by Cynthia Graber
I'm going to share a secret that may shock American palates. In the summer and fall, I eat baby bok choi for breakfast.
This proclivity began three years ago. I traveled to Hong Kong to visit a friend, and she and I continued to Thailand. We stayed in a hotel in the northern city of Chiang Mai. In the morning, they had two options for breakfast: western or Thai. One of the Thai options was called kale with salty fish.
I love kale. And I love small, salty fish such as anchovies. Why not give it a try?
And I was hooked. It wasn't the same kale we have here, rather another type of Asian green I never determined. It was flavored with small pieces of some sort of preserved fish (I did make sure it wasn't shrimp, which I don't eat). The dish was salty and spicy, and with rice it made a satisfying start to the day. I ate it every morning I could.
One I returned to the US, I decided to try to recreate this breakfast treat. I tested a variety of greens, but in the end my favorite became baby bok choi. I don't have pieces of preserved fish, but I do have fish sauce.
It's taken a fair amount of experimentation, but today I've found a method that suits my taste.
I began to miss the baby bok choi as soon as the farmers packed up for the winter. So when I saw those green stalks reappear at the market this season, I almost wanted to sing out with a welcoming glee. You're back!
Baby Bok Choi for Breakfast (or lunch, or dinner)
Cut off the bottom and clean a couple of heads of baby bok choi. (This depends on the size of each head, some may have only a three or four pieces, some may have 8-10.)
Leave the stalks whole, and toss them in a hot pan with some toasted sesame oil. Once the leaves wilt and the stalks are tender, take them out.
If there's grain already cooked in the fridge, put the baby bok choi on top. Sprinkle on Asian fish sauce (available at most grocery stores) and hot sesame oil. A salty, spicy treat for any time of the day.
Photo courtesy of dumbonyc on Flickr Creative Commons.
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