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–+ servings
Bok Choy Soup - East West Fusion

Make Bok Choy Soup: East-West Fusion, Easy & Tasty

Rinse 2-3 medium large stalks of Bok Choy, then chop the stalks and leafy tops separately. Saute the stalks with garlic, then add cooked and pureed tomatoes and cooked steel-cut oats; add seasonings and simmer for a couple of min, then add boiling hot water. Simmer the soup for a few min, then stir in corn kernels, chopped leafy tops, chopped fresh dill and turn the heat off. Serve with assorted toppings - shredded cheese, green onions, croutons, etc., along with fresh bread. Enjoy!
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American, East-West Fusion, Italian
Servings 4 people
Calories 157 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 Microwave-safe glass/ceramic cereal bowls for cooking steel-cut oats and tomatoes; I do not recommend using a plastic bowl for cooking oats. If using stove-top or pressure cooker, I recommend using a small stainless steel bowl.
  • Electric chopper/blender for pureeing cooked tomatoes
  • 2 Heavy-bottom medium saucepan (2-3 qt/L) for cooking the soup
  • 1 Light-weight medium saucepan (2-3 qt/L) to boil water. Don't need if using a hot water kettle for boiling water.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cups Bok Choy - white stems - chopped 2-3 medium large stems - snip away the green leafy tops to chop separately; See Recipe Notes for Bok Choy alternatives you might try
  • 1/2 cup Corn kernels -frozen/canned If using fresh, see note in directions
  • 1 1/2 cups Tomatoes - chopped finely about 3 medium-large Roma; if fresh tomatoes are not available, use pre-made tomato puree/paste, or even Marinara sauce - check details in the Recipe directions
  • 2 tbsp Steel-cut oats - dry or pre-cooked 1/2 cup; for gluten-free - check for GF label
  • 3 tbsp Ajvar - mild/medium spicy (about 60 g) Store-bought; if not available, see Recipe Notes for a quick substitute recipe
  • 3 cups Water adjust as needed for desired consistency: may need up to 1/2 cup more
  • 3/8 tsp Salt adjust as per preference - may need up to 1/4 tsp more after taste-testing at the end
  • 1/2 tsp Sugar adjust more/less as per taste preference- may need up to 1/4 tsp more
  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper - freshly crushed preferred adjust more/less as per spice preference
  • 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper adjust more/less as per spice preference
  • 1 whole Bay leaf break into a couple of pieces
  • 1 tsp Garlic -finely chopped (optional) 1-2 cloves; omit for no onion-garlic option
  • 2 tsp Butter For Vegan: use your favorite plant-based butter or oil of your choice. I do NOT recommend using extra-virgin olive oil for sauteing and cooking.
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika Optional, for good color

Garnish

  • 1/3 cup Bok Choy - green leafy tops - finely chopped green tops from 2-3 stems
  • 1 tbsp Fresh dill - finely chopped - remove tough stems if not available, use fresh parsley or cilantro -chopped
  • 2 tbsp Cheddar Cheese - finely shredded - optional for vegan version- use plant-based cheese
  • 2 tbsp Sour Cream - optional for vegan version - use plant-based sour cream
  • 2 tbsp Cottage cheese - optional for vegan version, use shopped/crumbled firm tofu, sprinkled with salt and a squeeze of lime
  • 1/4 cup Green onion - thinly sliced green tops - optional

Instructions
 

Cook the steel-cut oats in the microwave. Please see Recipe Notes for pressure cooker and stove-top cooking directions,

  • Microwave:
    - Add 1/2 cup water to 2 tbsp steel-cut oats in a small (cereal bowl sized microwave-safe glass/ceramic bowl. Stir to mix.
    - Add seasonings: 1/16 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper (freshly crushed preferred), 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper, tiny bit of butter. Stir to mix
    microwave-cook oats
  • Cook on Hi for 1 minute; stir, cover and cook on 30% power for 5 min; stir, cover and cook on 30% power for 3-4 min.
    The oats should be fully cooked and most of the water absorbed by this time - if it looks very dry, stir in 1 tbsp water, cover and set aside.
    cooked steel cut oats
  • As it cools, it starts to dry out a bit.
    cooled cooked oats
  • Break off about 2-3 medium-large stalks from the head of Bok Choy.
    Wash thoroughly under running water, gently probing all the nooks and crannies of the stalks and leafy tops to remove any hidden sandy grit.
    Big Bok Choy
  • Make long cuts in the stalks and start dicing them.
    dicing bok Choy stalks
  • Cut way the green leafy parts from the white stalks.
    cut away leafy tops -bok choy
  • Separately chop the stalks and green tops.
    chopped bok choy
  • Peel and chop the garlic, if using.
    garlic -peeled and chopped
  • Heat butter in a medium (2 qt/L) saucepan and add the chopped garlic, along with the bay leaf, crushed black pepper and crushed red pepper.
    Note: If not using garlic, just add the bay leaf, crushed black pepper and crushed red pepper
    Saute for about 30 seconds.
    saute garlic and seasonings
  • Add the diced Bok Choy stalks.
  • Place about 4 cups of water in a pot and set it to boil on another burner, so that you will have hot water ready to be added to the soup later. Alternatively, heat the water in a hot water kettle.
    hot water for soup
  • Saute, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 min on med-hi heat, until the edges start to brown.
    saute bok choy for soup
  • Meanwhile, prep the tomatoes: finely dice/chop about 3 medium Roma tomatoes, to yield about 11/2 cups.
    Note: If fresh tomatoes are not available, use one of the following alternatives instead:
    A) 2/3 cup pre-made tomato puree: store-bought or home-made
    B) 1/4 cup tomato paste + 1/3 cup water: make a smooth mixture.
    C) 2/3 cup Marinara sauce (simple pasta sauce)
    finely chopped tomatoes
  • Microwave the tomatoes, covered, for about 2 min.
    microwaved tomatoes
  • Transfer the cooked tomatoes to a blender jar or chopper, and puree them without adding extra water - yields about 3/4 cup.
    blended cooked tomatoes
  • Add the pureed tomatoes , and 3 tbsp Ajvar to the sauteed Bok Choy
    pureed tomatoes and ajvar
  • Add the cooked steel-cut oats to the soup mixture,
    add steel cut oats to bok shoy soup
  • Add paprika,; stir and simmer for 2-3 minutes to blend flavors.
    simmer bok choy mixture
  • By this time, the water you had earlier set to boil should be ready.
    Add 2 1/2 - 3 cups boiling hot water, stir and gently simmer the soup for 3-4 min.
    add water and simmer soup
  • Meanwhile, rinse and chop the fresh dill.
    fresh dill- chopped
  • Add the thawed corn kernels to the soup.
    Note: If using fresh corn, briefly cook the kernels in 1/2 cup water for 2-3 min, before adding to the soup: add the cooked corn along with the cooking water.
    add corn to soup
  • Add the chopped leafy Bok Choy tops and chopped fresh dill to the soup, then turn the heat off.
    add garnish to bok choy soup
  • Stir gently, and serve immediately,
  • Set out assorted soup toppings on the side: shredded cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions... Also set out hot sauce, if you like.
    For vegan options, use plant based cheese, sour cream, crumbled tofu sprinkled with a little salt and a squeeze of fresh lime.
    Also set out some fresh crusty bread and butter.
    Bok Choy Soup - East West Fusion
  • For a nutritionally balanced meal, pair this soup with food items that bump up the protein content of the meal, such as celery-peanut butter, seasoned pink beans and fresh bread with cheese.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

To Cook steel-cut oats on the Stove-top:
  • In a small heavy bottom saucepan, bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil.
  • Add the seasonings: 1/16 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper (freshly crushed preferred), 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper, tiny bit of butter. Stir to mix.
  • Add 2 tbsp steel-cut oats, stir and bring mixture back to a boil.
  • Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring every few minutes to prevent sticking and burning on the bottom.till oats are fully cooked and most of the water absorbed - it will take about 10-12 min.
  • Turn the heat off and set aside, covered, away from the stove-top, until ready to use in the recipe.
 
