Sous Vide Baby Bok Choy with Chile Vinaigrette
By America's Test KitchenPublished on March 21, 2019
Time
Sous vide: 12 minutes; active cooking time: 40 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Sous Vide Temperature
185°F/85°C
Ingredients
Chile Vinaigrette
5-10 bird chiles, finely ground¼ cup vegetable oil 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn ½ cinnamon stick 1 star anise pod 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon black vinegar 1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil ½ teaspoon sugarBok Choy
8 small heads baby bok choy (2 ounces), halved, washed and dried thoroughlySaltBefore You Begin
Be sure to double bag the bok choy to protect against seam failure. Bok choy have a tendency to float when placed in a sous vide water bath, which can lead to uneven cooking. Use weights to make sure the bok choy are fully immersed during cooking. For more about sous vide cooking, refer to our sous vide guide. Black vinegar, an important ingredient and condiment in Chinese cuisine, is a dark vinegar made from glutinous rice or sorghum. It can be found in Chinese markets or online. Bird chiles are a specific cultivar of Capsicum annuum commonly found in Southeast Asia and Ethiopia. (They get their name because when dried, the bright red, thin-skinned chiles take on a hooked appearance that resembles a bird's beak.)
Instructions
- For the chile vinaigrette: Place chiles in large heatproof bowl. Place fine-mesh strainer over bowl and set aside. Combine vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and star anise pod in small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until sizzling. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer until garlic and ginger are slightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour oil mixture through prepared strainer into bowl with chiles; discard solids in strainer. Stir chiles and oil to combine; let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar until combined; set aside.
- For the bok choy: Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 185°F/85°C in 7-quart container.
- Place bok choy in 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Place bag in second 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath, weight bag until bok choy is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release any remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for 12 minutes.
- Transfer bok choy to bowl with vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season with salt to taste. Serve.
- Vinaigrette can be refrigerated for up to a week. We don't recommend making the bok choy in advance.
to make ahead
Time
Sous vide: 12 minutes; active cooking time: 40 minutesYield
Serves 4Sous Vide Temperature
185°F/85°CIngredients
Chile Vinaigrette
Bok Choy
Ingredients
Chile Vinaigrette
Bok Choy
Ingredients
Chile Vinaigrette
Bok Choy
Why This Recipe Works
Bok choy is often served as a side dish and can too easily take a back seat to the main meaty stir-fry. But this mild, quick-cooking vegetable is great in its own right. It has a nice peppery bite, and it doesn't need a lot of work to unlock its delicate, fresh flavor. A short, 12-minute swim at 185°F/85°C cooked the bok choy just long enough to render it tender and crisp, but not long enough to make it dull-green and mushy. After cooking, we tossed the bok choy in a generous amount of a Sichuan-style chile oil vinaigrette, which gets into all the little nooks and crannies of the layered vegetable.
Before You Begin
Be sure to double bag the bok choy to protect against seam failure. Bok choy have a tendency to float when placed in a sous vide water bath, which can lead to uneven cooking. Use weights to make sure the bok choy are fully immersed during cooking. For more about sous vide cooking, refer to our sous vide guide. Black vinegar, an important ingredient and condiment in Chinese cuisine, is a dark vinegar made from glutinous rice or sorghum. It can be found in Chinese markets or online. Bird chiles are a specific cultivar of Capsicum annuum commonly found in Southeast Asia and Ethiopia. (They get their name because when dried, the bright red, thin-skinned chiles take on a hooked appearance that resembles a bird's beak.)
Instructions
- For the chile vinaigrette: Place chiles in large heatproof bowl. Place fine-mesh strainer over bowl and set aside. Combine vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and star anise pod in small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until sizzling. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer until garlic and ginger are slightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour oil mixture through prepared strainer into bowl with chiles; discard solids in strainer. Stir chiles and oil to combine; let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar until combined; set aside.
- For the bok choy: Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 185°F/85°C in 7-quart container.
- Place bok choy in 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible. Place bag in second 1-gallon zipper-lock freezer bag and seal. Gently lower bag into prepared water bath, weight bag until bok choy is fully submerged, and then clip top corner of bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen 1 corner of zipper, release any remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for 12 minutes.
- Transfer bok choy to bowl with vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season with salt to taste. Serve.
- Vinaigrette can be refrigerated for up to a week. We don't recommend making the bok choy in advance.
to make ahead
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