by adding a teaspoon more cornstarch and adding more if needed.

2. Cook the garlic. In a wok or pan over medium heat, add some oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

3. Add the sauce. Give the prepared sauce a mix and add to the garlic. Let the sauce cook until it thickens and become glossy. Make sure to stir frequently, especially when the sauce starts to thicken.

4. Add the bok choy. Once the sauce has evenly thickened, add the blanched bok choy and toss until everything is evenly coated.

Storage and reheating

Leftover bok choy in oyster sauce should be cooled completely before covering and refrigerating. It will stay good for up to 4 to 5 days.

For option 1 (thin sauce), you can simply reheat the bok choy in the microwave until heated through or sauté everything on the stovetop until hot.

As for option 2 (thicker sauce), you'll notice that the sauce will become thinner as it sits. So when reheating, we recommend pouring the leftover sauce into a pan and mix in one to two teaspoons of cornstarch (or as much as needed). Mix until no lumps are left, then heat the sauce over medium heat. Allow the sauce to simmer and and thicken, making sure to stir frequently. Once the sauce has thickened, add the bok choy and toss and stir until well coated and heated through.

FAQ

If you’ve made this recipe or any recipes from our blog, please tag us on Instagram using #twoplaidaprons! You can also tag us in your Instagram stories using @two_plaid_aprons. We would love to see your creations! It absolutely makes our day! 🥰

📖 Recipe