San Diego has a new farmers market that’s been making big news.
San Diego Public Market — which started a Kickstarter Project in August to renovate an old warehouse — met its goal within a few days and was funded 158% with over 1,210 backers by the time pledge drive expired. That’s a whopping record that has not gone unnoticed by various media outlets in town. It’s an exciting project that I hope prospers and creates a place to rival similar markets in San Francisco and Seattle while invigorating the Barrio Logan area.
The market is slowly becoming one of my go-to places to visit on Sunday with its easy, accessible parking in the back and favorite food vendors such as JennyWennyCakes and Hani’s Market. (The San Diego Public Market is also open on Wednesdays with a rotating list of vendors the two days it’s open.)
In an effort to eat more in-season vegetables, I picked up bok choy on my last visit.
Bok choy has always been one of those veggies my mom dropped in various soups and stews hoping that either my brother and I would grow to love. It’s a Chinese vegetable that was always present when i was growing up. Unfortunately when incorporated into soups, I always found the texture too slimy and never cared for it. So when I saw a braised bok choy recipe, my interest was piqued; have my tastes changed?
I initially spotted the recipe on Serious Eats. The first part of the recipe required me to drop the halved boy choy bundles into hot oil prior to finishing it in a savory sauce. While the dish was delicious but the aftermath of cleaning up the oil splatters but a dampener on the meal.
My modified version eliminates frying it in hot oil and instead lightly brushing grapeseed oil prior to a quick bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. Easy peasey and unslightly oil stains on the floor and kitchen walls eliminated!
The end result is slightly tender stalks with a savory, fragrant sauce that goes perfect with hot, white rice.
Braised Bok Choy
6 small bok choy, cleaned and dried
4 tablespoons grapeseed oli
2 teaspoons grated ginger, grated
2 medium garlic cloves, grated
1/2 cup water
1/4 rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/8 cup packed brown sugar
Preheat over 350 degrees F.
Cut each bok choy lengthwise.
Brush each vegetable with grapeseed oil (make sure to coat the leaves and stalks) and bake for 10-15 minutes until leaves are lightly crispy.
In large wok or frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger until lightly brown. Reduce heat to medium. Add water, vinegar, soy sauce and brown sugar until slightly thickened.
Remove bok choy from oven and add to pan. Cook uncovered for 8 minutes until leaves are wilted and place on serving platter.
Continue cooking remaining liquid for 10 minutes until liquid is slightly reduced. Serve with rice.
My Burning Kitchen 
Nice recipe! It’s good to see you don’t actually have to fry the bok choy in oil — sounds messy.
It was extremely messy. I think baking it a bit before works really well.
I’ve always stir fried my bok choy or put it in soups (not the stalks though). If I get the baby bok choy, then I stir fry everything. I’ll have to try this ‘bake’ method one of these days.
Thanks for the heads up about the market (which I’ve always wondered about since it can be seen from the freeway). We’ll be checking it out this Sunday!
I don’t think I’ve ever tried it stir fried. I’ll try it!
I stir fry it with a little bit of peanut oil and oyster sauce.
also, the “from the freeway” comment was totally off. i was thinking of that pink building that says farmer’s market (on the OTHER side of the 5). this new one, you can’t see.