You’re not going to believe me when I tell you this. It sounds like an urban legend, or something. But I assure you, I’ve witnessed it firsthand.
Here goes: When you go to a Chinese restaurant in Ireland, they offer you a choice of rice… or potatoes. Potatoes! You can get them boiled, baked, mashed or as chips (french fries). It’s true. Promise.
I really should have made rice to have with our steak, and very Chinese restaurant-tasting bok choy tonight. But my inner Irish got the best of me, I made potatoes by mistake.
Even without rice, the bok choy was exceptional. My non-veggie-loving husband and daughter both ate, and liked it, which is saying a lot.
The bok choy was based on this Mark Bittman recipe, which I made a couple of weeks ago. My adaptation uses baked tofu and ginger, and is totally worth trying, if I do say so myself. The recipe is below.
• Bok choy with Baked Tofu, Ginger and Oyster Sauce •
adapted from Mark Bittman’s recipe
1 package extra-firm tofu
2 lbs bok choy, trimmed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced, fresh ginger
1/3 cup oyster sauce
2 tablespoons water
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Drain the tofu and wrap it in several layers of paper towels. Press it between a plate (on the bottom) and something heavy (on top) and let sit for 20-30 minutes.
Chop the tofu into approximately 3/4″ squares and toss in a medium bowl with one tablespoon of vegetable oil, until well coated. Lay the tofu out on a parchment or foil covered baking tray and bake until very lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Toss the tofu squares a few times while baking. Remove from oven and set aside.
Wash and clean the bok choy. Separate leaves and stems of bok choy; cut stems into 2-inch lengths and chop the leaves in half.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic, ginger, bok choy stems and tofu to the pan and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the bok choy leaves, oyster sauce and water and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve right away. Rice would be a nice accompaniment.
