Are there any bok choy lovers like me? It is the best season for bok choy now. We will make a different bok choy stir fry from the common garlic or oyster sauce version by combining a magic ingredient—pork belly. It is savory, a little bit spicy, and has a strong aroma from the animal fat released by the pork belly.
The most well-known and popular dish is Bok Choy stir fry with oyster sauce. It is a Cantonese style. That classic version is with a slightly sweet and savory taste.
My hometown has a different version that combines crispy pork belly, aromatics, and red chili papers. This will make the bok choy different by absorbing the flavors of the pork belly.
If you are a pork belly lover like me, you will agree that pork belly is a game changer. Even a small portion can enhance the dish by stirring a dark, leafy green vegetable or frying it in fried rice.
Cook’s Note
- Remove the skin of the pork belly strip, as it may be hard to chew in this recipe. But you can keep them for soups or pork belly skin cracks.
- There are two ways of spicing up the dish. The first is to add more chili papers. The second way is to add those pepper circles along with the aromatics.
- Sear the pork belly until slightly crispy to form a texture comparable to the soft bok choy vegetable.
- If your pork belly is slightly overly fatty, pour some extra oil and save it for another soup or stir fry after searing the pork belly strips.
- Adding a small amount of sesame oil can not only improve the flavor but also help make the bok choy a little bit shiny with a greener color.
Step by Step
Wash and drain the bok choy. If you get a larger bok choy, cut it into sections. Remove the skin of the pork belly and then cut into small strips or slices.
In a hot wok, add some oil and then fry pork belly until slightly seared. In this process, the pork belly will release some lard which will enhance the flavor of bok choy greatly. We love to fry green leaf vegetables with animal fat.
Add garlic, scallion, ginger, and light soy sauce. Fry for a while until the flavors are well combined.
Add the bok choy and continue to fry until the leaf becomes soft. Then, add the remaining light soy sauce and a small pinch of salt.
Finally, add the red Thai pepper circles. I love to add Thai pepper in this step since it reduces the heat and keeps a touch of freshness from those papers.
Bok Choy and Pork Belly Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 5 bok choy separated
- 1 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil
- 100 g pork belly , cut into small pieces
- 2 garlic cloves ,minced
- 1 thumb ginger , minced
- 1 scallion , minced
- 3 fresh red Thai pepper
- 2 tbsp. light soy sauce ,divided
- a small pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
Instructions
- Prepare Bok Choy: Wash and drain the Bok Choy. If you get a larger Bok Choy, cut it into sections.
- Prepare Pork Belly: Remove the skin of the pork belly and then cut into small strips or slices.
- In a hot wok, add some oil and then fry pork belly until slightly seared. In this process, the pork belly will release some lard which will enhance the flavor of bok choy greatly. We love to fry green leaf vegetables with animal fat.
- Add garlic and ginger, and half of the light soy sauce. Fry for a while until the flavors are well combined.
- Add the Bok Choy and continue to fry until the leaf becomes soft.
- Add the remeaning light soy sauce and a very small pinch of salt.
- Finally, add the red Thai pepper circles. I love to add Thai pepper in this step since it reduces the heat and keeps a touch of freshness from those papers.
- Add sesame oil, mix well and serve hot.