bok choi

Pak Choi (Pak Choy or Bok Choy) as I recall, mom usually cooked when she had leftover Stewed Pork from the previous evening’s dinner to add to the mix. Rarely did she ever make it on it’s own or with salted cod (say saltfish) as I’m about to share with you.

You’ll Need…

5 lbs Pak Choi
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
1/4 lb prepared salted Pollock
8-10 grape tomato
1/2 large onion (sliced)
7 cloves garlic (smashed)
2 tablespoon olive oil

Notes. The Salted Cod (salted Cod will work, but it can be a bit more expensive) I used was packaged as ‘boned’, which means the bones were removed. Watch this video on How To Prepare Salted Fish for use. I used chopped grape tomatoes, but you can dice a whole large tomato should you not have any. If you’d like to keep this fully vegan, you can skip the salted fish step. IMPORTANT! If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your gluten free dietary needs.

It’s very important that you remove all the leaves of the Pak Choi and wash them individually (explained why in the video below). Then trim off the bottom (discard), stack and chop.

Prep your other ingredients as well.

In a wide saucepan on a medium low flame, add the olive oil (use any oil you like using) followed by the salted fish pieces. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Then add the onion, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper (if you like things spicy) and black pepper. Cook for a further 3 minutes.

It’s now time to start adding the washed and chopped Pak Choi to the pot. It will seem like a lot, but in a few minutes it will wilt down and easily fit in the sauce pan. I try to not cover the pan as I find it develops too much moisture (apart from the moisture the pak choi will already release).

Keep adding the chopped pak choi as it wilts down, then add the salt. Note. The salted Pollock may still have a bit of salt left in it even after you prepare it, so please keep that in mind. Reduce your heat to medium low and cook for about 25 minutes.

At this point, add the tomato to the pot and stir well. It’s now time to personalize this dish a bit. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking and in my case it still had a tiny bit of moisture on the bottom of the pan, so I cranked up the heat for 5 minutes, to get rid of that (fry it dong, as my mom say). However it’s up to you if you want that moisture as it’s fully cooked at this point.

This day I enjoyed it with rice, but my favorite is with Sada Roti fresh off the tawa.

Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Stir Fry Pak Choi That’s Vegetarian, Gluten Free And Delicious.

November 17, 2014September 29, 20142 Comments

I’ve noticed the past few months that there’s been an incredible amount of requests for more vegetarian and gluten free type recipes. As you may or may not know, a vast majority of the food we cook in the Caribbean are naturally gluten free and with the abundance of fresh vegetables, we’ve mastered vegetarian cooking (insert smile here). Maybe this will explain the teaser I gave in my current cookbook about the upcoming volume 3.

Here’s my take on a delicious way to enjoy pak choi (bok choi) that’s fully vegetarian and appetizing to everyone asking for gluten free recipes.

You’ll Need…

2 lbs baby pak choi
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil (gluten free)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon finely diced ginger
2 cloves garlic finely diced

Optional – chopped peanuts, almonds.. or toasted sesame seeds

It’s important that you remove each leaf of the pak choi and wash them individually as they’re notorious for having dirt wedged between them. I’m using baby pak choi, but you can use the regular pak choi if you want, simply chop into large pieces. Drain well after washing and chopping.

Finely dice the garlic and ginger and get ready to cook. I used my medium sized wok, but you can use any wide sauce pan. Heat the oil on medium heat (feel free to use peanut oil if you wish) and add the garlic and ginger. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 1 minute – do NOT burn the garlic. Now go in with the pak choi and give it a good stir. It will wilt down, if you’re thinking your pan is too small.

Raise the heat back up to medium and add the other ingredients and stir well.

The goal here is to cook this at a high enough temperature to wilt the greens, but not to totally destroy them by overcooking. So all it took was about 5 minutes and they were perfect (for me).

You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt as the soy sauce will have enough to season things nicely.. but you can taste near the end and adjust accordingly. For a bit more texture and added protein you can finish up with some chopped peanuts or almonds. Toasted sesame seeds are wonderful won this as well.

If you’re looking for a quick way to enjoy a tasty gluten free vegetarian dish, give this pak choi stir fry recipe a try.

Gluten Free Seafood Vegetarian

Baby Pak Choi With Salted Cod The Caribbean Way.

November 24, 2014February 5, 20147 Comments

One of my favorite dishes growing up on the islands was when mom would make pak choi with leftover stewed pork. The slight crunch from the pak choi (not over-cooked) combined with the flavors brought to the game by the tender pieces of stewed pork with hints of ginger.. I may have to get that one done very soon as I now have a craving. Back to the pak choi with salted fish recipe… This version is just as tasty, as I find that the bits of salted cod brings it’s own unique flavor to the finished dish.

You’ll notice that I added this recipe to the vegetarian section as the salted fish can easily be omitted with great results. I would just double up on the onion and garlic for added flavor.

You’ll Need…

2 lb baby pak choi
1 cup prepared salted cod
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper
1 large onion (diced)
4 cloves garlic (diced)
2 tablespoon olive oil

Optional – Cashews and/or sliced almonds

Double wash the pak choi as there’s usually sand/dirt between the stems and drain, then chop into 1/4 inch pieces (cut across into ribbons). You’ll need to boil the salted fish (cod) then rinse and shred. The boiling will remove most of the salt it was cured in and help hydrate it a bit. If you don’t boil the salted fish in water before using it will be too salty for use. Watch this video if you’re unfamiliar with working with salted fish (click link) : How To Prepare Salted Fish. Try to purchase boned salted fish to avoid having to pick out the tiny bones.. but still keep an eye out for any bones which may still be present in boned saltfish.

