Contrary to what yesterday’s post and other previous ones may suggest, I do not subsist mostly on candy and snacks. I also eat things from other food groups, like vegetables. I like to purchase two or three different ones each week. One of this week’s choices is bok choy, with a twist.

Pictured are three varieties of bok choy: bok choy sum, bok choy, and baby bok choy. All three have a mild flavor, and baby bok choy is the most tender-crisp. These three varieties can be prepared in the same ways—steamed and maybe topped with oyster sauce; stir-fried with salt, minced garlic, and a bit of oil (e.g., vegetable, sesame, or olive); and in soups. No matter what the dish, I suggest that you cook this vegetable only until the stalks are tender and the leaves wilted; overcooking will make these parts mushy. Baby bok choy is the most expensive and bok choy is the least. Bok choy sum costs slightly more than bok choy.

Bok choy sum.

The “choy sum” part of bok choy sum’s name refers to the tiny edible yellow flowers.

Bok choy, the most commonly found variety in Asian supermarkets.

Baby bok choy.

I recommend using this variety in soups (it makes a great hot pot ingredient) and stir-fries because of its small size, which requires no chopping to make it into more manageable-to-eat pieces, like you may do with the other two varieties.

So which bok choy should you buy, if you want to buy only one? I’d suggest bok choy sum or bok choy. All three taste very similar, and I don’t think baby bok choy tastes superior enough to warrant its cost of about double that of bok choy and bok choy sum.

Share this post:

•