How to Cut Bok Choy & Which Parts You Can Eat

If you’ve never cooked bok choy you may feel a little confused about how to prepare it. We’ll explain which parts you can eat and how to cut bok choy in two different ways.

Sometimes referred to as Chinese cabbage or pak choy, bok choy is a dark green, leafy vegetable with a thick white stalk that is popular in Asian cuisine. It is highly nutritious, containing vitamins C, K, and A, as well as fiber and calcium. Bok choy can be used in stir-fries, curries, salads, and soups and is really simple to cook. Store it in the refrigerator, wrapped in a tea towel for around a week.

When cooked, the stem of bok choy is crunchy and the leaves are soft. It can be boiled, stir-fried, steamed, or roasted. We’ll explain how to cut bok choy and tips on how to clean it. 

How to Clean Bok Choy

There are two ways to wash bok choy, depending on whether you want to keep it whole or separate the leaves.

1. To separate the leaves: Chop off the stalk about two inches from the base and discard it. The leaves will separate, making them easier to wash. Wash each leaf separately under running water, running your finger along the stalk to remove any dirt, and use a vegetable brush if very dirty. There’s no need to remove the outer leaves, these should be eaten as well.
2. To wash whole: Place the bok choy whole in a large bowl, cover with water and swish the water in between the leaves, gently open them to remove any dirt.

Place the washed bok choy on a clean dish towel and lay another clean dish towel on top, gently press on it to dry the bok choy before cutting. 

How to Cut Bok Choy

Depending on your recipe, there are generally two ways to cut bok choy. You can either:

1. Cut individual leaves: Cut off the stem, place the leaves on top of each other, and slice in half lengthways. Next, chop the leaves and stalk into one-inch pieces, or smaller depending on your recipe. You may need to separate the chopped stalk and leaves as the stalk takes longer to cook. Chopped bok choy goes well in soups, stir-fries, and vegan chop suey. 
2. Cut whole bok choy: For baby bok choy, slice it in half lengthways. Cut the root a little, but not too much to make it fall apart. Do the same for large bok choy, but cut it into quarters instead of halves. This method works well for steamed and roasted bok choy.

Read more:

• How to Grow Bok Choy: 7 Tips for the Best Results
• Simple Vegan Dan Dan Noodles
• 2 Quick & Easy Vegetable Ramen Recipes

** Links to retailers marked with ** or underlined orange are partially partner links: If you buy here, you actively support Utopia.org, because we will receive a small part of the sales proceeds. More info.

Tags: Cooking Food Guide Vegan Vegetables