Bok choy seasoned with soybean paste

Today I’m going to show you a simple and authentic Korean side dish made with bok choy. Bok choy is easily available at many grocery stores in the USA, although in Korea I would use napa cabbage or sweet potato stems instead.

When bok choy is blanched and then seasoned with this tremendously delicious seasoning mix, it’s soft, juicy, a little cripsy, and takes on a sweet, salty, pungent doenjang flavor. Whenever I taste it, I can’t help but say: “Umm~ delicious delicious!”

Ingredients

• 1 pound bok choy
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 green onion, minced
• 2 tablespoons doenjang (fermented soybean paste)
• 2 teaspoons gochujang (hot pepper paste)
• a pinch of sugar
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Directions

1. Cut off the ends of each bunch of bok choy and separate the leaves from the stalks. Cut into bite size pieces.
2. Bring a large pot of water into a boil. Blanch the bok choy for about 1 or 2 minutes until the white stems soften.
   
3. Strain and rinse in cold water to remove any dirt and stop them from cooking. Strain.
4. Combine garlic, green onion, doenjang, gochujang, sugar, and sesame oil in a bowl and mix it with a wooden spoon.
5. Squeeze out the bok choy to remove excess water and add to the bowl. Mix it well by hand.
6. Sprinkle with crispy sesame seeds and serve immediately as a side dish for rice. You can refrigerate it up to 2 days.