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Nutrition / Food Categories / Vegetables / Baby Bok Choy

Baby Bok Choy

Also known asBaby Pak Choi · Shanghai Bok Choy · 上海青

Name: Baby bok choy — a small, young, tender form of bok choy (Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis), harvested early, or a naturally small variety such as Shanghai bok choy, with jade-green stalks and leaves. Mature bok choy has its own page.

Description

Baby bok choy is bok choy picked young, at about 10 to 15 cm, when the stalks are very tender and sweet and need little preparation. Shanghai bok choy, a naturally green-stemmed variety, is often sold as baby bok choy, and is a classic of Chinese cooking.

It cooks in a couple of minutes, and the whole plant can be used, since the stalks do not need separating from the leaves, which makes it quick and neat for steaming, grilling and stir-frying.

Main nutrition value

A smaller, more tender version of bok choy, often cooked whole rather than chopped.

Per 100g · Source: USDA FoodData Central (Foundation Foods)

20 kcal
Nutrition Information
Protein1.0g
Total Fat0.2g
Carbohydrate2.3g
Dietary Fibre1.3g
Sodium14mg
Other Nutrients
Calcium — Ca61.9mg
Iron — Fe0.4mg
Magnesium — Mg13.6mg
Phosphorus — P30.5mg
Potassium — K227.8mg
Zinc — Zn0.3mg
Copper — Cu0.03mg
Manganese — Mn0.2mg
Vitamin C — Ascorbic Acid30.3mg
Vitamin B9 — Folate68.0µg
Show all nutrients
Nitrogen0.2g
5-methyl tetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF)50.0µg

Baby bok choy provides vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium and folate, for very few calories.

How best to be consumed

Baby bok choy is cooked briefly and often served whole or halved.

  1. Halve lengthwise, and steam or blanch for 2 to 3 minutes.
  2. Stir-fry with garlic and ginger, finishing with soy or oyster sauce.
  3. Grill or roast halves cut side down until lightly charred.
  4. Add whole to noodle soups and hot pots in the last minute.
  5. Rinse well between the base leaves, where grit hides.

Overconsumption could cause…

Baby bok choy is safe and healthy in food amounts.

  1. Possible effects on warfarin and similar blood-thinning medicines because of the high vitamin K content, so keep intake steady rather than avoiding them.
  2. Bloating and gas from the fibre and fermentable carbohydrates in brassica greens.
  3. Possible effects on thyroid function in people with an underactive thyroid or iodine deficiency if very large amounts are eaten raw, since brassicas contain goitrogens; normal cooked servings are fine.
  4. Foodborne illness from poorly washed leaves, so rinse well, especially bagged and ready-to-eat salad.

GroupsLeafy Green VegetablesCruciferous (cabbage family)Low fatLow sodiumRich in vitamin CChineseFresh

Related foodsBok Choy / Pak ChoyGai Lan / Chinese BroccoliChye Sim / Choy SumNapa Cabbage / Chinese CabbageTatsoiMustard Greens

Wikipedia — Bok choy, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bok_choy

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