Ume-Miso Braised Shanghai Choy
Shanghai Choi - a milder, green-stemmed variety of Baby Bok Choi - is braised with miso, umeboshi, and Japanese cooking wines. This easy vegetable side is packed with flavor and is ready in under 20 minutes. This recipe is free of gluten, dairy, and nightshades and is also fully vegan.
Servings: 4 servings
Equipment
- Dutch oven, braising dish, or similar stovetop-safe pan with a tight-fitting lid.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbs oil
- 10-12 Shanghai Choi (or Baby Bok Choi)
- 2 Tbs white miso
- 3 umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums)
- ¼ cup cooking sake (aka. ryorishi)
- 2 Tbs mirin
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- Wash Shanghai Choi in cold water and pat dry. Slice each head in half lengthwise. Set aside.
- Remove and discard pits from umeboshi. Mash, puree, or finely mince the fruit.
- In a small bowl, mix together umeboshi, miso, sake, and mirin until completely combined.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven or braising dish over medium heat. Add Shanghai Choi and saute lightly for a minute or two.
- Pour in miso mixture and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer until tender (about 10 minutes).
Notes
- Shanghai Choi is a variety of Baby Bok Choi that differs from the standard variety in having pale green stems (versus pure white in Bok Choy) and a milder flavor. It is regularly available at most Asian markets as well as some mainstream supermarkets. Here in the Chicago area, we get ours at H Mart, Mitsuwa, and Tony's Fresh Market. If you can't find it, substitute with standard Baby Bok Choy.
- Umeboshi are small Japanese plums ("ume") that have been pickled with salt, vinegar, and red shiso (perilla) leaf (which gives them their striking red color). Look for them in the refrigerated cases at Asian markets along side the other types of pickles. Their flavor, texture, and presentation is quite unique, so there really are no good substitutes for them. If you can't get them locally, you should be able to order them online
- Be sure to buy pickled umeboshi, and not dried (especially if you are ordering online). Dried umeboshi won't work in this recipe. I have also seen jars of umeboshi paste for sale - I imagine that could be used here, but I haven't tried it myself.