Stuffed Baby Bok Choy Cups!

Living in Hong Kong is a constant foodie fest. There are so many amazing things to eat and try and sometimes it gets overwhelming. I've been trying my best to cook at home more often (even though eating out is so much more convenient in HK!) But it has really made a change in my energy levels and overall well-being. It's often hard to avoid carbs here, but today I have a really fun recipe that is the perfect addition to your low-carb list! These babies are like eating flavorful dumplings...without the guilt!

These are beautiful little baby bok choy stems stuffed with a flavorful mix of shrimp or fish paste... you could even try minced chicken! Don't let the pretty end-product intimidate you, these are really simple to make. Stuff and steam! This recipe was inspired from DayDayCook, an awesome culinary site here in Asia that's great for finding new dishes to try! Let's get cookin :)

What You Need:

4-6 baby bok choy
1/4 lb shrimp or fish paste, or try minced chicken or pork :)
handful of cilantro! if you don't like cilantro, swap with green onion
a bit of cured ham, or Chinese cured sausage (lap cheong)
salt and pepper (if you have it, try white pepper!)
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp cooking wine
1 tbsp sesame oil

Optional sauce:

5 oz chicken broth
1 oz corn starch/water mixture for thickening

What To Do:

Wash and pat dry the bok choy. Chop off the leafy greens, leaving about 2 1/2" from the bottom. I love how the edges of the leaves twist out. Wash, dry, and roughly chop the cilantro or green onion.

In a bowl, mix together the fish/shrimp paste, chopped cilantro, 1 tbsp corn starch, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp cooking wine, diced ham or lap cheong, and salt and pepper.

Stuff the bok choy cups!! I love the colors and the natural shape of the overlapping bok choy stalks :)

Steam the bok choy cups for 12-15 minutes (depending on size) until the shrimp/fish is cooked, and the bok choy is tender.
In a small saucepan, bring 5 oz chicken broth and 1 oz cornstarch slurry (just water and corn starch, you can add salt and pepper...my grandma used to add oyster sauce, too!) until thickened. Drizzle over the tops of the steamed bok choy and serve hot!

Aren't they gorgeous? :) I'm way too excited about these lol

I love finding new ways to satisfy cravings. The flavor of the filling is just like some of my favorite dumplings...maybe that's because I love cilantro! You can experiment and try different fillings with these - have fun with it! And let me know if you do :) Tag me @_brokeandcooking / #brokeandcooking on IG! Have a great week, xoxo