You may have never heard of pak choi, or you may just want to know what to do with it. We’re investigating what pak choi is, how to cook it, and what health benefits it can have.
What Is Pak Choi?
Pak choi is a member of the cabbage family often known as bok choy, horse’s ear, Chinese celery cabbage, and white mustard cabbage. It is popular in southern China and Southeast Asia. It has a crunchy white stalk and broad green leaves. Pak choi tastes somewhere between a cabbage and spinach. It can be eaten raw, but is better cooked.
Why Is Pak Choi Good For You?
Pak choi has many health benefits. It’s full of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants, which all make it a great addition to a healthy diet. Pak chou is one of the highest nutritionally ranked vegetables, providing high amounts of more than 21 nutrients! That’s why we love it.
It includes vitamin C and E, beta-carotene, folate, and selenium which help to fight cancer. Vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene are antioxidants which help to keep the cells in your body healthy. The fibre in pak choi is great in keeping your gut healthy and moving along, which can help prevent colon cancer.
Pak choi also contains vitamin B6 and folate, which help to keep your blood vessels and nervous system healthy. This can help lower the risk of heart disease. Minerals potassium, magnesium, and calcium all help to lower blood pressure.
The vitamin K and iron present in pak choi which promote healthy bones. Beta-carotene is also great for keeping eyes healthy as you age.
Pak choi is also low in calories which means it’s a great way to get your essential nutrients while promoting a healthy, balanced diet.
Best Ways To Cook Pak Choi
Pak choi is quick to prepare. With a light, crunchy texture and mild taste, it’s versatile and easy to use in a number of ways. Here are a few popular ones.
The most common way to cook pak choi is to have it in a stir fry. Simply add to a pan or wok with oil and other ingredients for a healthy Asian-style dish. Add noodles and a sauce later on and combine.
Pak choi can be shredded and included raw in salads, or added to soups and stews.
Another good way to cook pak choi is to steam it. This will work better sliced, and when adding the leaves in after the stalks have cooked for a little bit first. This is because the leaves are thinner and softer and will cook quicker than the thick stalks.
Other ways to cook pak choi include simmering in hot water. Again, adding the leaves later on will help to evenly cook the pak choi.
Pak Choi Recipe Ideas You Need To Try
At Mindful Chef, we have lots of pak choi recipes that are healthy, nutritious, and of course delicious. Here are a few we think you might want to try.
Thai Red Tofu Curry with Wild Rice
This 40 minute vegan recipe combines fragrant Thai spices and creamy coconut for a comforting curry. Protein rich tofu is served with pak choi, sweetcorn, and wild rice.
In this recipe the pak choi is trimmed to separate the stems. Then these stems are sliced into bite-sized pieces and added to the pan along with baby sweetcorn. Simmer the pak choi for 5 mins, until the sauce thickens slightly. Then you add the leaves afterwards, once the stems have had time to cook a little.
Mushroom & Sesame Asian Noodles
This pak choi recipe uses a more popular Asian-style technique for cooking pak choi. Earthy chestnut mushrooms take centre stage in this noodle dish, stuffed with fresh edamame, chilli, garlic and lime. The pak choi brings essential vitamins K and C and the toasted cashews add delicious nuttiness.
In this 30 minute recipe, the pak choi root is cut off and the leaves are separated. We recommend cutting the larger ones in half. Quarter a lime and place in a large dry frying pan on a medium heat.
This stir fry recipe shows a great way to use pak choi to add nutrients and a healthy added element to a delicious meal.
Asian Sesame Tofu with Pak Choi & Rice
This recipe combines crisp golden tofu, drenched in a limey maple-ginger marinade, with vitamin C-rich red pepper, pak choi and sesame seeds. The hearty brown rice soaks up all the delicious sauce.
This 25 minute recipe recommends chopping the root ends off the pak choi to separate the leaves. Cook the tofu first, then add the pak choi after the sauce with around 5 minutes left of cooking in a medium-heat frying pan.
Thai Red Fish Skewers & Grilled Pak Choi
This pak choi recipe mixes juicy, sustainably sourced cod, smothered in red curry paste, with potato salad, lifted with ginger and onion, and smokey pak choi.
The pak choi is grilled to add another depth to its flavour. To do this, cut the pak choi in half lengthways and rub it with 1 tbsp oil.
Using the same frying or griddle pan used to cook the fish, place the pak choi in the pan for 2 mins on each side, cooking until softened. Serve on the side with the fish skewers and potato for a healthy, flavourful addition to this dish.
Want More Pak Choi Recipes?
At Mindful Chef, we’re passionate about bringing healthy balanced diets to the whole family. We have over 30 recipes using pak choi in our collection of healthy recipes. Be sure to give them a go and tag us on social media so we can see your delicious creations.
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