Succulent Grilled Bok Choy with flavorful Ponzu Sauce is tender and juicy with toasty savory flavor. An easy side dish that is delicious and healthy!
The flower never had a to-do list, not one day of her life. She just pointed her whole self toward light. The rest took care of itself. ~Chelan Harkin
This Grilled Bok Choy is an easy side dish that is full of so much satisfying juicy crunch. Perfect for dinners on the grill!
The ponzu sauce perfectly enhances the Bok Choy without overpowering, keeping the flavors light. Though it hails from Japan, Ponzu has just the right amount of savoriness and can complement many different cuisines.
Bok Choy is in the cruciferous family along with broccoli, cabbage, kale etc. A common ingredient in Asian cuisines, Bok Choy can be grilled, roasted, stir-fried, and eaten raw. We have used regular Bok Choy here but feel free to use baby Bok Choy. Baby Bok Choy gets a lot of attention these days but regular Bok Choy has some satisfying features that we love!
Difference between regular Bok Choy & Baby Bok Choy?
Though there are many different varieties, they are basically the same plant.
Baby Bok Choy is harvested when the plant is young and is generally more tender and mild. It is delicious raw or cooked.
Regular Bok Choy is larger in size with thicker stems that hold more juice and crunch, great raw or cooked. The stems can be used as a substitute for celery. The leaves have more of a pungent flavor similar to cabbage and taste more pleasant when cooked.
What you’ll need for Grilled Bok Choy with Ponzu Sauce
- Bok Choy
- avocado oil, or oil of your choice
- salt
- soy sauce, or GF Liquid aminos
- fresh orange juice (or yuzu)
- Mirin (or use 2 teaspoons honey and 1 tablespoon water)
- rice wine vinegar
- sesame oil
- toasted sesame seeds
- chili flakes
How to make Grilled Bok Choy with Ponzu Sauce
STEP ONE: Gather ingredients. Whisk up the simple Ponzo sauce. Prepare the Bok Choy by pulling off the outer pieces. There is often a core in tact that you can cut in half or in quarters depending the size. Rinse all pieces and pat dry the stems. It is good to keep a little moisture on the leaves to keep them from burning.
STEP TWO: Brush Bok Choy with avocado oil. We give a light sprinkle of salt here but that is optional as the Ponzu sauce does contain soy sauce.
STEP THREE: Turn on the grill to high heat and let it fully heat up for about 10-15 minutes. Grill Bok Choy on each side for 3-4 minutes.
Serve immediately, drizzled with Ponzu Sauce.
What to serve with Grilled Bok Choy
- Simple Baked Miso Salmon
- Instant Pot Peanut Chicken
- Chicken Katsu (or Tofu Katsu!)
- Five-Spice Chicken with Roasted Plum Sauce
- Furikake Salmon
More recipes you may enjoy
- The Best Grilled Asparagus
- Grilled Romaine Salad with Maitake Mushrooms
- How to Grill Veggies
- Grilled Fava Beans with Mint, Lemon Zest, and Sumac
Grilled Bok Choy with Ponzu Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Vegetable, side dish, grilled
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Asian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Succulent grilled Bok Choy with savory Ponzu Sauce is tender and juicy with toasty savory flavor. An easy side dish that is delicious and healthy!
Ingredients
- 1 large head Bok Choy or 4–6 baby Bok Choy
- 1–2 tablespoons avocado oil, or oil or your choice
- salt
Ponzo Sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, or GF Liquid aminos
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice (or yuzu)
- 2 tablespoons Mirin (or use 2 teaspoons honey and 1 tablespoon water)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- pinch chili flakes
Instructions
- Make the ponzu dressing by whisking all the ingredients together.
- Prepare the Bok Choy by pulling off the outer pieces. There is often a core in tact that you can cut in half or in quarters depending the size. Rinse all pieces and pat dry the stems. It is good to keep a little moisture on the leaves to keep them from charring too much.
- Preheat Grill to high and let it fully heat for 10-15 minutes.
- Brush Bok Choy with oil. We give a light sprinkle of salt here but that is optional as the Ponzu sauce does contain soy sauce.
- Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side. The leaves will get a little toasty, you can just discard if they become too charred. (You can also layer the leaf on top of the Bok Choy next to it as you lay it on the grill, so that the leaf is not directly on the grates.)
- Serve immediately with a drizzle of Ponzu sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 60
- Sugar: 3.2 g
- Sodium: 330.9 mg
- Fat: 4.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.6 g
- Fiber: 1.1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I cooked this in the frying pan, and it worked a treat. Interesting way to cook bok choy which can be quite bland.
Good to know Anne!
This was a nice side dish and fun to cook on the grill. I did not wash the bok choy well enough the first time I tried it. The next time I did a better job of spreading the leaves while rinsing under running water to get out all the grit. I also trimmed off some of the leafy edges since they char so easily and used those in a salad. The ponzu sauce is outstanding. We had some fresh morels that we picked and I fried them tempura style and the ponzu was a great dipping sauce for them.
Glad you like this Marie! Yes, the grit can get way down in there! I often hang the greens over the edge of the grill, but cutting them is also a good option! Glad you were able to make it work this time!
Hello: Could I bake it in the oven or cook in the pan? We have no grill 🙂 Thank you.
Do you have a grill pan you can use on the stove?
I think if you can sear or char the vegetables sufficiently in a griddle pan that would be ideal. If that doesn’t do the trick I might blanche the veg first so that they are pre-cooked before searing them… but dry them off before oiling them
Sylvia will know best! 🙂
Thanks Felicity! Searing is a great idea. I would sear first then if veg needs more softening add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan and cover with a lid for a minute.
You could also throw on a sheet pan and put in a preheated oven at 450 degrees. Watch carefully, it will probably take 6 to 10 minutes depending on what size bok choy is cut at. Hope this helps Eva, let us know what you try:)
This is a flavour burst that I have never tried before at home… absolutely delicious, and I am now experimenting with other green vegetables under the grill with the Bok Choi…. thank you
Love it, Felicity! Have fun experimenting with it!
Beautiful flavours
Thank you Mary.