Bok choy noodle stir fry with holy basil that's garlicy, spicy, sweet, savory, and DELICIOUS. The cherry on top? It's ready in less than 30 minutes.
What is Bok Choy?
Bok choy is a type of Chinese cabbage. It has a light, delicate leafy green top, and bulbous bottom.
How Do You Prepare Bok Choy for Stir Fry?
You can eat bok choy both raw or cooked. The leafy tops cook much faster than the bulbous, white bottom. So to cook bok choy in a stir fry, you can either cut a baby bok choy into quarters or eighths to reduce the size of the white end, or you can pull each section apart from the stem and slice them lengthwise them in half or thirds. If you're looking for an even quicker cook, you can thinly slice the whites and add the leafy greens in the last few minutes of cooking.
How To Make Stir-Fried Bok Choy
Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large fry pan or wok. Add the garlic and Thai chilis and cook until fragrant. Substitute with red pepper flakes if you cannot find Thai chilis.
Add the scallions, ginger, and bok choy. Stir well. Cover to steam for 2 minutes.
Raise the heat to medium. Add the water, fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and honey. Stir well. Cook 2-3 minutes until the bok choy greens get bright, then turn off the heat.
Note: For a gluten-free soy sauce option, use tamari.
Cook the noodles per the package. It should take 3-5 minutes. Strain the noodles and add them to your stir fry. Add the basil leaves. Mix well, and serve! For extra flavor, texture, and garnish, sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
Are Thai chilis spicy?
Don't let the size of the Thai chilis fool you - they are packed with wonderful spiciness. So if you're sensitive to spice, I recommend only using 3-5.
I don't eat shellfish. Is there a vegan oyster sauce?
If you're in the market for a vegan oyster sauce, this recipe by Omnivore's Cook is the one I use. The oyster sauce keeps in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
Interested in adding more protein to the bok choy stir fry?
You can add some tofu between steps 2 & 3 - make sure you sear it on on all sides. Also, you can add chicken, beef, or any other protein you choose. However, make sure your protein is cooked before step 3.
What inspired this bok choy recipe?
We spent 3 months in Thailand and I miss it regularly. Lucky for me, I brought back a ton of food wisdom and even took a cooking class while I was there. Though this one is far from a classic Thai dish, it brings back all the wonderful memories and hopefully takes you on a mini-vacation with each bite. You can never go wrong with a noodle stir fry!
Thai noodle recipes
Can't get enough Thai noodles? Then try my recipe for Tofu Pad Thai. It's completely different from this bok choy noodle stir fry even though it uses the same pad Thai noodles.
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Bok Choy Stir Fry Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 5-7 Thai chilis smashed and thinly sliced
- 1 bunch scallions thinly sliced
- 1 lb. baby bok choy quartered lengthwise
- 2 tablespoon fresh ginger minced or grated
- ¼ cup flavorless oil
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce (I use vegan oyster sauce made with shitake mushrooms)
- 1 ½ tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 8-10 oz. pad thai noodles
- 4 oz. holy basil stemmed
Instructions
- Bring water to boil so you can cook the noodles.
- In the meantime, heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large fry pan or wok. Add the garlic and Thai chilis and cook until fragrant.
- Add the scallions, ginger, and bok choy. Stir well. Cover to steam for 2 minutes.
- Raise the heat to medium. Add the water, fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and honey. Stir well. Cook 2-3 minutes until the bok choy greens get bright, then turn off the heat.
- Cook the noodles per the package. Should take 3-5 minutes.
- Strain the noodles and add them to your stir fry. Add the basil leaves. Mix well, and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in September of 2018, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, and tips August of 2019.
Tammy
This is absolutely wonderful! What a hearty and healthy soup for the winter. We loved all the flavors of this dish...I need to find holy basil and try it again with that instead of regular basil soon!
Candice
I'm so happy to hear it, Tammy! It's great with both, and definitely a completely different flavor profile.
Debbie
I love Thai inspired dishes ! I can't wait to try this Bok Choy Noodle stir fry with holy basil. I made it with regular basil and it was great but I have never cooked with holy basil, so I am on a mission to find some tomorrow.
Candice
Can't wait to hear what you think, Debbie! Both versions are delicious but very different. Enjoy!
Tara
So many flavors in this dish that I don't know where to start! Bok Choy is an experience when made right. It will make your taste buds explode. And this recipe delivers on all fronts!
Candice
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the flavors and this bok choy experience, Tara!
kita
Oh I love this dish. how is holy basil different than the basil I find at the market and any tips on where to find it?
Candice
Holy basil has a different depth of flavor often described as clove, licorice, and pepper unlike it's sweet basil friend. You can often find it at Asian markets, but it is harder to find in the US than sweet basil. This recipe works with both but does yield different flavor.
GUNJAN C Dudani
I love bok choy. I had few leftover sitting in the fridge. I am totally making this noodle recipe again.
Candice
Glad to hear it's becoming a regular!
Tanya
Thai dishes have always been a challenge for me. The flavors tend to be a little "off". This recipe is easy to make and doesn't have hard-to-find ingredients. I'm definitely going to make it again!
Candice
I'm so happy to hear it, Tanya! And I know exactly what you mean by Thai dishes being challenging. I'm so lucky to have lived in Thailand for 3 months - and glad to pass the recipes and methods along here!
Jacqui Debono
I am still craving healthy food after the heaviness of all the holiday food, so this is perfect! Fits so nicely with my healthy eating plan!
Candice
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Jacqui!
Veronika
This recipe is so comforting and delicious! Definitely need to put it on the menu list again for next week!
Candice
I'm so happy to hear it, Veronika... thanks for sharing, and enjoy!
Anna
What a fresh and healthy looking recipe! I'm a huge fan of Thai flavours, so definitely adding this to my list of dishes to try soon!
Candice
Can't wait to hear what you think, Anna!
Sharon
These noodles have all the good for you ingredients that are perfect for cold and flu season.
Candice
So, so true 🙂