As much as I love to cook, I also really enjoy watching other cooks go through their creative process. Recently I was at a conference at the Commonweal Retreat Center, where I was able to observe one of my favorite cooks, Claire Heart. She brought out this dish, and the first thing I noticed was that it had bok choy. Now that’s a great vegetable, but it tends to be bitter. She completely solved that problem by pairing it with yams to create a dish that tasted like a vegetarian Chinese Thanksgiving. It was a completely unique and delicious pairing. The colors blew me away as well. I went home and decided to play around with her concept, adding a little ginger for zing and digestion and a few more Asian-style flavors. Thank you, Claire!
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Trim the bases off the bok choy and discard. Trim the leaves from the stems and cut both crosswise into bite-size pieces, keeping the stems and leaves separate.
Step 2
Heat the light sesame oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, then add the scallions and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the yam and a pinch of salt and sauté for an additional minute. Add the bok choy stems, mirin, and tamari and sauté for 2 minutes more. Add the bok choy leaves, lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the toasted sesame oil. Cook until the bok choy is just wilted, about 2 minutes, then do a FASS check and add a squeeze of lime if desired. Serve immediately.
storage
Step 3
Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
nutrition information
Step 4
(per serving)
Step 5
Calories: 150
Step 6
Total Fat: 6g (0.9g saturated, 2.2g monounsaturated)
Step 7
Carbohydrates: 19g
Step 8
Protein: 9g
Step 9
Fiber: 6g
Step 10
Sodium: 595mg
