Bok choy is a type of Chinese cabbage. There are two species of Chinese cabbage: the Chinensis and the Pekinensis. Bok choy is a member of the Chinensis family. Chinensis varieties do not form heads, rather they grow leafy blades much like celery and mustard. Other names for bok choy include Pak choy and Joy choy. There are specific cultivars of bok choy that make the most compelling case for being harvested at the baby stage. Those cultivars include Ching-Chiang and Mei Qing Choi. A common name for baby bok choy is Shanghai.

Baby bok choy is the young, petite and tender counterpart to mature bok choy. Its spoon-shaped kelly green leafy blades are supported by translucent and succulent white to pale green stalks that join at a common base above the root. Though the leaves are the most tender and mild part of the plant, the youth of baby bok choy makes for a tender plant through and through. The stalks are thin, tender firm and succulent with nuanced cabbage notes and sweet pea undertones.

Nutritional Value

The acclaimed 16th century Chinese pharmacist Li Shizhen, wrote of the disease-fighting properties of bok choy in his renowned Compendium of Materia Medica, the most complete and comprehensive medical book ever written in the history of traditional Chinese medicine. This compendium in fact heralds the dawning of modern pharmacological studies. Bok choy contains high levels of glucosinolates, which are converted to isothiocyanates in our body. These compounds have been shown to be active in fighting cancer. Bok choy is also a very good source of several carotenoids, especially beta carotene. Beta carotene has been scientifically proven to act as a dietary antioxidant.

Serving Ideas

Baby bok choy is primarily confined to Asian cuisines. It is also often used as a replacement for Napa cabbage. Baby bok choy requires delicate cooking and quick fire applications. It can be added to soups, sautéed, steamed and eaten raw. Complimentary pairings include garlic, ginger, mushrooms, basil, cilantro, mint, sesame seeds and sesame sauce, soy sauce, tofu, pork, white fish, noodles, grains, chicken broth, light bodied vinegars, citrus, ginger and chiles.

Geography/History

Bok choy is native to China, originally confined to the Yangtze River Delta, where it has been cultivated for thousands of years. Its name is derived from the Chinese name for soup spoon because of the shape of its leaves. Bok choy found its way via trade routes to Korea in the 14th century during the Joseon Dynasty where it would become a key ingredient in kimchi. Although bok choy will be first and foremost associated with Chinese cuisine, as the result of the massive Chinese diaspora of the 19th century, it is now inherently embedded in cuisines throughout the Americas, especially within Central America and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad, Guyana, Jamaica and Cuba.

Seasons/Availability

Baby bok choy is available year round.