Chinese food pantry-BOK CHOY

BOK CHOY. The best-known Chinese vegetable, bok choy, literally “white vegetable” because of its white bulbous stalk, is grown throughout China and other parts of Asia. Its crispness and inher- ent sweetness make it particularly versatile. Although often referred to as Chinese cabbage, the vegetable’s deep green leaves above a white stalk bear no resemblance to a cabbage. Bok choy comes in various sizes, from as long as 15 to 18 inches to as small as 2 to 3 inches. There are even bok choy sprouts. They are all the same vegetable, and the size of the head dictates how it is used, whether as a primary ingredient or as a garnish. Bok choy will keep for 2 days in the vegetable drawer of a refrigera- tor. Kept longer, its leaves gradually turn yellow and its flavor diminishes, so use it at its freshest.