what is bok choy anyway?

so, what is that stuff hiding in your "chicken and assorted vegetables" that tastes a bit like radish and a bit like, well, water? it's bok choy my friend and you should become better acquainted. in the store it looks a bit like a rhubarb ran off with a swiss chard, bright white stalks and dark greens. in the wok i've learned to divide and conquer, slice it all up, separate the stalk from the leaves. add the stalks first with your other veggies that require a bit more cooking and the leaves at the end, when everything else is almost done. it's great with ginger, the radishy taste really likes fresh ginger for some reason, and it's good all by it's self or with a mixed stir fry. then there's our little buddy, baby bok choy. to tell the truth it's almost a completely different veggie, small bright spring green bundles of tender leaves. my favorite thing to do with a baby bok choy is cut it in half length wise and sear it on my griddle with a smidge of oil and a sprinkle of salt. fresh ginger would not go amiss here either, but i find it has plenty of flavor on it's own. just don't over cook it, big or baby, it becomes a somewhat slimy mess. this is not all that hard to avoid, keep an eye on the leaves, they should just start to wilt when it's done. so, steam some rice, pour some voinger, and enjoy!