Pak choi (or choy) is a member of the cabbage family and has been grown in China for centuries. It’s a fast-growing plant with upright heads of green, red or yellow leaves and thick white or green stems. Pac Choi, Bok Choy, & Pak Choi are all different spellings for the same vegetable. Choy can be treated like two vegetables in one, with the leaves cooked much like spinach and the crisp, juicy stems eaten like celery. With both heat and cold tolerant varieties it can be grown practically year round with protection. Kitazawa Seed Company has a large selection of choys as well as many other Asian vegetables. Johnny’s Selected Seeds also has a nice selection of choy, including a beautiful variety called Red Choi with purplish-red leaves.
Mei Qing pak choi
Red Choi pak choi
At Happy Acres our favorite way to prepare choi is to stir-fry it with a little garlic and mushrooms and a splash of soy sauce. It’s also good added to mixed stir-fries. This soup is a different way to use the prolific vegetable. It’s easy to make, light and delicious. The mild flavored choy blends nicely with the aromatic garlic and ginger.
Green Choi Soup
I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out the first time I made it, but I make asparagus soup in much the same way and love it, so why not do the same with pak choi? It can be made with any choi variety or color. Give it a try – you might like it too!
Green Choi Soup 
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A Happy Acres Original
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb pak choi, sliced in 1″ pieces
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce, low-sodium
2 tsp white miso paste
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook about 1 minute more, until fragrant.
2. Add pak choi, potato and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potato is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
3. Puree soup in blender or food processor until smooth. Return to pot.
4. Dissolve miso paste in 1/2 cup of soup, return to pot. Add sesame oil and soy sauce.
5. Ladle into bowls, top with green onions and additional sesame oil (if desired).
Servings: 5 (about 1 cup each)
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 97 calories, 36 calories from fat, 4.1g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 515.7mg sodium, 576.1mg potassium, 11.9g carbohydrates, 1.9g fiber, 2.1g sugar, 4.7g protein, 120.2mg calcium, <1g saturated fat.
Oh Boy! More soup recipes! I’ve been reading about soup recipes on blogs all night. Must be the season – and they all look so good 🙂 I really like pak choi, and am considering trying it in my garden next year.
Your photos look like what I expect bok choy (pak choi) to look like, but the variety I’m growing now (the seed packet is just labeled bok choy) has skinny stems. Tastes good though. I’ll have to visit the seed company that you mentioned to see what different Asian vegetables they have.