Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Meat Lite: Stir Fried Bok Choy with Soba Noodles

Posted by Joy Manning, June 16, 2009 at 11:00 AM

Note: Philadelphia food writers Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond drop by each week with Meat Lite, which celebrates meat in moderation. Meat Lite was inspired by their book, Almost Meatless.

There's Meat Lite, and then there's practically meatless. This recipe falls into the latter category. Anything cooked with stock is not vegetarian of course, and the absence of meaty pieces might disappoint some Serious Eaters. If you like, add some thinly sliced chicken or pork to this stir fry to make it meatier. And vegetarians can simply substitute water, though for me the depth of flavor provided by the chicken stock makes this feel like a meal. This recipe was created to deal with the abundance of bok choy in my CSA box, but it was so good, I know I'll make it again.

About the author: Joy Manning is the restaurant critic at Philadelphia Magazine. She blogs at whatiweightoday.com.

Stir Fried Bok Choy with Soba Noodles

- serves 2 hungry people as an entrée or 4 as a side -

Ingredients

1/4 cup cold chicken stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon corn starch
2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
1/4 cup minced spring onions or scallions
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 1/2 pound bok choy, stems removed and sliced, leaves torn into pieces and separated from stems
3 ounces soba noodles, cooked only half as long as the package instructions and rinsed under cold water
1/3 cup roasted and salted peanuts, chopped
1 teaspoon roasted peanut oil

Procedure

1. Combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, and corn starch together in a small bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, onions or scallions, and chili flakes and fry, stirring constantly to prevent burning, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sliced bok choy stems and fry for another minute, until just starting to soften.

3. Add the peanuts and cooked soba noodles, stirring to combine. Add the stock and soy sauce mixture, and stir to coat, cooking until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bok choy leaves and stir until just wilted. Drizzle with roasted peanut oil. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

3 Comments Favorite this!  (6)

Tags: Meat Lite, bok choy, noodles, stir fry