Raw Baby Bok Choy Salad with Asian Dressing

Have you ever had a raw baby bok choy salad? Until last week, I didn’t even know you could (or should) eat it raw.

Last Saturday, I went to the Farmer’s market planning to try the broad assortment of  lettuce varieties. To be frank, I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the choices. “What is Irvine lettuce? That one is supposed to taste like baked potatoes?” I thought to myself.

Too many options overwhelm me sometimes and at eight bucks a pound, I didn’t want to choose a lettuce I didn’t like.  So I confusedly backed away from the lettuce farmer’s table (seriously, he had like 20 different varieties).

As I sulked back toward the car, I eyed some gorgeous baby bok choy. Sure, I’ve used it with my tofu stir fries, but never used it fresh. I wasn’t even sure it would taste good raw. Thanks to my handy smartphone, I quickly found a plethora of bok choy salad recipes and for only $1.50 per large bunch, I was sold.

This salad is quick and easy to make, especially if you already have all of the dressing ingredients on hand like I did (my husband tries his had at stir fry every now and again).

Fresh bok choy works so well in a salad. It has a bit of a crunch, but doesn’t need marinating time like raw kale does. I would not suggest dressing the salad until you are ready to serve it. Just like lettuce, the kale will get wilty if it sits in dressing too long. The Asian vinaigrette has some kick and I felt so very virtuous for eating my greens.

Raw Baby Bok Choy Salad with Asian Vinaigrette

Adapted from California Avocado and The Cozy Apron

Salad:
8 Baby Bok Choy Stalks
1 Carrot
½ Red Bell Pepper
Sesame Seeds

Vinaigrette:
1 clove fresh garlic, finely minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp Sriracha

Directions:

Wash and rinse all vegetables. Thinly slice the bok choy and bell pepper, grate the carrots and mix vegetables together. Assemble all dressing ingredients and whisk until well combined. Add dressing to the vegetables to desired wetness. Sprinkle each serving with sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Have you eaten raw bok choy before? Do you have a recipe you love?