Baby Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce

August 5: National Oyster Day

Islander’s brother, Kahuna, won a monetary prize from a Hawaii fisheries foundation at a state science fair when he was in junior high school. His display project, entitled  “The Oyster: Treasure Box of the Ocean,” showed different types of oysters and explained their overall value to both the food and jewelry industries. Although Islander does not like to eat them raw on the half shell, she absolutely loves what some of them can produce—pearls, especially of the South Seas variety! She also doesn’t mind cooking with oyster sauce to add flavor to some foods. Our blog recipe post features oyster sauce on baby bok choy (Chinese cabbage), a side salad, for National Oyster Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Food/RecipeZaar)

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of baby bok choy
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1-2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed into an additional 1 tablespoon chicken stock)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped and fried for a garnish (optional)

Directions

Separate the baby bok choy leaves from the bunch. Wash and trim the bottoms of the stalk. In a saucepan, stir together over medium heat the oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken stock, sesame oil and cornstarch mixture until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. In a separate pot, boil water and blanch the baby bok choy for about 1 ½ – 2 minutes. Remove the leaves and drain. Arrange on a serving plate and pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle fried, chopped garlic as a garnish.

Notes

• It is a myth that oysters are an aphrodisiac.
• We have attended Oyster Bake at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, to kick off the city’s annual Fiesta, and met the oversized oyster mascots, Shuckie, and his fiancée, Pearl.
• Highlander gave Islander a pearl anniversary ring one year. A jeweler custom-made it with a rare South Seas gold pearl and a black Tahitian pearl to represent us. The jeweler named the ring “Hugs and Kisses.” Islander wears her ring on special occasions, on Sundays for church and even on National Oyster Day!