BRAISED BOK CHOY WITH GARLIC

BRAISED BOK CHOY WITH GARLIC
2 pound head bok choy
2 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon granular Splenda
Salt and pepper, to taste

Chop off about an inch or two from the bottom of the head of bok choy to remove the stem end. Wash and dry the leaves and stalks. I arranged mine in a single layer on a clean old bath towel and rolled it up to absorb the water. Cut the stalks away from the leaves and keep separate from the leaves. Slice the stalks crosswise into bite-size pieces. Cut the leaves in half lengthwise then stack them on the cutting board. Slice the leaves into about 1/2-inch crosswise strips. You may need to do this in 2 or 3 batches. I rolled up the stack into a big "cigar" to make it easier to slice.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy stalks and stir-fry 4-5 minutes or until they are a little browned. Add the garlic and stir-fry about 20 seconds. Quickly add the leafy greens and broth. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over medium-low heat about 6-7 minutes or until very tender, stirring twice during the cooking time. Remove the cover and cook over high heat 3 minutes to evaporate most of the liquid. Stir in the vinegar and Splenda. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at once.

Makes 4 servings
Do not freeze

Per Serving: 87 Calories; 7g Fat; 3g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

This is from the America's Test Kitchen "Perfect Vegetables" cookbook. I pretty much followed the recipe as written, but had to cut the cooking time down a little. The bok choy cooked much more quickly than they indicated. The flavor reminds me of something from a Chinese restaurant. It's very good but I think I will leave out the vinegar next time. The bok choy has enough bitterness of its own without it. The recipe in the book didn't call for any sugar. I added that to cut the sharpness from the vinegar.

I served this with Seoul Chicken and the combination was perfect. I cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and put it right on top of the bok choy. Then, I spooned some of the marinade from the chicken over everything. The sweetness of the chicken offset the bitterness of the bok choy very nicely. Bok choy is one of those vegetables that starts out looking like a huge pile but cooks down to almost nothing so the servings will look pretty small. Click the photo for a close-up.

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