To Cook steel-cut oats in the Pressure cooker
Use 'pot in-pot' method
  • Place the rack inside the pressure cooker pot. add 1 1/2-2 cups water- the water level should be barely touching the top of the rack.
  • In a small heat-safe bowl (stainless steel preferred), place 2 tbsp steel-cut oats and 6 tbsp water.
  • Add seasonings: 1/16 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper (freshly crushed preferred), 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper, tiny bit of butter. Stir to mix.
  • Place this bowl on the rack inside the pressure cooker
  • Pressure cook (Hi) at full pressure for 5 minutes. Then allow for natural pressure release - this will take 8-10 min. When you remove the lid, you will see that the oats are fully cooked and most of the water is absorbed by this time.
  • Carefully remove the bowl from the pressure cooker and set it aside until ready to use in the recipe.
 
Bok Choy Alternatives:
Can't find big Bok Choy where you live? No worries... Try using one of the following alternatives instead.
Use one of these instead of the diced Bok Choy stalks:
  • 1 1/2 cups of white stalks of Short Bok Choy (cut away the dark leaves to use as garnish) 
  • 1 1/2 cups of light green stalks of Baby Bok Choy ((cut away the light green leaves to use as garnish )
  • 3/4 cup chopped green cabbage + 3/4 cup chopped onions (red, white, yellow) 
  • 3/4 cup of diced turnips (slice into 1/8 inch slices, then dice) + 3/4 cup chopped onions (red, white, yellow) 
Use one of these instead of the chopped leafy tops of Bok Choy:
  • 1/3 cup of finely chopped Baby Bok Choy leafy tops  - they have a similar peppery flavor as big Bok Choy
  • 1/3 cup of finely chopped Short Bok Choy leafy tops  - they have a similar peppery flavor as big Bok Choy
  • 1/3 cup of finely chopped watercress leaves  - they have a similar peppery flavor as big Bok Choy
  • 1/4 cup of finely chopped radish leaves + 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup of finely chopped mustard leaves (flat or curly) + 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/4 cup of finely chopped mustard leaves (flat or curly) + 1/4 cup chopped ilantro
 
Ajvar not available ?
No worries. Here's a quick way to make a 'fake' Ajvar that works well in this Bok Choy soup. 
Ingredients:
  • 1 medium red bell pepper: peel and chop to yield 1 cup 
  • 1/3 of a medium Japanese/Chinese eggplant: peel and chop to yield about 1/3 cup
  • 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp Crushed red peppes
  • 2 tsp Apple cider vinegar
Directions:
  • Heat oil in a small frying pan (non-stick pan preferred) and saute the garlic for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the chopped bell pepper and eggplant and saute for 4-5 minutes till the edges start to brown.
  • Stir in salt and crushed red pepper, cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 min till veggies are soft and look somewhat 'dry'.
    • Stir periodically to prevent sticking/burning on the bottom of the pan. 
  • Se aside to cool to room temperature.
  • Transfer to a chopper, add apple cider vinegar and pulse grind to a coarse paste. 
  • Taste-test and adjust salt, if needed, to your taste preference.
    • Your 'fake' Ajvar is ready to use for making this Bok Choy soup! 
  • Use as directed in recipe: about 3 tbsp
  • Store any remaining paste ( 'fake' Ajvar) in a glass jar in the refrigerator.
    • Use within 2 weeks. 
 
Storing Leftovers:
Store leftover Bok Choy soup in a glass/ceramic lidded container in the refrigerator.
  • Use within 2-3 days
Note:
I do NOT recommend freezing this soup:
  • The texture of frozen Bok Choy upon thawing will be rather unpalatable.
To serve:
  • Reheat on the stove-top or in the microwave till almost boiling. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 157kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 6gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 401mgPotassium: 429mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2573IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 105mgIron: 1mg
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