Stretching Your Produce: Bok Choy 3-Ways

During the lockdown, we have been forced to buy things in bulk -- even perishables like fruits and vegetables. Thanks to online posts and tutorials, we now know how best to package and store these items to maximize their shelf-life and freeze them once they are past their prime. Making the most of what you buy and reducing food waste have become the mantra of the lockdown kitchen. Most Indian kitchens live by these principles under ordinary circumstances, but they have definitely taken on a new significance at a time when our trips to the grocery store are infrequent and produce shelves sparse.

My husband came back from his last visit to the grocery store with a lot of bok choy. He said the store was running low on the usual vegetables we buy. The bok choy looked fresh. So, he bought several leafy heads. I like bok choy because unlike other fresh greens like spinach and kale, they are easy to clean and cook up in a jiffy. All you need to do is trim and stir fry the whole stalks or the whole bok choy (if you happen to buy the baby ones) in sesame oil and garlic.

Given the times, though, I felt that it would be irresponsible to use up all the bok choy heads in one stir fry. Delicious as it may be, that stir fry would probably last only one dinner and that too as a side. I had to stretch the bok choy -- to make two or three different sides -- so that we could enjoy the greens longer. Now, my family would have been perfectly happy with a simple bok choy stir fry, but this was a fun little experiment to use one ingredient three different ways. Each treatment is simple and preserves the mustardy taste of bok choy. I spaced out the preparation over several days so that we were not eating bok choy all the time :-)










Bok Choy with Mashed Split Yellow Peas
This is a riff on a typical Bengali preparation using radish greens.

What You Need:
1 head of bok choy
1 cup split yellow peas (soaked overnight)
1 tsp nigella seeds
2 Thai bird chilies (halved)
2 tbsp mustard oil (Use Saffola oil if you do not have mustard oil, but it is a key ingredient in this recipe.)
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Directions:
Drain water from soaked split yellow peas. Rinse a couple of times to get rid of any residue. Grind peas in food processor with 1 tbsp salt. Add a splash of water if needed. The resulting paste will be gritty in texture.
Empty paste from food processor into a large bowl. Stir with a spoon or wire whisk for 2-3 minutes. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
Remove stem of bok choy. Separate stalks, wash and drain.
Cut the bok choy stalks in half, separating the white and green parts.
Cut the white parts vertically, then chop each stalk into small chunks. Chop the green leaves roughly.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add nigella seeds. Wait till you hear the seeds sizzle, then carefully add the paste to the pan. Stir to combine the oil and nigella seeds with the paste.
Cook, stirring frequently to make sure the paste does not stick to the bottom of the pan or turn brown.
After about 3-4 minutes, add the chopped white stalks to the pan. Stir to combine.
Add chilies, salt, sugar and keep cooking over low heat till the chopped stalks soften, about 2-3 minutes.
Add chopped bok choy leaves and stir to fold them into the mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes. At this point, the split peas paste will be dry and crumbly with the bok choy stems and leaves distributed evenly through the mash.

Best served hot with steamed white rice.










Bok Choy Stir Fry
I did make a stir fry :-) supplementing the bok choy with some Cremini mushrooms. Was out of sesame oil. Otherwise would have drizzled a little on top after the cooking was done.

What You Need:
2 heads bok choy
2 fat garlic cloves (chopped)
6 medium Cremini mushrooms (stems removed, caps sliced)
2 dried red chilies
1 tbsp sesame seeds (lightly toasted)
1 tbsp oil
11/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Remove stems from the bok choy.
Separate stalks, wash and drain.
Cut the bok choy stalks in half, separating the white and green parts.
Chop the white part in thin semi-circles. Chop the green leaves roughly.
Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add dried red chilies and chopped garlic. Stir for 1 minute over low heat.
Add white bok choy stalks and cook, stirring for about 3-4 minutes, till the stalks are softened.
Add salt and mushroom slices. Stir to combine.
Once mushrooms begin softening, add green bok choy leaves and stir to combine.
Cook for about 2 more minutes, till all the liquid has been absorbed.
Remove from heat and top with toasted sesame seeds.

Serve hot with rice or noodles.

Bok Choy Daal
This is probably the simplest of the three recipes and could be a stand alone meal if served as a hearty soup.

What You Need:
1 head bok choy
1 cup masoor daal (dried red lentil)
2 fat cloves garlic (chopped)
Half Roma tomato (chopped)
1 tsp nigella seeds
1 tsp turmeric
11/2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions:
Remove stem of bok choy. Separate stalks, wash and drain.
Cut the bok choy stalks in half, separating the white and green parts.
Cut the white parts vertically, then chop each stalk into small chunks. Chop the green leaves roughly.
Wash masoor daal in three changes of water, removing as much of the residue as possible.
Place daal in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Bring to boil over medium heat.
Remove the scum that floats to the surface and discard. Try not to stir the daal at this point.
After most of the scum has been removed, add turmeric, salt, and sugar to the daal. Stir to combine and add 1 cup boiling water.
Turn heat to low. At this point, the dal will be cooked through, but you should still be able to make out separate daal grains.
With a wooden spoon, scoop up some daal and mash them against the side of the pot. Do this 3-4 times. This will help thicken the daal.
Keep cooking over low heat till the daal has the uniform consistency of a thick soup.
Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add nigella seeds and garlic. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.
Add white stalks and chopped tomatoes. Cook over medium heat till the vegetables are softened. Add chopped green bok choy leaves and stir to combine.
After 1-2 minutes, turn off the heat and transfer the bok choy and tomato mixture from the skillet to the warm daal. Be careful to avoid spilling the daal.
Bring daal up to a simmer, stirring to combine. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice.