The choys are a closely linked group of cabbages that figure prominently in Chinese cuisine. Sometimes we get them confused — white-stemmed, green-stemmed, big and small — which one to buy?
There’s choy sum, Chinese flowering cabbage, perhaps the finest of the choys. Tender and bright green all the way through, it is mild-flavored and slender-stemmed, so it cooks evenly. There’s a nice balance of stem to leaf, punctuated by bright yellow flowers.
Bok choy is Chinese white cabbage, a two-tone vegetable with crunchy white stems and dark green leaves. When you’re stir-frying this vegetable, salt seems to be the only seasoning you need.
Baby bok choy, or Shanghai bok choy, is an all-green bok choy that is usually harvested small, about 6 inches in length. The tender stems and leaves are delightful; the "head" can be left whole or split in half lengthwise, depending on the size.
Gai choy is Chinese mustard green, an irregular-shaped, all-green cabbage with thin, textured leaves. It’s the midribs that are the star of this vegetable, crunchy and slightly bitter with a mustardy flavor.
Island farmers, including Aloun Farms in Kunia, produce a good amount of these delicious greens, ideal for stir-fries, steaming and even served raw in salads.
The choys are a good way to get a daily dose of vitamins A and C, as well as calcium and trace metals your body needs.
A choy hot pot for a cool November evening would be a great way to use this nutritious group of greens. Just heat up a good stock and let everyone cook their own meal at the table.
You’ll need a portable burner — a propane canister burner, a portable induction burner or a single electric hot plate will do. Place an appropriate pan on the burner; a saute pan or shallow wok, about 2 to 4 inches deep, works well. Other items for the table: hot-pot baskets or slotted spoons, and chopsticks for cooking.
Let everyone add their favorite item to the boiling broth to cook, then retrieve and dip into a sauce before eating. Bowls of steamed rice are a must!
Pull off a great hot-pot meal
To create a memorable hot-pot experience, start with a good broth: chicken and pork bones make an especially tasty stock. Or use a fish stock if you’re planning a fish and seafood hot pot. Add herbs such as ginger, garlic, green onion, lemongrass and cilantro for added flavor.
Add other vegetables and ingredients. Consider bean sprouts, soy bean sprouts, won bok, chunks of kabocha. Poach eggs in the pot, and enjoy the tasty broth at the end of your meal. Offer a few dipping sauces to add zest and spice to the morsels.
Choy Hot pot
1 small head each choy sum, bok choy, baby bok choy and gai choy
1 (20-ounce) block tofu
1/2 pound Alii, shiitake, enoki or other fresh mushrooms
1 bunch green onions
1/2 pound chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 (8-ounce) package shirataki noodles (yam noodles)
4 eggs
8 cups chicken stock, seasoned
Rinse vegetables and cut into bite-size pieces. Place on platter that will hold the various hot-pot vegetables.
Cut tofu into bite-size cubes. Clean mushrooms and cut into bite-size pieces. Wash green onions and cut into 2-inch lengths. Place all ingredients onto platter and take to table.
Place chicken and noodles in separate bowls and take to the table, along with eggs.
Heat chicken stock in pan over portable burner; add herbs to season if desired. Each diner adds ingredients to the pot that they want to eat and retrieves items as they are cooked.
Break eggs into the broth and poach until soft-cooked; spoon over rice. Ladle broth into individual bowls at the end of the meal. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving (with low-sodium broth, assumes 1/4 ingredients for each person): 400 calories, 14 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 230 mg cholesterol, greater than 400 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 35 g protein
Citrus Sauce
1/4 cup fresh yuzu, Meyer lemon or lime juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (rice wine)
Mix ingredients together. Makes about 1/2 cup.
Approximate nutritional information, per tablespoon: 15 calories, 300 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, 1 g sugar, 1 g protein, no fat, cholesterol or fiber
Sesame Sauce
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted and ground
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons mirin (rice wine)
Mix ingredients together. Makes about 1/2 cup.
Approximate nutritional information, per tablespoon: 50 calories, 3 g fat,
no saturated fat or cholesterol, 300 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 2 g
protein
Spicy Sauce
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sambal oelek or Sriracha
2 tablespoons miso
Mix ingredients together, blending well. Makes about 1/3 cup.
Approximate nutritional information, per tablespoon: 60 calories, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 1 g sugar, 1 g protein
Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S., a nutritionist in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Science, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii-Manoa.
