Bok Choy with Fried Shallots
Tonight we grilled beef kabobs - some with red onion, green peppers, and red peppers, and some with red onion and pineapple. The marinade I used for the beef was one I whipped up once before (see original post here), and I've been dying to use it again. It's one of those marinades that has a lot of different flavors and ingredients, and you can really taste each and every one as you are eating the meat - sweet and spicy. Since the marinade uses a lot of ingredients found in Asian cooking (soy, sesame oil, Hoison, etc.), I wanted my sides to have an Asian influence as well.
We both love bok choy and I usually mix it into stir-fry dishes or saute it with red peppers and garlic. Wanting something different (I always want to try something different), I did a search on Epicurious for Asian veggies and found this recipe for Bok Choy with Fried Shallots.
Ingredients (for ten servings; I made enough for 2 people with leftovers)
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 lb shallots (about 6), thinly sliced crosswise and separated into rings
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (we love garlic so I still used 2 large cloves)
- 1 3/4 lb baby bok choy, halved lengthwise if large (2 to 2 1/2 inches long), bottoms trimmed but left intact (my market didn't have baby bok choy so I had to use one bunch of regular bok choy, roughly chopped. The baby bok choy would have been so pretty on our plates so I'll definitely look elsewhere for it next time)
Directions
- Heat a wok or 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until a drop of water vaporizes instantly.
- Pour oil around side of wok, then tilt wok to swirl oil, coating side.
- When oil just begins to smoke, fry shallots in 3 batches, stirring, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Toss fried shallots with 1/4 teaspoon salt (shallots will crisp as they cool).
- Pour off all but 3 tablespoons oil from wok, then add garlic, bok choy, and remaining teaspoon salt to wok and cook over moderate heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Serve topped with fried shallots.
Mmmmm - absolutely delicious! Jon loved it, I loved it, and it couldn't have been more perfect with the kabobs and rice. Plating is something I definitely need to work on, but how beautiful are all of these things together?
Give this one a try - if you love bok choy, I doubt you'll be disappointed!
