Grilled Bok Choy: Not Every Recipe Is a Success

We post a lot of recipes on this blog, always after someone has successfully made whatever the recipe is for. Well, today I have to say the recipe I tried was not exactly a success. So I have a bone to pick with Ms. Rachael Ray—the recipe was in her bimonthly cooking magazine. I have one of her cookbooks, and the recipes always work well (though I have never actually accomplished one in the requisite 30 minutes), and the recipes in the magazine have generally been great, but I don’t know what she was thinking when she suggested making bok choy and tofu kebabs. There is some secret to skewering both items that she forgot to provide.

That said, the food was delicious; it just didn’t “present” well, and about half the tofu is at the bottom of the grill, waiting to be fished out. (You can see the tofu scattered everywhere in the photograph.) But, I have to say that what made it through the cooking process turned out quite nicely and tasted good. So, if you need a new way to prepare bok choy and are interested in trying this recipe, perhaps the way to do it would be to put foil on the grill first, so everything doesn’t slip off the skewer and into the coals.

Grilled Bok Choy and Tofu

(adapted from Rachael Ray’s Every Day magazine)

2 small heads of bok choy

Half a package of extra firm tofu, cut into large chunks and patted dry

8 ounces snap peas

3 Tbsps. soy sauce

2 Tbsps. rice vinegar

1 Tbsp. sesame oil (or substitute olive oil)

3 Tbsps. vegetable oil, plus more for brushing the bok choy and tofu

Small piece of peeled and chopped fresh ginger

1 clove of garlic, chopped fine

3 or 4 green onions, sliced

Clean the snap peas and cook for about a minute in boiling water; drain and put in a bowl with the sliced green onions.

Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame or olive oil, 1 Tbsp. of vegetable oil, garlic, and ginger in a bowl. Reserve about half the sauce for basting on the grill, and toss the peas and sliced onions in what remains.

Thread the tofu and bok choy onto skewers (good luck!) and brush with vegetable oil. Grill (use foil on the grill if you don’t want to lose all the tofu and char the bok choy leaves) for 4 minutes on one side. Turn, baste with the reserved sauce, and grill for another 4 minutes. Serve the hot bok choy and tofu with the room temperature peas and onions, as is or over noodles or rice.