Time to eat more greens but how to prepare them? Here’s our guide to cleaning, preparing and pressure cooking Bok Choi- also called Pak Choy, Chinese Cabbage, White Mustard Greens and, in Italy, Biete.
Clean
To clean bok choi, or any big leafy green, place in a large tub, or empty sink. Cover with cold water and add a drop of vinegar. Swish everything around and let it stand for about 10 minutes. Then, lift the greens out of the water and strain.DO NOT pour out the greens into the strainer, as the dirt that will have settled on the bottom of the tub will just pour back on top of the greens.
Repeat if necessary if the greens are particularly muddy.
Cut
Stems and leaves have different cooking times. So it’s important to separate them. The stems should sliced into thin strips and the leafy greens cut into bite-sized pieces.
Cook
Instead of cooking the stems and leaves separately, it’s easy enough to boil the stems and steam the leaves at the same time in the pressure cooker. Simply put the stems in first, and add a cup of water or as much as you need to just-cover them, and then pile the leaves on top.
| Pressure Cooker | Accessories | Pr. Cook Time | Pr. Level | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 L or larger | none | 5-7 min. | High(2) | Normal |
- 1 bunch bok choi, trimmed
- 1 cup or more water
- Place the stems in the pressure cooker and pour one cup, or more water to just-cover the stems. Tumble the green part of the leaf on top.
- Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker. Turn the heat up to high and when the cooker reaches pressure, lower to the heat to the minimum required by the cooker to maintain pressure. Cook for 5-7 minutes at high pressure.
- When time is up, open the cooker by releasing the pressure.
- Pull out the leaves and stems with tongs, and put on a small serving plate.
- Dress with salt and olive oil before serving. Save the cooking liquid to use in place of vegetable stock in your next recipe.
Fantastic trick !
I’ll cut bietole this way from now on :-)
Ciao
Elvira
Thanks; great ideas. Does this also work with things like chard and mustard greens? The local grocery store has lots of red chard and green chard which I’ve never tried. And their prices are so crazy low that it’s inexpensive to experiment.
I’m also looking for a recipe that’s primarily onions, and optionally also garlic. All I can think of is French onion soup, but that requires the extra effort browning the onions.
I don’t have access to those greens, but it might. Some may take longer than others – so check the pressure cooker timing chart, to be sure.
Ciao,
L
I adore bok choi! The firmness of it, I think, and how healthy it feels to eat it.