Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Ginger
Serves 4
Chefs and home cooks often make statements about cooking that
sound good when you hear them but, secretly, make you question
their veracity. I have to confess that’s how I felt, at first, when
Young told me that the heat of a wok intensifies a vegetable’s
flavor. I mean, sure, cooking something does make it taste better; I
especially like my vegetables roasted. But while roasting
vegetables fundamentally changes them, wok-cooking just seems
to make them softer. How intense could a vegetable taste after
being tossed around a hot wok? Well, all my doubts imploded
when I tasted this bok choy straight from Young’s wok. In just a
few seconds, this firm, grassy vegetable was positively exploding
with flavor. It still tasted like itself, only it was infused with ginger
and soy sauce—a magical combo that tastes especially good piping
hot. I shall never doubt the power of the wok again.1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sherry
1 tablespoon chicken stock
1 tablespoon peanut oil (or other oil with a high smoking
point, like canola or grapeseed)
1 tablespoon shredded peeled ginger