Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Produce
- 300 g pak choi, washed, dried, and halved lengthwise
- 3 garlic, minced
Pantry
- 15 ml neutral cooking oil
- 15 ml light soy sauce
- 5 ml toasted sesame oil
- 30 ml water
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 123 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 6 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 511 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Potassium
- 441 mg
- Calcium
- 174 mg
- Iron
- 1.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 36 mg
- Phosphorus
- 79 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 335 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 70 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 69 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.4 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.08 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.13 mg
- Niacin
- 1.0 mg
- Folate
- 100 mcg
- Water
- 168 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Thoroughly wash the pak choi to remove any hidden dirt between the stems. Pat them completely dry using a kitchen towel or salad spinner. Moisture on the leaves will lower the wok temperature and cause splattering.
Heat the neutral cooking oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer.
Add the minced garlic to the wok. Stir rapidly for about 15 seconds until aromatic but not browned.
Increase heat to high and add the pak choi. Toss continuously to coat the leaves in the garlic oil.
Pour the water around the edges of the wok to create steam. Immediately cover the wok with a lid and steam for 1 to 2 minutes until the thick stems are tender but still retain a snap.
Remove the lid. Drizzle the light soy sauce and toasted sesame oil over the vegetables. Toss rapidly for 30 seconds to distribute the flavors evenly.
Transfer the pak choi to a serving dish immediately to prevent carryover cooking. Serve hot.
Chef's Notes
- Drying the pak choi thoroughly is the most crucial step for wok hei (the breath of the wok). Excess water boils the vegetables instead of frying them.
- If using mature, large pak choi instead of baby pak choi, separate the leafy greens from the thicker white stems. Cook the stems for a minute before adding the delicate leaves.
- Toasted sesame oil loses its distinct aroma when exposed to prolonged high heat. Always add it at the very end of cooking, off the heat if possible.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. Texture will soften slightly upon storing.
Reheating: Reheat quickly in a hot pan for 1-2 minutes or microwave for 60 seconds.
Troubleshooting
Pak choi stems are mushy and limp.
Cause: The vegetables were left in the pan too long or steamed with too much water.
Fix: Cannot be fixed. Use as a softer addition to a soup instead.
Prevention: Monitor the steaming step closely and remove the wok from heat as soon as the thickest stems are crisp-tender.
Garlic tastes bitter.
Cause: The garlic burned before the pak choi was added.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Ensure your wok is not too hot when adding garlic, or add the garlic and pak choi almost simultaneously if using very high heat.
Cultural Context
Stir-frying leafy greens with garlic is a foundational technique in everyday Chinese home cooking. This method, which briefly subjects fresh vegetables to intense heat, preserves their vibrant color, crisp texture, and nutritional value while imparting a deeply savory and aromatic profile.