Now heat the oil on a medium flame in a wide pan and add the diced garlic and onion. Reduce the heat to low and slowly cook for 3-5 minutes. Then toss in the bits of salted cod (any dry salted fish) as well as the black pepper and with the heat still on low cook for another 2-3 minutes The goal here is to get a ton of flavor created before adding the chopped pak choi.

Raise the heat to medium and start adding the chopped pak choi to the pot. It will wilt as it cooks so don’t get alarmed when you get the feeling it won’t all fit in your pan. Top with the scotch bonnet pepper and stir well. Do not cover the pot or you’ll risk having too much moisture/liquid form.

Cook with the pan uncovered for 5-7 minutes or until you get the desired texture you like with your pak choi. I like it with a slight crunch. You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt to the dish as the remaining salt from the salted cod will be enough to season this properly.. but do taste and adjust accordingly.

If you want to add some cashews or sliced almonds, you can do so the final 2 minutes of cooking. This will add a lot of texture to the dish (and protein). Remember when working with scotch bonnet (or any hot pepper) to wear gloves if your skin is sensitive and do wash your hands with soap and water immediately after. Also note that the scotch bonnet is optional and do not include the pepper’s seeds if you’re concerned about the raw heat. The seeds and white membrane surrounding the seeds is where the majority of heat will be.

This is a wonderful dish to have with steamed or boiled rice, works well with roti and other flat breads and if all fails.. make a sandwich with it. Superb! Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. Oh yea! Leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry Vegetarian

Pak Choi With Smoked Bacon A Twist On A Caribbean Fave!

May 27, 2025October 15, 20139 Comments

This is a take on traditional Caribbean technique of cooking “bhagi” or greens especially in Trinidad and Tobago. You’ll notice that I also placed this within the vegetarian section of the website, so before the flood of emails… I wanted to point out that you can leave out the bacon and start with olive or coconut oil for additional flavor. So by simply leaving out the bacon you could have a delicious vegetarian dish.

Traditionally our mom would prepare this dish when she had leftover stewed pork (Stewed Pork With Pak Choi) from the night before and it’s one of those dishes everyone of my siblings quite enjoyed with hot sada roti. Oh the joy when mom got us all to eat the same thing.

You’ll Need…

6 – 8 cups chopped pak choi (about 2lbs)
1/4 lb smoked bacon (I used smoked pork belly)
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
2 birds eye pepper (bird pepper)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 scallion
4-6 cherry tomatoes (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt

* IMPORTANT: If you don’t eat pork or prefer to have this vegetarian, leave out the bacon and start with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. If you don’t have bird’s eye pepper, you can use scotch bonnet or habanero (very small piece). If doing this recipe gluten free do go through the list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific dietary needs.

Cut the bacon into small pieces and place in a dry pan on medium heat. The idea is to cook until crispy and to render off the fat. Reserve about 1 teaspoon of the fat. Once crispy, drain on paper towels and set aside.

Remove each leaf/stem of pak choi and wash under running water individually as you’ll find dirt between each leaf (natural as it grows), Rinse well and drain – now get ready to chop. I usually cut each leaf lengthwise first (about 1/4 inch, then make into a bundle and cut in the other direction the same thickness. Besides trimming off the very bottom of the white stems (discard), do use the rest of the pak choi (white and green).

Also chop/dice the onion, garlic, tomato and scallions (green onion) and set aside.

In the same pan you rendered the bacon (don’t wash) heat about 1 teaspoon of the bacon fat on a low flame, then add the onion, garlic and scallion pieces. Let it cook on low for about 3 minutes to basically soften up and create a flavor base.

Toss in the birds eye peppers (don’t cut open) then start adding the chopped pak choi to the pot and finish off with the salt and black pepper. It may seem like a lot at first, but it will wilt down (have your heat at med/high at this point). Give it a good mix.

The rest of this dish takes some personalization. I like my greens (still green) and not over cooked. So I let it go for about 5 minutes, then I topped it with the pieces of bacon and stirred well. The pak choi will release a bit of liquid so at this point you’ll need to raise the heat to high and burn off the excess liquid (took another 3-5 minutes).

The last 2 minutes of cooking you can toss in the tomatoes so they too are brilliant in colour, retains it’s shape and give the dish a brightness. Remember to taste for salt and if you wanted, you can certainly cook this a bit longer if you’re not like me and like a little texture to the pak choi. You’ll note that at no time did I cover the pot as it will only help to create liquid you really don’t need.

This is excellent on steamed (or boiled) rice, with roti and when all fails, I make sandwiches with this… lovely! If you break the peppers while cooking it will release the raw heat (though mild since they are bird’s eye) so if you like playing with “the Heat”.. break them open! BTW if you don’t dine with the swine, you can use some prepared saltfish (salted cod) instead of the bacon for additional flavor.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.

Fry Pak Choi With Saltfish.

Stir Fry Pak Choi That’s Vegetarian, Gluten Free And Delicious.

Baby Pak Choi With Salted Cod The Caribbean Way.

Pak Choi With Smoked Bacon A Twist On A Caribbean Fave!

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