This is a wonderful side dish for an evening of grilling. It’s easy, quick and different. When you’re tired of roasted corn and all of your other tried and true grilled veggies and want a change of pace, give this a try. It’s guaranteed to please. 🙂
One of the things we generally forget about when grilling is the vegetable. Now, most people have grilled veggies like corn, onions and portobello mushrooms. Some of the more daring have tried grilling eggplant, yellow squash, and zucchini. But how many of you have tried grilling greens? No, I don’t mean pouring a box of loose greens/salad on the grill.
Grilling greens sounds a little odd doesn’t it. Yet, when you think about it, why not grill greens? Grilling adds that touch of char, that added depth of dimension to your dish. We love it with different proteins and certain veggies; so, why not greens? Yes, they get somewhat limp but not completely so. Yes, you get a little char on the leaves. You also get wonderful depth of flavor and character from grilling greens. Not all greens, however, a good for grilling. I prefer greens that have a core as they are easier to turn and hold up better to the flame, i.e. various lettuces, cabbages and bok choy. Yes, I really said bok choy. Although it is commonly associated with Chinese food, there is so much more to bok choy than chinese food. It’s low in calories with 3.5 oz containing only 15 calories. It’s good source of fiber, is a high source of vitamins A, C & K, and is loaded with anti-oxidants. More importantly, it is flavorful and adds texture to your meal.
We really like bok choy (especially the smaller varieties) and use it pretty regularly in our diet. It has a nice watery sweetness to it. It is similar to celery but not stringy. It’s leaves are more like romaine lettuce. It can be used in stir fries, stews, soups or served as a side vegetable. It also can be grilled and served as the perfect accompaniment to Grilled Spicy Chicken Whatchamacallit. You will be amazed at how flavorful this side dish is. Give it a try next time you’re grillin’ on a sun filled, lazy afternoon. You will be glad you did. 🙂
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb Baby Bok Choy
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 2 shallots, peeled and diced
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
Instruction
Combine olive oil,
lime juice,
fish sauce,
honey,
Chile powder
pepper,
and shallots.
Whisk to combine well and incorporate.
Place bok choy in a large bowl and pour mixture over the top.
toss bok choy to evenly coat in sauce
When coated, place on a preheated grill on medium-low heat.
Heat the bok choy until you see the greens begin to brown and char just a touch and turn them, roughly 3 – 4 minutes.
Cook an additional 3 – 4 minutes until done and remove from the grill
Place bok choy back in bowl with sauce and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, serve with meal & enjoy!
REMCooks 
I spied those on the plate with the “island” chicken. I wouldn’t have thought the two would go together, but I trust they do!!! Happy summer!
Baby Lady thought the bok choy was the best part of the meal. 😮
What is the texture like?
Hi, Virginia. The leaves are very tender, wilted and some parts are a little crispy from the heat of the fire. It is very similar to romaine lettuce. The stalks are very similar to celery when cooked, except a little more firm. They will have just a touch of crunch to them.
I need the crunch! 🙂 If it’s mushy I can’t do it. It’s a texture thing for me.
I would really like this. I love to grill vegetables of all sorts and never in a million years would think to toss bok choy on the grill. Sounds delicious.
Thanks, we’re glad you liked it. I learned how to grill greens years ago starting with romaine for a grilled/wilted romaine salad with a smoked chicken dish I made. It was a lot of fun. 🙂 If you have a grill, you need to try grilling some greens. It’s a nice change of pace.
I will. Thank you for the inspiration. 🙂
Wow! What a great idea! The bok choy look wonderful!
Hi, Laila. Thanks for the nice compliment. This is a fun and different way to have greens. 🙂 Hopefully, you will give it a try.
I’m always looking for new ways to prepare veggies, so I’ll have to try this. Thanks, Richard 🙂
Hi, Stefan. These are perfect when you’re camping, at the park or out at the lake enjoying the weather. They would probably go well with the ancho BBQ tuna you had the other day. 🙂
I had grilled asparagus with the tuna. I know only one place that has baby bok choy, and I only go there once in a while. But I’ll definitely give it a try.
I knew I was going to make this when I saw baby bok choy here in Australia. Unfortunately our very simple grill does not allow very precise temperature control and I didn’t have all of the ingredients, but it was nice all the same. Next time I may wrap the leaves in foil for the first minutes of cooking. We had a nice glass of wine to your and Baby Lady’s health 🙂
Hi, Stefan. Glad you tried it. This post was as much about technique as it was about a recipe. The grilling of the bok choy adds a new dimension in flavor and texture. What you did sounded very tasty. Let me know how wrapping the bok choy does. An alternative would be to build a foil guard on the grill to keep the leaves from getting overcooked. They will still heat from the foil guard but won’t cook nearly as fast as the stalky base over the direct het from the coals.
Bok Choy – one of my favourites – I think i prepare it with icing sugar, ginger and soy sauce – tastes amazing.
Thanks. We do bok choy a number of ways and will give your’s a go. 🙂 It’s a wonderful vegetable. 🙂
Very nice Richard. I usually just steam it. Something nice to do over the summer. Some pretty exciting pouring going on there too.
Thanks, Conor. Oddly enough, I don’t think I have ever just steamed bok choy and we eat it pretty regularly. 😮 We’ve done it in all kinds of stir fires and soups. We’ve sautéed it with garlic and vegetable oil; chili garlic paste and soy, etc. and let if finish with the cover on to steam at the very end. I guess I really should try it very simply steamed and dressed.
Well, coming from Australia bok choi [and pak choi] is a very favourite vegetable certainly not just thought of in terms of Asian food!! Like Conor, I usually steam it as a ‘side’ [often the only one], top it with toasted sesame seeds or nuts and hey presto!! But I do use it for stirfries and what we call grilling [ie indoors]. Do not remember using fish sauce, but shall try – and I also go for the baby bok choi: the stems of the fullgrown one do need a bit of different treatment 🙂 !
Thanks, Eha. I really do need to try it simply steamed. Like I told Conor, I have never done it that way before. I don’t know why I just never have.
This looks like a delicious preparation, Richard. A “must try” for this Summer. Thanks.
Thanks, John. Glad you liked it. 🙂