Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (2025)

Published: by Christie Lai

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Spicy Garlic Bok Choy. If you love bok choy and chili oil, you must try this delicious and easy side dish made with minimal ingredients in 10 minutes!

Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (1)
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  • Ingredients
  • Expert Tips
  • How to make Spicy Garlic Bok Choy
  • Other recipes you may like!
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We're all looking for tasty ways to get in more vegetables into our diet and this chili garlic bok choy is my favorite way! It's the perfect side dish with some steamed rice and your favorite protein. The bok choy leaves absorb the chili garlic sauce making it so flavorful!

My easy spicy bok choy recipe is also made with minimal ingredients in one pan! Making it a great veggie side dish on busy weeknights or for meal prep if you love Chinese food.

Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (2)

I've created a lot of bok choy recipes on the blog and I must say this chili garlic baby bok choy is probably my best yet, especially if you love spicy food!

Ingredients

Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.

Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (3)
  • Fresh Baby Bok Choy: Make sure to find the mini baby bok choy with dark green leaves. Or substitute with regular sized bok choy, pak choi or any Asian leafy greens like yu choy sum or baby gai lan (Chinese broccoli) that you find at the Asian market.
  • Neutral oil:like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil or any heavy scented oils with a low smoke point.
  • Fresh garlic cloves
  • Water

Spicy Sauce

  • Chili oil: store-bought chili oil or homemade chili oil will work so use one that you enjoy!
  • Regular soy sauce:or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
  • Sesame oil: if you're allergic, omit completely.
  • Shaoxing wine: or sub with Dry Sherry or any broth of your choice
  • White granulated sugar: to help balance the salty flavors.

Note: The Asian grocery store will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.

Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (4)

Expert Tips

  • Wash the baby boy choy well as there can be dirt and insects hidden between the leaves.
  • Use a chili oil that you enjoy! Homemade or store-bought work for this recipe.
  • Prepare all your ingredients in advance as the cooking process is very fast!
  • Sauté the garlic on low heat to infuse the oil with that garlicky flavor. Do not burn the garlic.
  • After adding the sauce, toss quickly and remove off heat. Do not over toss or overcook.

How to make Spicy Garlic Bok Choy

Slice baby bok choy into halves. Rinse the halved baby bok choy in cold water until it runs clear, and leaves are clean. Shake out as much excess water as possible. Set aside in the colander to continue straining.

In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil or any neutral oil in large pan or wok on low-medium heat.Add minced garlic and sauté for 10 seconds or until fragrant.

Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (5)

Increase to medium-high heat. Add in baby bok choy followed by water to help cook the veggies faster. Stir fry and let this cook until bok choy stems are softened, 2-4 minutes.

Once leaves have softened, pour sauce on top and toss together and once the sauce is mixed through remove off heat and enjoy!

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Storage & Reheating

  • Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.

Other recipes you may like!

  • Garlic Bok Choy
  • Chinese Broccoli Stir Fry
  • Steamed Garlic Bok Choy
  • Stir Fried Snow Pea Leaves
  • Choy Sum with Sizzling Oil
  • Easy Garlic Green Beans
  • Chinese Broccoli with Garlic Sauce

📖 Recipe

Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (7)

Easy 10-min. Spicy Garlic Bok Choy

Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (8)Christie Lai

Spicy Garlic Bok Choy. If you love bok choy and chili oil, you must try this delicious and easy vegetable side dish made with minimal ingredients in 10 minutes!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 2

Calories per serving 170 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb baby bok choy or substitute with baby pak choy, baby gai lan or yu choy sum
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
  • 8 cloves garlic minced
  • cup water

Sauce

Instructions

  • Slice baby bok choy into halves. Rinse the halved baby bok choy in cold water until it runs clear, and leaves are clean. Shake out as much excess water as possible. Set aside in the colander to continue straining.

  • In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients. Set aside.

  • Heat vegetable oil or any neutral oil in large pan or wok on low-medium heat.Add minced garlic and sauté for 10 seconds or until fragrant.

  • Increase to medium-high heat. Add in baby bok choy followed by water to help cook the veggies faster. Stir fry and let this cook until bok choy stems are softened, 2-4 minutes.

  • Once leaves have softened, pour sauce on top and toss together and once the sauce is mixed through remove off heat and enjoy!

Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 654mg | Potassium: 68mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 10094IU | Vitamin C: 106mg | Calcium: 274mg | Iron: 2mg

More Easy Simple Appetizers & Side Dishes

  • Korean Seafood Pancake (Haemul Pajeon)
  • Spicy Gochujang Sesame Tofu
  • Pajeon (Korean Scallion Pancake)
  • Chinese Spicy Sour Potatoes

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Did you enjoy my recipe?

  1. Mauricio

    Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (13)
    This was so flavorful and easy to make! A hit with my wife and I.

    Reply

Spicy Garlic Bok Choy (2025)

FAQs

How do you get the bitterness out of bok choy? ›

To remove the bitterness from bok choy, blanching is the technique you should use.

What's the best way to eat bok choy? ›

Bok choy, a Chinese cabbage, is tender, sweet, and stands up well to heat — making it perfect for stir-frying. Cook it simply with garlic, black bean sauce, or shiitake mushrooms for a delicious side dish, or incorporate it into a frittata or bowl of ramen for a more substantial bite.

Should I soak bok choy before cooking? ›

The stalks of bok choy are prone to grit, much like leeks, so be sure to clean bok choy thoroughly before cooking. The simplest way to prep bok choy is to cut it in half lengthwise and submerge it in cold water for a few minutes. This will soften the dirt and allow you to remove it easily.

What's the difference between bok choy and baby bok choy? ›

What is the difference between regular bok choy and baby bok choy? There is virtually no difference between regular-sized bok choy and baby bok choy. Baby bok choy is harvested earlier than regular-sized bok choy, and as a result, the vegetable is naturally smaller and overall is a bit sweeter.

Does bok choy like coffee grounds? ›

Basil, bok choy, lettuce, Chinese cabbage — those little starts especially vulnerable to slugs and snails — could be protected with a band of coffee grounds around each start. Since straw mulches tend to harbor slugs and snails, lay a thin layer of coffee grounds first, then use the straw mulch.

What part of bok choy do you not eat? ›

All of Bok Choy is edible, so once you get to that point, you can chop up the stem and the bulb. If you want to keep the whole bok choy intact, we recommend using your fingers and opening the stalks so the water can reach it.

Is it better to steam or boil bok choy? ›

The best way to eat bok choy is to lightly steam or stir-fry it to retain its crisp texture. Overcooking makes it mushy. Bok choy has a delicious, mild flavor that pairs well with garlic, ginger, sesame oil, oyster sauce, soy sauce, chiles, or Whole30 peanut sauce.

Which part of bok choy is healthiest? ›

People can consume all parts of bok choy. People can prepare it in a variety of ways. In addition to its low-calorie and high nutrient content, its mildly sweet flavor and crisp texture make it an agreeable addition to almost any dish. Cooking vegetables reduces the number of nutrients they contain.

Do you eat the green or white part of bok choy? ›

You can consume all parts of the bok choy plant, including its white stems and green leaves. Here are some ideas for how to prepare and eat bok choy: Chop it and sauté it with olive oil, garlic, and ginger as a side dish or to top a grain like rice or quinoa. Dice it and add it to an Asian-inspired soup recipe.

Is it okay to eat bok choy every day? ›

A meta-analysis and review of research in the journal Food Chemistry found that eating 100 grams of cruciferous vegetables, such as bok choy, every day was associated with a 10% reduction in the risk of death from any cause. (100 grams of cooked bok choy is a little more than a half-cup.)

What is the English name for bok choy? ›

Other than the ambiguous term "Chinese cabbage", the most widely used name in North America for the chinensis variety is simply bok choy (Cantonese for "white vegetable") or siu bok choy (Cantonese, for "small white vegetable"; as opposed to dai bok choy meaning "big white vegetable" which refers to the larger Napa ...

Can you freeze bok choy? ›

How to Freeze Bok Choy. Boil washed and trimmed bok choy for 2 minutes. Then plunge into ice water for 2 minutes. Pack dried bok choy in Freezer Zipper bags or FreezerWare™.

How can I counteract bitterness? ›

Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness.

How to make pak choi not bitter? ›

make a sweet vinaigrette with honey and drizzle that over it, add some lemon juice or vinegar to the pan and deglaze and toss the bok choy (sour decreases bitter).

How do you mellow bitter greens? ›

Add Vinaigrette, Emphasis on "Vinegar"

Acidity can really bring a pleasant flavor out of bitter greens. If they're being used for a salad, it's good to add a vinaigrette with plenty of acidity to brighten it up. If you are sauteing, add some vinegar or citrus to the greens to finish them off.

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