When you’re making ramen, getting the ingredients just right is the key to creating a delicious meal. Bok choy is a very common ingredient, but it isn’t one that is enormously intuitive to prepare.
How do you cut boy choy for ramen? You should cut the end off your bok choy to begin with, and then slice the stems away from the leaves. You will need to cut the stems into strips and then roll the leaves up into a ball and slice them into strips as well.
How Do You Cut Bok Choy For Ramen?
Bok choy should be sliced into long, thin strips before adding it to the dish. This helps it to cook properly and allows you to achieve a tender vegetable that does not fall apart on the fork.
If you cut bok choy into cubes, there is a risk that the cubes will cook too quickly and you will get over-done vegetables in your ramen. If you cut it into big chunks, the centers will still be chewy when the outside is done.
Strips are the best shape for making sure that the bok choy cooks alongside the noodles, and this method will produce perfectly tender bok choy.
Separating the leaves from the stems is also important, because the stems will cook more slowly. With this method, you can allow the stems a longer period of cooking, and ensure that the leaves don’t get overcooked.
Don’t underestimate the importance of cutting your bok choy like this; it makes a big difference to the dish.
How Long Do You Cook Bok Choy For?
You will need to cook the stems in your broth for about fifteen minutes in total. At the five minute mark, you should add the leaves, and allow them to cook beside the stems for the remaining time.
Usually, bok choy stems need to be simmered for up to fifteen minutes to ensure that they are tender throughout. In general, the stems and leaves will be the second to last ingredient added to the broth.
Ramen noodles will be the last, usually added five minutes from the end. So, your process should look something like this:
- Add the bok choy strips to your prepared ramen broth and simmer for five minutes.
- Add the bok choy leaves to your prepared ramen broth and simmer for five minutes.
- Add the noodles to the broth and simmer everything for a further five to six minutes.
This should give you beautifully tender, tasty bok choy, and ensure that the stems are cooked but the leaves are not overdone. Don’t add the bok choy stems and leaves simultaneously, or you’ll either have raw stems or mushy leaves.
Why Do You Roll the Leaves Up in Bok Choy?
Rolling the leaves into a ball before you slice them helps them to stay together. This slightly increases the cooking time, making it easier to balance it. Because all the greenery stays in one place, it cooks more evenly.
If you don’t roll the leaves before slicing them, they are harder to cut quickly because you will have to take every individual leaf and slice it. More importantly, however, they will cook too fast when added to the pan, because the heat will penetrate each leaf so much more quickly.
It is best to roll the leaves, both in terms of quick preparation times and nicely cooked leaves.
Should You Leave the Stems Out of Bok Choy?
Some people wonder whether they should remove the stems from the bok choy before cooking it, but the answer is no. Bok choy stems are delicious and tender when cooked well, and will add to the flavor of the dish.
As long as you give the bok choy stems a little more cooking time, they should be a very nice addition to the meal. Including just the leaves makes the ramen somewhat disappointing, and creates unnecessary food waste.
What Does Bok Choy Taste Like?
Bok choy tastes a little like a pale cabbage. It is slightly sweet, with a mild flavor, and it can be eaten raw or cooked. If eaten raw, its stems are crispy, like celery stalks or cucumber.
Because it can be eaten raw, you don’t need to worry about accidentally undercooking your bok choy. The only reason that it is cooked in ramen is to improve the texture and release some of its flavors into the dish.
How Do You Know If Bok Choy is Cooked?
If you slice your stems thickly, they will take longer to cook than thinly sliced stems. That means that cooking times can vary somewhat. The best way to test is to use a fork to pierce the bok choy. If the stems are tender, it is cooked.
There is no danger in eating bok choy that is underdone; it will simply make your ramen a little crispier.
How Do You Prepare Bok Choy For Slicing?
All you need to do is wash the bok choy in cold water. Simply run the vegetable under the tap and use your hand or a clean sponge to rub any dirt off the stems. Once you have separated the stalks, you may wish to wash these if any dirt has got trapped inside.
This is everything you need to do to get it ready to eat, but a thorough wash is a good idea, as bok choy can be muddy. Once the vegetable is clean, shake it dry and then use a sharp knife to remove the base of the stem, which is woody and not good to eat.
Discard this stem, and then slice the bok choy as described above.
Final Thoughts
Bok choy is a lovely addition to ramen, giving it a sweeter flavor. It is also very healthy. If you want to use bok choy in your ramen noodles, make sure you separate the leaves from the stems first, and cook the stems for a brief period before you add the leaves. This will give you tender stems without overcooking the leaves.