I love a super delicious, vegetable dish that takes less than five minutes to make. Who doesn't? (Many kids, I suppose.) Bok Choy is in the cabbage family and is quite popular in Asian cuisine. It's extremely healthy as it's high in vitamins A, C, beta-carotene, calcium, and dietary fiber.
Truth be told, my picky six-year old tastes this only because of my, "you have to at least try it," rule. My four-year old has a few good bites without complaining. And of course my husband and I eat it like candy!
Ingredients
8 baby bok choy
Grape seed or olive oil to coat the pan
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Serves 4
In a small, dry saute pan, toast the sesame seeds over low heat. This should take about 3 minutes, and they should be golden brown. Remove them immediately as they can get too dark quickly. Set aside.
Wash, dry, and trim the ends off the bok choy. Place a large saute pan over high heat and coat it with the oil. Add the bok choy and cook just until wilted, about 3 minutes. Toss it with the sesame seeds and sesame oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Some additional notes:
Grape seed oil is a wonderful choice. It's very low in saturated fat, has a high burning point, and doesn't interfere with the other flavors. It's my first choice when I cook with Asian flavors.
Sesame oil is generally used for flavoring, not for cooking, as it has a very low burning point, and the flavor is more intense when it's added after the cooking process.
Bok choy is great for lunch or dinner, on it's own or over rice — it's quick and easy and so tasty! I love it sauteed this way, but it's also wonderful to add to a soup, a stir fry, or even a sandwich!
